Finally!
Basically, the government has said that by the year 2020, Australian people should be receiving 20% of their energy from renewable resources.
In a land blessed with many natural resources, there is no reason why this 20% renewable energy target should not only be a reachable, but it should be easily reachable.
The main sources this will come from are of course, solar, wind, hyro and now perhaps wave. But the purposes of this article, I’m going to discuss solar and wave power.
Solar power has been somewhat of a contentious issue in Australia, I feel. I guess proponents feel (and rightly so) that this vast “sun-burnt” country has not utilised this particarly natural resource well. Also the lack of support aka funding in the solar industry has resulted in a lot of technology going off-shore for developement and production.
Wave power is a relatively new concept and quite exciting to my mind. Basically it involves producing electricity via the mechanics of submerged buoys in the ocean which will pump high pressure sea water to shore. Subsequently, I could imagine that location, location, location is the driver in these “wave farms”. But imagine being able to harness the power of our gloriously uncontrollable oceans! The main company driving this technology estimates the first wave-farm base-load, emission free electricity plan will be operating in 5 years.
However, this 20% renewable energy target will not only mean that all these lovely enterprising companies suddenly become more important, they also become more competitive price wise. As ever the economics model of supply and demand should kick in and mean that it will be cheaper to purchase green energy. And that is a very good thing. Finally, this government, which has been disappoint in so many ways has come through on an election promise on a a platform which (in my opinion) many people voted for them on.
Disclaimer: This blog does not claim to be factual or accurate in anyway. It merely a tool for which to voice and articulate my ramblings. So all mistakes are most humbly mine.
