Renewable Energy Policy in Australia - Term Paper Example

Renewable energy in Australia Name Course Instructor Institution Location Date Introduction Research shows that it is Second World War paving way for reforms in the energy sector in Australia (Acemoglu & Robinson, 2013).. The reforms aim at providing sufficient power satisfy the rising demand for new secure and reliable source of energy in Australia. The necessity to rebuild the civilian economy, provide a good housing system and create employment opportunities in the south of Australia makes the government put effort in application of the efficient measures to control the power industry. Prior to the time of setting the strategy, Australia is dependent on coal as a source of power. The Adelaide electricity supply company of the time is deemed to be exploitative and takes no consideration of public interest in Southern Australia. For the period up to 1930, the power industry is in public hands in Australia. By 1946, the political and economic factors pressure for the nationalisation of the electricity industry. Electric power proves an alternative for gas lighting that is common at this time (Gibson1984).This essay analyse the policy of green energy in Australia Background information Coal and other fossil fuels that undergo combustion to produce steam for electric generators become a menace by causing significant levels of atmospheric pollution to the continent. Scientists predict extreme climate variability to Australia such as a rise in frequency and intensity of droughts and flooding in the future as a result of pollution. In the year 2000, the federal department forecasts an increase in atmospheric carbon pollution by 20% in the next twenty years (Preston & Jones 2006). There is Increased awareness of the people about the contribution of fossil fuels, nuclear and hydroelectric power have to land water and air pollution, habitat destruction, climate change as a result of global warming. Aims for introduction of the renewable energy policy There are a number of economic sectors and communities that depend on the environment. Mechanisms to assess the progress of sustainability criteria, the legislative framework for conservation of the newly threatened environment become a necessity. There is a discovery of the potential of Australia having many opportunities to establish better environmental practise through institutional reforms and tax reforms (Lane et al. 2004) the gateway appears to be altering policy settings with the energy sector being at the centre of the focus. Another strategy is the establishment of cross –organisational partnerships to ensure security of environmental integrity in Australia. Wind and solar are readily available and can be harnessed to produce sufficient amounts of power. The policy also aims at lowering the costs of living to the civilians by producing cheap amount of electricity, lowering environmental pollution and depletion of available natural resources(coal and fossil fuels) (Lane et al. 2004). The renewable energy system is adopted to address the problem of change of climate and depletion of natural resources that the globe is experiencing. Another idea behind establishing the policy is production of secure energy. In the current world, an emission carbon compound to the atmosphere bears the greatest responsibility for the change of climate and global temperatures. In Australia, the process of power generation from coal and fossil fuels lead to the tune of 38% of the pollution (Baxter 2005). Implications of the policy The policy calls for extensive research for determination of best amendment policies. There is an assumption that in case the researchers employed in the project are few, they are likely to call for salary increment. This means more expenditure in terms of R&D funding. There is more demand for S&T personnel. Prioritising conducting research in irrelevant sectors such as health can give ambiguous outcome and affect the overall welfare negatively (Preston & Jones 2006). The green paper of 2008 affects a number of parties. Citizens that earn little are to receive extra payments through the new tax system. Businesses that emit carbon in volumes above 25000 tonnes of carbon are to have a licence and annual records of their emissions (Preston & Jones 2006). There is to be the addition of electric generation from coal, transport, gas production and industrial records to the scheme of carbon pollution and reduction. There is a mandatory requirement for large greenhouse gas-emitting industries such as Aluminium and cement to have a licence. There is the inclusion of petrol to the compounds that release carbon to the atmosphere. There is a proposal for periodical fuel price adjustment over three years beginning from the time of adoption of the policy (Preston & Jones 2006). With the adoption of renewable energy program, there is production of surplus electricity in the continent; there are also prospects of industrial ventures as a result of cheap energy. The policy also enhances less depletion of natural resources such as coal and petroleum for future generations. With a new source of energy, the former dependence on oil and nuclear energy has reduced significantly. The system has also seen a reduced number of emissions from industries and other businesses (Murphy et al.2012) There is a significant increase in purity of Australian air due to reduced cases of burning of fossil fuels. There is a decreased level of public relationship crises for industries in the continent. The system has created an avenue for rural economic development because it is possible to base vibrant industries in the remote areas as a result of the availability of power. The government has got a wide tax base due to an increase in tax for massive carbon emitting companies. The green energy sources act as insurance against rising fuel costs. The level of dependency on foreign energy sources has seen a considerable reduction. The policy creates international awareness. There is a particular case where Australia's CBD energy firm partners with China's Dating and Tanwei Baobian companies to construct wind and power firms across Australia. The incentive of cheap financing from China side makes the deal possible. The companies agree without many legal formalities. China is influenced to advocate for minimization of environmental pollution. The country has made many reforms aiming at reducing the high level of carbon amount in the atmosphere. China sets and implements changes that lead in global mission of reducing pollution by identifying opportunities that can enhance it. The Australian renewable energy industry aims at capturing five percent of the global market by the year 2015, by leading by example. The Greenhouse Challenge programme is receiving Coordination to forestry; land management and agricultural sectors to ensure the parties concerned fully support the effort to attain a clean environment. Australia has the highest rate of continental solar radiation, high wind resources to the south and hot rock for geothermal energy. The abundance of the resources makes it possible for the continent to produce solar, wind and geothermal energy has a capacity of producing a lot of green energies. Challenges of the policy The project consumes huge sums of money as capital but the electricity that results from the investment has a little value. Another problem the complex process of ensuring that there compatibility of the power from the project with the existing distribution networks is hard. The sources of power are remote from the most potential electricity markets. There is also the adoption of inferior technology