Australian Government Archives - Darryn Van Hout

Richard Branson’s Take on Climate Change

Darryn Van Hout — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 06:25:30 +0000

Let me incept this piece with a quote from the British magnate and billionaire, Sir Richard Branson, which goes, “whatever your goal is, you will never succeed unless you let go of your fears and fly.”

Love him or hate him, Sir Richard Branson is by all measure, a master of success with unstoppable entrepreneurial zeal that has given him an edge across many different niches.

The multi-billionaire philanthropist and founder of a slew of diverse companies under the umbrella of the Virgin Group—Virgin Records, Virgin Airlines, Virgin Cruises, Virgin Express, Virgin Hotels, Virgin Mobile and recently Virgin Galactic, has built an amazing life and credits this to a simple philosophy he applies daily—love others, be grateful for all you have, be kind and be mindful. And oh, “Never say no, but just keep going until you succeed.“

But surprisingly…..

It’s not just his ability to succeed in the business space that makes him special. Sir Richard Branson has built himself a solid name thanks to his quest to make a difference on Earth—something that he says has driven his achievements and helped built a multi-billion dollar empire in a single lifetime.

Richard Branson and Renewable Energy

Now one of the wealthiest and most influential British men in the world, Sir Richard is truly making that difference in the renewable energy space, especially after finding himself under siege during a Hurricane Irma event that had him hunkered down in his vast wine cellar whereas the Category 5 storm ripped through his private island.

For the duration of that bad weather event, the Virgin boss had to dash to his concrete shelter with his family and staff as winds with speeds of 185 mph tracked over Caribbean’s Necker Island.

“Earth is astoundingly beautiful, it needs to be protected.”
Sir Richard Branson

While Mr Branson seems to be perpetually a happy-mode man and of course a die-hard fan of outlandish hobbies, he has actually expressed his connection to climate change.

Branson Calls Upon the Australian Government

During a Tuesday morning conference in Sydney, Sir Richard Branson asked Australia to lead the way in renewables.

At the event, the amazing Sir Richard called on the Australian government to put an end to export of coal given its contribution to global warming.

“I’m afraid that Australia must stop selling coal overseas to China and it must stop using coal in Australia. It is the most damaging thing that it can do.”

“I would suggest the Australian government create a revolution in clean energy, which can create thousands more jobs than coal could ever produce.”

The business tycoon proposes a scheme where all companies will be required to work out their net carbon footprint and pay a certain percentage of their revenue that will be channeled towards supporting clean energy initiatives.

“Unlike a carbon tax, that would create a revolution in clean energy, with trillions going into clean energy,” he noted.

“It’s going to need the world to take this problem very very seriously,” he said.

“I think the government of Australia should do a lot more and coal is definitely, I’m afraid, something that should be a thing of the past.”

The Noble Approach to Climate Change

The 69-year old Branson practices what he preaches and advised that the right decisions aren’t always the easy ones as he cited a rather “painful” decision to decline a billion dollars worth of funding by the Saudi Arabian government for his space program—Virgin Galactic. The offer came immediately after the murder of the French journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

According to the business mogul, it was time for the corporate world to create an “entrepreneurial way of addressing climate change that doesn’t have the negative effects that carbon tax has had in the past – which obviously brought down the Australian government.”

The proposed scheme, he emphasized, was all simple.

“Every company that emits carbon should work out its carbon footprint, and then a percentage of their turnover or profits relating to that footprint will not just be sent to the government to be lost in the coffers. 100 per cent will be spent on clean energy initiatives.”

He added that if all companies were to strictly adhere to these noble rules then “we would have trillions and trillions going into clean energy and very quickly.“

Richard Branson Guilt Tripping the Aviation Industry

The philanthropic Virgin Group boss has pledged three billion dollars over the next decade to go towards efforts to mitigate global warming.

While the aviation industry contributes about 2 percent to the global carbon emissions, Virgin Australia’s co-founder Richard Branson says it’s time for airlines to reduce their carbon footprints or actually risk a reprehensible backlash from passengers.

The prodigy of “flight shame” was on the rise especially in Europe and the phenomena have seen passengers stop flying with certain airlines due to guilt over the effects on the environment.

“It’s up to us companies to get our footprint down and down and down, so people don’t feel guilty,” he stated.

“If any industry doesn’t get their act together on carbon, there is the risk that consumers will act badly against them – and they deserve to be acted badly against,” Sir Richard stated on Thursday.

