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Renewable Energy Target set to 20%

January 5, 2009

The government has released a new Renewable Energy Target of 20% by 2020. This is a big step forward from the old 2% target, although still a long way from enough to tackle climate change, and a long way below what is achievable.

Draft RET legistlation

The Clean Energy Council has responded, with some concern at the details.

One area of concern is that there is a multiplier on RECS for small units, if those RECS are counted into the total target it has the potential to reduce the total target especially if distributed generation becomes more common than utility-scale generation.

However since the overall effect when combined with removing the PV rebate will triple the out-of-pocket cost to customers, so we should expect a big drop in PV sales next year.

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Australian Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme - other people's analysis

January 5, 2009

Following on from my own analysis of the government's inadequate CPRS, here is the commentary from the Clean Energy Council calling for the need for a Renewable Energy Target since the capped rate is too low to drive investment in renewables, (disclaimer: I'm on the PV Directorate of the Clean Energy Council, but we had nothing to do with writing this).

I'll update this posting if I find other useful analysis.

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Australia's "per-capita" cuts

January 4, 2009

As I mentioned in my recent post on Australia's "Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme", Rudd has taken the unusual step of talking about how good Australia's per-capita cuts are, i.e. using Australia's projected population growth.

Of course this only makes sense if you believe that a growing population is an independent uncontrollable factor, rather than just another reflection of government policy. But - according to "The Age" the numbers aren't even correct, and they also rightly point out that on a per-capita basis Australians emit more than 2.5 times as much as Europeans.


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EcoFont - printing with less ink

December 20, 2008

ecofont_voorbeeld_klein.jpgThis is an interesting out-of-the-box idea, how much of a letter can you remove without impairing legibility. In the process you save ink.

The font is free to download from Sprang, though I haven't yet figured out how to embed in a webpage or word document so that people without the font can read it.

(Thanks to Floov)

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Australian Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme - analysis and briefing

December 19, 2008

I attended the Australian federal government's briefing on its "Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme" in Brisbane yesterday.

The one-line summary .... inadequate goals (450ppm); targets that push the burden of meeting the goal onto the next government (5% by 2020) and measures unlikely to even achieve those targets.

The government chose to send someone to explain WHAT is in the CPRS, but no-one to explain WHY. He gave a clear explanation of how it works, and responded well to those questions, but was clearly not authorised to discuss why the scheme is so poor.

I've attempted to analyse the CPRS below, but please note that the actual white paper is several hundred pages long, so this is based on a fast read of the 77 page printed "summary".

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Byron Green Drinks

December 5, 2008

Over the last year, I've been to "Green Drinks" evenings in San Francisco; Melbourne and Brisbane they were a great way to meet and catch up with and network with like-minded people.

I thought it would be great to have an evening like this closer to home.

The intention is to open it up to anyone who works in the sustainability sector - whether that is in business, non-profits or government.

The idea is simple ... - no agenda, no programme, no RSVPs, come when you like, leave when you like, just people with a shared work who you might like to talk to.

We'll make sure there is a table for you to leave leaflets, business cards or whatever, but thats all the organised part.

We held our first evening last night (4th Dec) at the Poinciana cafe in Mullumbimby, with about 40 people there, and there was a general consensus to do them regularly, so they'll be on a regular basis from the end of January.

I've created a group on facebook to announce future events at so please sign up there if you want to come along,

Or if you aren't in this area, you can find the Green Drinks event in your own area.

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Wind belt

December 5, 2008

Humdinger Wind has an interesting alternative to turbines, using the old concept of fluttering belts, as used in the grass-plate trumpet we all knew as kids.

The numbers don't quite seem to add up to me, but its a valuable addition to the three-rotating-blades idea.

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Michelin's Active Wheel could revolutionize vehicle design

December 5, 2008

This is interesting - I heard Amory Lovins talk about doing pretty much this about 15 or so years ago as a necessary part of the hybrid car, and spoke to some engineers at GM about the electric wheels they were seeing about 3 or 4 years ago but interestingly it looks like its going to come from a tyre maker instead.

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Michelin's Active Wheel could revolutionize vehicle design: "

0michelin-active-wheel_019.jpg

We naturally expect automotive innovation to come from the big automakers; but with America's Big Three on the ropes--not that they've been recently innovative anyway--it's nice to see a company like Michelin, previously thought of as just a tire maker, taking up the slack. The new Michelin Active Wheel could potentially usher in a new future for vehicle design, where innovation comes from multiple sectors, including 'mere' suppliers.

So what is it? Read on:

...The transformation is truly revolutionary--no more engine under the front or rear bonnet, no more traditional suspension system, and no more gearbox or transmission shaft thanks to the Michelin Active Wheel. That's because all essential components have been integrated into the wheel itself. Cars equipped with this integrated solution deliver an array of unique advantages. In a sense, the Michelin Active Wheel is an intelligent wheel capable of propelling cars without gasoline, while ensuring suspension and braking functions and providing unrivalled road handling and comfort.

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The Michelin Active Wheel inaugurates a new era in road transportation in which a car's road, safety, energy and environmental performance achieve unprecedented levels. This is because of a miniature drive engine and an electrical suspension system incorporated into the wheel. These technologies developed by Michelin have made it possible to completely rethink the car.


via autoblog

(more...)

"

(Via core77.com's design blog.)

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Sustainability - your best defense against recession

November 12, 2008

This article, by Kevin Wilhelm matches a lot of the thinking at Natural Innovation - i.e. that sustainability, done well improves, rather than detracts from a bottom line.

In these uncertain economic times, companies often gravitate towards budget cuts and to scale back sustainability or “green” programs because of the notion that they take away from the bottom-line. In reality, this thinking is the exact opposite of what business leaders need to do. Sustainability may actually be the best defense against market volatility during uncertain economic times.

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Whaledreamers opening in cinemas across Australia

October 30, 2008

WD eye 1 55k.jpgWhaledreamers - made by friends of mine - is opening in cinemas across Australia.

Its a powerful, true story of a supposedly extinct aboriginal tribe's reconnection with their heritage of calling the whales, and a gathering of indigenous elders from around the world on their ancestral land.

With beautiful whale footage, and a message for our times about our reconnection with nature its recommended viewing. Its attracting rave reviews.

See the website for cinema dates across Australia. www.whaledreamers.com

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