in running the projects, and the experience available is insufficient Accountable parties The constitution governs energy control of Australia. The federal government sets policies and directions that govern range of issues including energy management. The State government exercises powers over environment, transport, land use and allocating water and new capacity of power systems. State governments issue permits of operation to private electricity generation companies. Developing of Australia's future renewable energy is currently under assistance of a number of government initiatives, such as the amendment for the renewable energy target that mandates 20%of renewable energy electric supply by 2020, There is also The Climate council with responsibilities of promoting sustainability and viability of the environment. The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency administers and coordinates Australia's clean energy future plan (Lyster 2003). The spending by the government on R&D investments steers and shapes clean energy systems of Australia. Apart from the technology adoption policies such as feed-in tariffs for renewable energies, policies that advocate for demand of green technologies are becoming tight in regulating, standardizing and clarifying consumer policies. Progress and their comprehension, monitoring framework To minimise the pollution that results from use of fossil fuels, the federal government of Australia sets up abatement Program to address the Greenhouse challenge and reduce emissions GHG to the environment. Greenhouse measures include the establishment of the revised tax system package. Much of the federal government funding aims towards reduction of Australia's greenhouse gases under the policy of ‘no regrets (Bulkeley 2001). There has been a disbursement of loans to the public and that do not attract interest. The undergoing project of solar flagging program helps to capacitate the citizens to adopt solar energy. Projects of generation of renewable energy development are getting increased funds .The government has established a program of power generation in remote areas, Government rebates to install solar panels and feed-in tariffs to make solar facilities cheap in order to enhance growth in use of renewable energies Public awareness about the policy There are a number of cases showing a rise in public education with clear guidelines for moderate noise levels and visual amnesty in Australia. There is also a significant increase in publicity for wind energy, solar energy and geothermal on land firms under private ownership. The government has set up feed-in tariffs to support the community businesses to install renewable power schemes (Rogers et al., 2008) The commonwealth government works jointly state governments of Australia to progress the goals of the policy. They encourage technological innovation and researchers of the renewable energy industry by establishing 200% concession of tax for projects related to renewable energy. The government coordinates direct support to research and innovation in Australia. The government also plays a role of supporting Australia's international Energy Agency programmes. There is an observable support to communication networks to enhance the provision of information to those in need of it in rural areas too. Education institutions support training and accreditation schemes for workers of the renewable energy industry under TAFE programme. National rebate scheme of five years to enable individuals to purchase the renewable energy equipment (Tennant-Wood, R. (2012). The media play the role of educating the people about the essence of renewable energy adoption. Cases of airing the views about need for support of the policy have risen over the recent past. For instance there is a mentioning of arguments between two environmentalists. One of them, David Bellamy is a British botanist, and he is an opponent of the adoption of wind energy. Another journalist, David Suzuki is a Canadian geneticist. Bellamy claims that wind turbines and Firms are weapons of mass destruction. Suzuki responds to the claim by saying that such claim is irresponsible, unscientific and wrong. To support his argument, Suzuki claims that the turbines are environmentally benign because they create power from fresh air. Suzuki further supports the policy by stating that the wind companies can power millions of Australian homes and reduce burning of coal to produce electricity that contributes to 30% of Australia. The anti-wind firm’s environmentalists are also called 'not in my backyard'(NIMBYs) (Mallon, 2006). The Initiatives taken by Australia such as Signing to Kyoto protocol shows a continued effort to embrace renewable energy. Other measures include setting up a five% renewable energy by 2010. Supporting R &D renewable energy technologies is an act of commitment to attaining the renewable energy targets. Technology is familiar to Australian people. A number of policies that encourage private sector to invest in renewable energy have been established. An initiative of solar cities tries to test models for sustainable solar energy in urban set ups (redbrick, 2005) Green pricing programs where retailers offer accredited products to Australian residents have come up, and a high proportion of users are signing up to the green energy product. The green power sales increase significantly year after year. Following the national green power accreditation program, audits to ascertain that retailers purchase sufficient amounts of green power have shown an upward trend. AGL company, the sole supplier of green energy in the South of Australia guarantees consumers of protection when using green energy (Mallon, 2006). Workability of the policy The Australian bureau of statistics has a record of an increase in purchases of home appliances with low energy consumption (Baxter 2005). Checking the power rating of lighting bulbs before purchase is on the increase. The public is embracing more of renewable energy generation. With greater environmental awareness and desire for cheaper alternatives for power in homes, there is an increase in demand for green energy options for the public. From 2000 People are working to reduce energy consumption in many ways. These include substituting use of incandescent, fluorescent bulbs, washing with cold water and limiting air conditioning and tumble clothes drier in summer. They are also insulating their homes and switching to green energy, turning off appliances at sockets and investing in solar heating. Besides reducing power bills, they intend to conserve the declining amount of water and reduce greenhouse emissions. Warburton Review confirms attainment of the targets of significant investments and jobs in regional and rural Australia, increased competition in the energy sector of Australia and substantial reduction in emissions of carbon to the atmosphere. Economic modelling review indicates that removal or reduction of the renewable energy target will lead to increase in household electricity bills. Therefore, the consumers will be worse off without the targets. The targets are achieving what they were established to do. References Baxter, L. (2005). Biomass-coal co-combustion: opportunity for affordable renewable energy. Fuel, 84(10), 1295-1302. Bulkeley, H. (2001).How the economy of Australia's varies with the global Environment Change, 11(2), 155-169. Gibson, K. D. (1984). Reorganisation in the dimension of industry and the process of producing coal in Australia, 1860–1982: a historical materialist analysis. Australian Geographical Studies, 22(2), 221-242. Lane, M. 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