THE deciduous trees have shaken off most of their leaves and the temperature is plunging in true Bathurst style. As temperatures fall, power bills begin to rise.
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Like the conversation around climate change, the conversation around energy policy gets bogged down in ideology very quickly.
As our old infrastructure of power generation and distribution wears out and becomes expensive to maintain, the shift to cleaner, renewable options goes in fits and spurts, not always supported by coherent government policy. It does not help that the fossil fuel lobby continues to hold enormous sway over our politicians.
According to the Nature Conservation Council, in NSW, less than seven per cent of our electricity comes from the sun and wind. The NCC has begun a campaign called Repower NSW, which aims to mobilise community support for closing all coal-fired power stations in NSW by 2030 while ushering in a wave of clean energy investment to power our future.
To achieve this, policy incentives that will encourage investment in energy storage (including batteries) are needed. Pumped-hydro and solar thermal storage are also needed to increase grid reliability.
The state government supports many excellent community initiatives, including Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR) projects that enhance energy efficiency, but its continued support for the coal industry contradicts its own stated commitments to a cleaner energy future.
The Labor opposition has its own contradictions to deal with, including a historic association with coal miners through their unions.
However, the Labor opposition has just announced new policies to support renewable energy in this state. In his Budget Reply speech opposition leader Luke Foley has pledged to install solar panels on public sector buildings. He has also signalled the need for 100MW of grid-connected battery storage before summer.
Environmentalists are watching closely to see if the state government responds in kind by including similar pledges when it releases its final Climate Change Fund Strategic Plan in coming weeks.
The Nature Conservation Council will be launching its Repower NSW report in Bathurst next month, giving Bathurst residents an opportunity to hear from those who have been following recent developments closely.
Technology is developing rapidly and hearing how this might contribute to solutions beyond the household level is sure to be very interesting. The public forum will be held at Rahamim on Wednesday, July 19. Stay tuned for details.
