“I want to do something for Geelong. Its got a great infrastructure. The facilities are all available here, the skilled labour is available. And of course, the cost of setting up something here is much lower than in Melbourne and Sydney. My dream is that I want to see Geelong be the environmental, renewable energy capital of Australia. I think that is the perfect scenario that we should work towards.”
Heinz Dahl
Guest in the studio: Heinz Dahl, managing director, NexTgen Wind and Enviro Create
Pre-recorded interview: Per Bernard, co-founding member of Hepburn Wind
Listen to The Sustainable Hour no. 54:
» To open or download this programme in mp3-format, right-click here (Mac: CTRL + click)
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Geelong Renewable Energy Target
While the town of Yackandandah in north-east Victoria has declared its own Renewable Energy Target – 100% renewables by 2022 – and the city of Uralla is moving the entire town, which features several foundries and other metal manufacturing business, to 100% renewable energy, Geelong is procrastinating.
Why doesn’t Geelong have its own Renewable Energy Target?
Advertisements in the local newspaper are proudly making headline-statements that Geelong is now seen as the “Christmas Capital of Australia” – “brighter, bolder and bigger than ever before”, but no one is talking about how that “Iconic Floating Christmas Tree and Light Shows” at the waterfront are being powered.
“Everyone is talking about Geelong’s stunning Floating Christmas Tree,” but no one is talking about that it is powered by electricity produced by dirty and polluting coal which is destroying our climate, causing droughts, floodings, and a lot of other problems.
City of Greater Geelong is building a new library, but no one has apparently thought about how cool it would be if the building was powered by solar energy.
You have a say in all this. The Geelong Council is currently reviewing its Greenhouse Strategy, and if you haven’t already completed the survey they put out, then, really, you must do it now – or at least before the deadline on 14 December 2014.
These are some of the things we talk about in the 54th Sustainable Hour on 3 December 2014.
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Low Carbon West strategy
“Local councils in Melbourne’s western region have agreed to a low carbon plan that includes a cool roofs program for commercial buildings, planning scheme amendments to deliver higher energy efficiency standards for residential buildings, and voluntary incentives for developers of high performance commercial buildings.”
» The Fifth Estate – 9 December 2014:
Melbourne’s western region councils take the low carbon road
» The full strategy documents for Low Carbon West can be downloaded here:
www.lowcarbonwest.wordpress.com
» Low Carbon West – Overarching strategy
» Low Carbon West – Communities Sector Report
» Low Carbon West – Business and Industry – Sector Report
» Low Carbon West – Urban Growth and Development – Sector Report
» Low Carbon West – Transporting People and Freight – Sector Report
» Low Carbon West – Summary Booklet
» The Fifth Estate – 11 December 2014:
Canberra leading the nation on sustainability
When Canberra’s Reverse Solar Auction won this year’s Gold Banksia Award, the nation’s top honour in sustainability, it was no isolated gem of achievement.
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Cartoon of the day…. pic.twitter.com/ilSB3MYvKY
— Urgenda (@urgenda) May 6, 2014
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Wind entrepreneur of Geelong:
Heinz Dahl
Heinz Dahl has been involved in many of the current operating winds farms in Victoria in one way or another. He has over 15 years experience within the renewable energy generation industry, specifically wind energy, photovoltaic solar, clean coal technology and water clean-up. He was instrumental in starting the first – and still the only – consortia to manufacture wind turbines in Australia, which included getting the technology and orders for the turbines to manufacture.
He worked seven years within the Gippsland industrial and power generation region, and he has 20 years comprehensive Asian and Pacific Rim experience in market and project development, where he has worked with renewable and sustainable energy forms, environmental compliance monitoring, water and wastewater treatment, air quality and emissions issues, and transportation manufacturing industries.
He is the owner of the company Envirocreate Australia pty ltd which commercialises a new technology that uses 100 per cent renewable energy to convert any contaminated water source in potable quality water at less than five percent of the cost of current technologies available.
He is also the managing director of Nextgen Wind pty ltd which manufactures new generation wind turbines, assists with wind farm development and construction as well as operations and maintenance.
