The Australian Prime Minister , Tony Abbott , seems to be nether region - bent on a mission to undo the country ’s preceding carbon expelling - reduction cause . Last Sunday , the federal government announced that not only will it ostracize theClean Energy Finance Corporation(CEFC ) from investing in be lead technology , but little - scale solar power undertaking as well . Instead , the CEFC will focalize its zip on " go forth technologies . "
The CEFC is an organization that bestow funding to renewable energy projects . This fresh ban will be stifling not just for them , but for the future of renewable technology since one - third of CEFC funding is in solar projects , and many of them are small - scale solar projects , admit investing in family rooftop panel . It ’s not as though little - scurf solar project are n’t popular either : nearly15%of house in Australia are equipped with solar panels .
The CEFC has n’t sit lazily after this seemingly unfair ruling . The fellowship is getting sound advice about whether Abbott can apply these unexampled restrictions without having approval from the Senate . older lawyershave already stated that the CEFC may have legal grounds to fight back the solar and wind energy ban .
Abbott defended his actions by insisting that the idea behind CEFC was only to invest in fresh , emerging technologies and not existing , ripe technologies . “ It is our insurance to get rid of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation because we think that if the projects pile up economically , there ’s no understanding why they ca n’t be supported in the usual agency , ” the Prime Ministertold reporter . “ But while the CEFC exists , what we believe it should be doing is investing in fresh and come out technologies – sure enough not be windfarms . "
Abbott ’s actions since he became Prime Minister do n’t precisely bolster his claim that he wants to put up renewable energy . Since 2013 , when he was elect , Abbott has lowered Australia ’s renewable energy targets from41,000gigawatt hour to33,000gigawatt hours , broken up Australia ’s Climate Commission body and even dropped the science minister between 2013 - 14 , essentially silence representation from the scientific discipline sector . The actions do n’t fit up with his statements , and it ’s difficult to close that there is n’t some out of sight agenda .
The Prime Minister of contradiction has also recently approved the opening of a huge ember mine in New South Wales that will run until 2046 . This is in light of a pressing indigence for Australia to source its energy needs from renewable generator instead of coal and oil . release pollutants is damage one of Australia ’s most cherished jewels : the Great Barrier Reef . fisher have recently reported seeing a 1 - kilometer ( over half a international mile ) foresightful slick of oil . This unconfirmed incident come as a reminder to Australia that create a addiction on the oil and coal industry may descend at a gamy cost .
The move away from solar engineering science investiture seems counterintuitive since Australia is famed for being a sun haven . In fact , asolar potential mapof Australia for 2013 shows that a significant portion of the area had the potential to produce more than 1500 kilowatt hours per square meter ( kWh / m2 ) of solar - generated electricity .
Scott Ludlam , the move Greens leader , tell reportersin Perth that the Prime Minister ’s agenda is to " handcuff " Australia to the coal and gas industry . “ It ’s a descriptor of , I retrieve fantastically dangerous and despiteful industrial sabotage . They ’re stress to tap over the wind energy sphere . ”
The opposition leader , Bill Shorten , tot up : “ The guidelines now being declare oneself by Mr Abbott stand for that basically the only matter the CEFC could invest in is fell saucer , because anything that is any closer to development than that , Mr Abbott has conveniently saying is an effected technology . ”
With malarky and solar power off the radar , the only alternative left for the CEFC are the high - risk option . The move might not spell ' doom ' for the organisation , but for them , Australia ’s blazing skies just became a small bit dimmer – the Sun now a frustratingly wasted imagination .
[ H / T : The Guardian ]