The billionaire businessman who is such a success today also owns a 10 per cent share in Virgin Australia and the man behind UK’s Virgin Atlantic carrier noted that sustainability should be a top priority for every company and airline.

“Every consumer in [the modern world is informed] and makes up their own mind on things like that,” the Virgin boss remarked in Brisbane while promoting Virgin Australia’s newly introduced route to Haneda Airport in Tokyo which is set to commence in March 2020.

The Virgin Approach

Virgin Australia’s rival Qantas has pledged to eliminate its long-term carbon emissions to zero by year 2050 using a winning combination of fuel efficiency and “off-setting” schemes like tree planting.

Virgin Australia is yet to decide whether it would match its rival’s new commitment to cut its emissions. As it is now, Virgin Australia has used diverse fuel efficiency plans to mitigate its annual carbon emissions by 9 million kilograms.

Last August, the company installed “split scimitar winglets” to its aircraft of which the company claims will save up to 160,000 kilograms of fuel per plane each year.

Already, the Virgin founder is testing newly recycled aviation fuel for use in his airlines but insists that governments ought to do more too.

“What would happen is the price of clean energy would drop dramatically, and stay down forever. It will never go back up again.”

“That’s something I’ll be talking to the Australian government about,” also noting that the prominent Australian scientist Tim Flannery had reached out to him, lauding the idea.

So, What’s Next on Richard Branson’s Agenda?

Sir Richard looks forward to conquering both the oceans and space.

He recently affirmed Virgin’s plans to launch a cruise line—Virgin Oceanic, despite heated concerns in recent years over the industry’s pollution but he promised that Virgin would do “everything possible, plus more.”

“With brand new ships and brand new technology, we can lower our footprint,” Virgin Voyages CCO Nirmal Saverimuttu noted.

For now, Sir Richard’s eyes are set on space and he’s already at it—training hard to become an astronaut as he prepares to travel to space in the near future through his innovative Virgin Galactic venture.

And how does he consider claims that he’s given up on planet Earth? According to him, it’s all hogwash.

“I think Earth is all we’ve really got,” he stated.

“I think this idea that we are going to go and colonise Mars or the Moon and therefore we don’t really need Earth anymore is rubbish.”

The “Earth is astoundingly beautiful, it needs to be protected,” he concluded.

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The Problem with Australia’s National Electricity Market

Darryn Van Hout — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 06:24:54 +0000

Australia is an industrialized country and one of those where greenhouse gas emissions have gone through the roof as much as 29 tons per year. In the last 20 years amount of emissions that are generated per dollar of GDP are increased, this has made it emission intensive economy holder.

The biggest source for the addition of greenhouse gas to the system was the electricity generation and it contributed 34% in 2005 to emit these gasses polluting the environment. This has been seen to be growing up 3% every year and since 1990 it has increased up to 68%. The reason of high emissions is that one-third of the energy is lost before it reaches the consumer and from the remainder energy 10% is used in Aluminum smelting. The mode of production of energy is also what is adding up to the greenhouse gases that is the production of 78% power from coal, 14% from natural gas, 4.7% from water and just 3.3% of energy is produced from renewable energy sources. Almost 20% of energy is just used to meet the peak demand of energy on the shear weather days that is hottest and coldest days.

The electricity prices in Australia are the cheapest in the whole word because it is very easy to mine coal there. The total bill received is divided such that 40% is given to the power station, 10% to the transmission line company, another 40% to the distribution company and the last 10% is the profit of energy retailer. But these prices are now increasing because ageing infrastructure is now replaced with the new one in order to fulfill the consumption demand of the people especially in the peak periods. This includes replacement of poles and wires. These all demands are however, not changed much over some time and it is because there is not much of an economic growth and other major actions. Find the facts here!

The context

90% electricity generated is from National Electricity Market (NEM), this extends from Port Douglas that is in far North Queensland to Port Lincoln in South Australia. The regulatory system that is running NEM is the one that was formed by an agreement between the states and territories in 1995 and was overseen by the Standing Council on Energy and Resources and this complex regulatory system was implemented through National Electricity Laws and Rules.

The main objective promoted by National Electricity is to provide electricity that fulfils the long term interest of consumers that is its price, quality, reliability, security all is in favor of consumer. But when we compare to other countries such as UK, there are no environmental or social objectives that are introduced in fact SCER has resisted from its introduction and implementation. When the demand of electricity is rising there can be two responses. Either reduce demand or increase energy efficiency.