Heinz Dahl is a board member and former vice president of the World Wind Energy Association, he has previously been the president of the Australian Wind Energy Association, and he was a board member of Renewable Energy Generators Australia ltd, Roundtable ltd, WWEA Oceania ltd.
In 2005, Heinz was chairman of the World Wind Energy Conference in Melbourne. He was founding managing director of
EHN (Oceania) pty ltd which today has changed name to Acciona Energy Oceania pty ltd.
He has a background in chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering with a polymer chemistry certificate and a short-term Harvard MBA.
» Heinz Dahl was also guest in the 52nd Sustainable Hour on 19 November 2014 together with three state election candidates, including Cristine Couzens who is now a member of the Victorian parliament.
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Community-owned wind power:
Per Bernard
For those of us who would like to see a large scale renewable energy project launched in Geelong, there is something we can learn from Per Bernard in Daylesford. Listen to this 18 minute interview with Per Bernard about the community-owned Hepburn wind farm and how it was possible to make 1,900 citizens of Daylesford see that wind power generation is a actually a really good idea.
Per Bernard recommends you to take a look at Embark’s website. Embark is a non-profit organisation focused on accelerating the uptake of community renewable energy projects by providing practical capacity-building tools and seed and investment funding.
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Geelong 100% Renewable Energy City
Email from: Geelong Sustainability <info@geelongsustainability.org.au>
Date: 2014-12-05 7:25 GMT+01:00
Subject: Geelong 100% Renewable Energy City!
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Heading for 100% renewables
Uralla and Yackandandah are two Australian towns which recently have launched policies that aim for 100% renewables
The northern New South Wales town of Uralla – population 2,300 – has been chosen as the model for a community energy project called Zero Net Energy Town. The project will now develop a business case exploring the financial and technical feasibility of moving the town, which features several foundries and other metal manufacturing business, to 100% renewable energy, Energy Matters reported, with the study to be published by June 2015.
The town will follow in the wake of Germany’s Feldheim, which has its own grid powered by local renewables, primarily wind and biogas.
» The Australian – 1 December 2014:
Town chosen for 100% renewables program
Article by John Conroy
Yackandandah aims for 100% by 2022
The town of Yackandandah in north-east Victoria has declared its own Renewable Energy Target: The community aims for 100% renewables by 2022.
» RenewEconomy – 31 October 2014:
Victoria town aims to be 100% renewable by 2022
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City of Canning’s approach to sustainability
It is very encouraging to see that there already are councillors and politicians in Australia who think and create policies like they have done it in the City of Canning near Perth:
Video published on youtube.com on 13 June 2014.
“All officers at the City of Canning work towards reducing and eventually eliminating fossil fuel dependence”
City of Canning also recommends:
“To learn more about sustainability click on the links below:”
Sustainability Explained with Science:
Four Root Causes of Un-Sustinability:
Sustainability Challenge:
Ecological Footprint:
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Evidence for the impacts of wind generated energy in Australia: new report
This report argues that Australia is not realising its wind energy potential and is currently generating far less energy from wind power than many European countries.
There are so many reports that project the same theme, facts and evidence.
Coal which is demonstrably harmful to human health is allowed and encouraged in Australia, while clean wind energy is demonised without any proper evidentiary basis.
However, survey after survey has shown that almost 80 per cent of the voting population don’t buy into the spin and the myths. What’s truly unbelievable is that almost 80 per cent of the voting population can be ignored all the time because of the ‘belief’ of just 2-3 per cent.
» Introduction: www.tai.org.au
» Download report: www.tai.org.au
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Germany’s largest utility gets out of the fossil fuel business
Germany’s biggest utility E.ON announced plans to split into two companies and focus on renewables in a major shift that could be an indicator of broader changes to come across the utility sector. E.ON will spin off its nuclear, oil, coal, and gas operations in an effort to confront a drastically altered energy market, especially under the pressure of Germany’s Energiewende — the country’s move away from nuclear to renewables. The company told shareholders that it will place “a particular emphasis on expanding its wind business in Europe and in other selected target markets,” and that it will also “strengthen its solar business.”