National Electricity Rules are making poles and wires companies to invest in new infrastructure rather than managing the demand solutions especially in the peak times of demand. This has increased the investment in the infrastructure development.

The solution

The transition from carbon polluting energy to investment to renewable energy, the problem exists due to the absence of the energy market. This is the main road where the transition is regulated or hindered. If the grids of the Australia are made more responsive to consumer and as well as environmental needs and also improve the energy efficiency of machinery and manage the demand of electricity. This can result in making the renewable energy approachable to people and also lesser greenhouse emissions.

TEC has been focusing on the energy efficiency and demand management in order to make sure that the greenhouse gases are lowered by 2050. But according to studies 60% of reduction in pollution is only possible by energy efficiency but demand management has also positive effects but very less. Discouraging the investment in poles and wires is also one way of increasing productivity.

TEC has been working in Australia since 2004 to promote awareness of solar power and renewable energy with the aim to assist in the development of a green environment. We are doing this by introducing environmental objective in the national energy market and applying to change rules to make energy efficiency better and demand management better. “Poles and wires” companies are made to know the better alternatives to make the green energy.

TEC has supported the efforts that ensure the production of lesser fossil fuel that is rich in carbon emission while increase the renewable energy generation. This also includes production of 4 rankings related to annual Green Electricity Watch so that the consumers are more attracted towards carbon reduction and choose the environment friendly energy resources. The CO2 reductions are also encouraged by making law changes in state and national laws.

National Electricity Market Australian Solar Quotes

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The Past, Present, & Future Of Electricity In Australia

Darryn Van Hout — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 02:33:43 +0000

Let’s be honest, the cost of electricity has made a huge contribution to the high cost of living and the difficulties Australian families experience in balancing their family budgets. According to a survey carried out by Ernst & Young in October 2014, a third of all Australians missed a payment for their electricity usage in the last 12 months.

The fact of the matter is that Australians are hurting and power bills should no longer be a political opportunity for politicians to win votes but a serious concern necessitating realistically lasting solutions. In essence, not even the compensation for households that are least able to afford the rising power prices can have a long-term impact.

In the past five years, electricity prices have skyrocketed by as much as 40 per cent in some states of Australia. When you compare these statistics with other countries like Canada, the United States, the European Union, and Japan, Australian electricity bills are way too high as reported by the Energy Users Association of Australia (EUAA), something the Federal Government blatantly acknowledged but has failed to address.

Electricity prices in Australia over the past 25 years.

The significantly high power prices are generally considered to be fueled by three key factors: deregulation, infrastructure costs/network charges, and introduction of the carbon tax. Despite government efforts to mitigate the high cost of living pressures, electricity bills keep increasing. The good news is that the most sustainable solution to lowering power bills in Australia ultimately lies on the 1.3 million Australian household rooftops. One of Australia’s leading consumer care websites, Australian Solar Quotes*, reports that despite the withdrawal of political support, the uptake of rooftop solar panels is continuing to rise, even in the current economic climate. Is the trend a result of Australia’s earlier solar boom or do the good folks of Australia have little choice but to resort to solar power as an alternative?

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in five Australian households uses solar energy to power their electrical appliances. Even though the cost savings for investment in solar power are clear, this figure is still surprisingly low considering that the installation of a solar power system is a sure way to reduce a householder’s dependence on the grid with a zero power bill as a real possibility with the latest technological advances.

As mentioned, there are three main factors that result in high electricity prices in Australia. The first is network charges, which in fact account for up to 51% of the total cost of electricity. Next is the cost of transporting the high-priced, premium electricity across poles and wires. Lastly, let’s not forget the subsidies paid by Australians to support renewable energy also contribute to the high power costs. The introduction of the now scrapped carbon tax also had a significant impact on power prices, coming in at 9%.

Fierce competition among energy suppliers forms a vital part of the answer. Many of these companies are global, operating in export markets, and if their electricity prices are forced up, the consequences would be far reaching in terms of loss of jobs, investment, etc.

The federal government acknowledges that power bills are likely to keep rising due to the huge investments needed to maintain network infrastructure. This means that ever-rising electricity prices will still hurt Australian households and impact negatively on businesses.