» Read more: www.thinkprogress.org
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» RenewEconomy – 28 January 2014:
Rooftop solar PV will soon be cheaper than coal
A new study suggests that wind and solar plants are already competing with fossil fuel costs in Europe. Soon, even household rooftop solar PV systems will generate electricity cheaper than coal. And it won’t have the delivery costs. Article by Giles Parkinson
“The IPCC’s latest synthesis report – described as the most important yet made – says the world needs to act quickly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions dramatically; it needs to decarbonise its energy systems; it needs to stop burning coal, and it needs to shift investment from fossil fuels to clean energy.”
» RenewEconomy – 3 November 2014
IPCC warning to Australia: Wrong way, go back
The United Nations and its Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has delivered a stark warning to Australia that its climate and clean energy policies are at direct loggerheads with scientific consensus, and what the world needs to do to address climate change. Article by Giles Parkinson
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Solar energy in Australia: health and environmental costs and benefits
This paper from the Australian Policy Online Research and Evidence Base considers various advantages and disadvantages of harnessing energy from the sun, arguing that the health and environmental impacts of solar are minimal in comparison to fossil fuels.
» The Australia Institute – By Jeremy Moss, Alicia Coram, Grant Blashki – 9 December 2014:
www.apo.org.au
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Talking figures: Carbon damage
Every tonne of carbon emissions costs, on average, US$48 in damage. Estimated by the US Government. Which is the same as to say that at every Christmas, once a year, every Australian sends an unpaid bill of approximately US$ 865 worth of damage to his or her children. Merry Christmas! o<|:-)
…whereas every Dane sends an unpaid bill of approximately US$ 385 worth of damage to his or her children.
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What is radical?
“What is radical? Is it radical to expand fossil fuel infrastructure in the midst of climate change?”
24-year-old Tamo Campos, David Suzuki’s grandson – in a speech after his arrest for protesting Kinder Morgan
Tamo Campos was taken into custody for breaking an injunction granted to Texas-based Kinder Morgan, to protect its survey crews attempting to do geo-technical pipeline tests for a hoped-for Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.
Collecting his thoughts, Campos centered on his core message for the array of TV cameras, and reporters:
“This is insane, why are we putting our economic system – the market – above the very ecology that we all depend upon? We’re more dependent on clean water, fresh air and clean soil, than the market! It’s the thing that keeps us alive!”
Pointing to the forest, he added:
“We have to stand up to unjust laws – to make those the laws, because those are the laws that have always governed our lives. And indigenous people have had natural laws that pre-date colonial laws by thousands of years, and we need to respect that.”
» More info: www.vancouverobserver.com
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Speaking of wind…
The Wind Tree
A French team of engineers has developed an artificial tree that can generate electricity using the wind.
“Now electricity really could grow on trees! Scientists unveil prototype ‘wind tree’ that uses turbines hidden inside plastic leaves to create power. The ‘Wind Tree’ uses tiny blades housed in the ‘leaves’ that turn in breezes. Developers hope they can be used in people’s homes and city centres. They claim the tree is less obtrusive and more viable than wind turbines”
» Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk
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Read more about 100% renewables and the ‘yes, but’
Podcasts and posts about climate change
Hours and hours of sustainable podcasts
You can listen to all of the radio shows in full length as well as in selected excerpts. Use the links below. You will also find links to more information about the topics and sites that have been mentioned during the hour.
| Social stream | Hour no 54 | No 53 | No 52 | No 51 | No 50 | No 49 | No 48 | No 47 | No 46 | No 45 | No 44 | No 43 | No 42 | No 41 | No 40 | No 39 | No 38 | No 37 | No 36 | No 35 | No 34 | No 33 | No 32 | No 31 | No 30 | No 29 | No 28 | No 27 | No 26 | No 25 | No 24 | No 23 | No 22 | No 21 | No 20 | No 19 | No 18 | No 17 | No 16 | No 15 | No 14 | No 13 | No 12 | No 11 | No 10 | No 9 | No 8 | No 7 | No 6 | No 5 | No 4 | No 3 | No 2 | No 1 |
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