How Solar Storage Next-Gen Technology is Revolutionizing the Energy Market

As the debate about the factors driving up power prices wages on, renewable energy product manufacturers are busy developing new technologies to drive down electricity prices. With the emergence of innovative solar energy solutions such as lithium-ion batteries, solar storage batteries are poised to dramatically reshape the energy industry in Australia.

A study commissioned by UBS, a world-leading investment bank, reveals that solar plus storage is an economically sustainable and low-risk solution for Australian households. For instance, if one million Australian households invest $20 billion in solar storage systems today, this would translate to enough capital for setting up a new LNG export plant.

The emergence of cost-competitive solar storage batteries such as Tesla’s new storage battery is a real revolution for the Australian electricity industry. This advanced battery storage system is poised to have a great impact on utilities, depending upon on how they react. If they embrace it as an opportunity to reduce high power prices, they can provide zero-down solar and battery storage installations to their consumers, thus pushing down costs for Australian households. On the other hand, they can view it as a threat and actively oppose this being launched in the Australian market.

The Tesla Powerwall has the potential to make a huge impact in the global energy industry and is indeed a timely innovation. The lithium-ion battery is one-of-a-kind. It’s designed to enable rechargeable energy storage at residential levels that can be used for load shifting, backing up power for use during an outage, and enabling self-consumption at peak times.

The solar storage battery by Tesla is a step forward for the Australian energy market. As the storage battery is a cheaper (inclusive of the foreign exchange and shipping) and highly efficient option compared to the existing solar power systems in the domestic market, it’s likely to significantly reduce dependence on the grid with a relatively quick payback period.

The new Powerwall from Tesla’s leading US-based energy technology company is an easy-to-handle wall-mounted solar storage unit which can hold a maximum of 10 kWh, delivered at an average of 2 kWh each day. The solution to the high power prices to Australian consumers lies in this innovative solar battery technology.

The price of a 10kWh weekly cycling backup storage system will be $US3,500 and $US3,000 is the price for a 7kWh daily cycling Powerwall. This excludes the cost of inverter (which typically comes with the solar panel system) and installation costs. Everything together is approximately US$500 per kWh, which is way below the existing industry cost which ranges between $US1,000 and $US1,250/kWh. Clearly, there’s great potential for dramatic storage battery cost reduction in coming years, just as the cost of solar panels has plunged in recent years.

The Tesla storage battery’s cost will ultimately deliver power for about $6-8 cents per kWh to any solar system for every Australian household. The combined cost of the rooftop solar and Tesla’s lithium-ion storage will therefore be much cheaper when compared to the coal-fired power delivered via the national grid.

With the new technology, eliminating grid dependence will become a reality for Australian households and high electricity costs will be a thing of the past. Solar + batteries have already been embraced in areas with high electricity prices like Hawaii. Although at the crossroads with incumbent utility companies, Tesla’s solar storage battery has a bright future in the Australian market.

The lithium-ion batteries will see more Australian households maximizing the amount of self-consumption. At the traditional end of power generation, the existing business models based on coal-fired power stations and huge networks of wires and poles will be seriously challenged.

Why Australian Households Should Invest in Tesla’s Solar Storage Battery

Solar + storage is particularly attractive in Australia due to its climate. The idea of generating one’s own electricity and storing it for use at a later time is attractive to Australian households. Solar, compared to other forms of power generation, is cost-effective and convenient with the only big constraint being the availability of adequate space for the panels.

The disadvantage of solar energy is that the sun reaches the panels for only a limited number of hours each day and solar power generation is inconsistent. The storage battery enables the power requirements and pattern of usage of the household to better match power generation.

Before the invention of Tesla’s lithium-ion storage battery, storage was relatively expensive and consumer unfriendly, mostly involving less efficient, heavy, lead-acid batteries requiring more space. However, lithium-ion batteries including Tesla’s PowerWall are changing that. With their costs likely to fall sharply in the near future, more and more Australian households will enjoy the unique features of these batteries:

Much lighter
Occupy less space
Discharged virtually at a constant voltage
Hold charge for extended periods of time

It’s worth noting that Australian households are likely to enjoy reduced power prices through Tesla’s new technology only if the federal government and other stakeholders in the energy industry scale up production of lithium-ion battery housings, energy monitoring, storage battery management systems, and integrated manufacturing of solar energy components including inverters. Whether they take up that challenge, only time will tell.

This article was originally posted on CleanTechnica.com

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