The Failure to Act

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We had a coalition Government that although were proficient at handling the economy, failed to act on improving emission levels in our country. We now have a Labor Government who are good at rhetoric, but unwilling to do anything constructive to improve these emissions.
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In these uncertain financial times it is even more important for a Government to act on behalf of the Nation, and help householders to reduce there expenses. And yet a man with an almost unpronounceable surname and a thick Austrian accent, a man who was a brash, quick talking bodybuilder from a small European village and would become one of Hollywood's biggest stars, go on to marry into the prestigious Kennedy family, amass a fortune via shrewd investments and one day be the Governor of California, had the vision to take appropriate steps to address this issue rather than spend eons talking about it.
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http://kevshot.multiply.com/journal/item/63/THE_KIMBERLINA_SOLAR_THERMAL_ENERGY_PLANT_
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This is the bold politics we should expect from Australian politicians, instead they want to follow the European solutions, which are not needed or appropriate for conditions in Australia and the ETS is a joke. It is based on building Government coffers while forcing electricity prices to increase so that alternatives are a attractive solution. The trouble is it is increasing costs to households, which Australian households will pay more money to make the cost of transferring to alternatives more attractive. This is a strange strategy and delaying conversion possibilities for at lease 10-15yrs.
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If a Government looked at this rationally, by seriously assisting households to convert to alternatives now, by embracing new technology now, and by pushing the closure of city centre’s to general traffic between 0700 & 1900, and improving public transport measures we would have the structures in place by 2030 to have significant lowering of emissions, possibly already achieving our targets, while assisting households in their daily household budgets, saving overheads for business and making schools capable of generating funding through the on selling to the grids of excess energy generated during school holiday periods.
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I would envisage a sizeable commitment by the Government initially, to assist in conversion for households, however, this could be recovered through person tax over a period of time, or recovered on sale of the house, which ever comes first.
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This would be a case of a Government acting proactively to improve both the climate and saving households in ongoing expenditure. The technology is available now, we need not wait until 2030, nor do we need a ETS to tackle the problems.
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I do not believe we have caused the current cycle of weather we are in, but I do believe we need to clean up our planet, and embrace technology that has the ability to create electricity using the sunlight we are blessed with for free. So regardless of what you believe the solutions are the same and of benefit to all Australians. I have no financial interest in this matter and my only concern is for Australian households.
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I have been pushing my views since July and no political party appears to be interested in what I have to say. I have had the pleasure of hearing some individuals using parts of my ideas as their own, but no-one is willing to take the horse by the reins, and present the full package. It is workable as is, but I can accept others ideas as valid also. I will present this to you without the belief anyone will actually read it let alone acknowledge it. But I will keep knocking on doors until someone listens and acts on behalf of the Australian public
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http://kevshot.multiply.com/

THE KIMBERLINA SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY PLANT

Located in Bakersfield, CA, Ausra’s state‐of‐the‐art Kimberlina Solar Thermal Energy Plant is the first of its kind in North America,and proof that Ausra’s “next generation” solar thermal technology is real and that it works now. We’re ready to power our customers and provide industrial steam for businesses working to cut energy costs with pollution‐free technology.

The Kimberlina plant also represents the first solar thermal project to enter operation in California in nearly 20 years. It showcases Ausra’s technology that is already operating at the company’s Liddell solar thermal facility in New South Wales,Australia.

The rows of mirrors at Kimberlina were manufactured at Ausra’s solar thermal power factory in Las Vegas,Nevada. These solar thermal collector lines will generate up to 25 megawatts (MW) of thermal energy to drive a steam turbine at the adjacent Clean Energy Systems power plant. At full output, the Kimberlina facility will produce enough solar steam to generate 5 MW of clean, reliable electricity—enough electricity to light up 3,500 central Californian households.

In addition to Kimberlina, Ausra is developing a 177‐MW solar thermal power plant for Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) in Carrizo Plains,west of Bakersfield. Ausra will sell the full output of the plant to PG&E under a long‐term contract.

CLEAN, RELIABLE, COST‐COMPETITIVE ENERGY

Ausra’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector solar collectors boil water with concentrated sunshine. Mirrors track the sun, reflecting solar heat onto boiler tubes to produce steam without the costs and pollution of fossil‐fired boilers. Direct steam generation makes integration into existing systems simple, either as retrofits or new designs. The result is a system that produces steam and electricity directly from the sun, at prices that compete with peak natural gas energy resources.

AUSRA – YOUR LOW‐COST ENERGY SOLUTION

Ausra delivers energy from the sun. The company provides solar energy and energy systems for industrial processes and utility‐scale electricity generation. The company is a leader in solar thermal energy design, development and manufacturing. Ausra is committed to serving the global energy needs of customers in a dependable, market‐competitive and environmentally responsible manner. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Ausra is a privately held company with operations in the United States and Australia. To learn more about Ausra and solar thermal power, visit www.ausra.com.

THE AUSRA ADVANTAGE COST‐EFFECTIVE STEAM

Most land‐efficient solar technology Eliminates fuel and pollution cost risks; On‐peak energy delivery

RELIABLE AND ROBUST

Commercially proven technology; Low wind profile; Steel‐backed mirrors for long life;
Suitable for demineralized or produced water operation.

RAPID DEPLOYMENT AND INSTALLATION

High‐volume, automated production and standard materials eliminate supply chain constraints; Rapid field installation (12‐24 months)

What a Mess

Link

Solar Rock & Roll - From Terry D. McGee

Penny Wong, the Australian Labor minister for Climate Change is claiming that the new family income cap on the solar cell rebate for homes is working - that there's been a record number of solar sales since the cap was announced in May 08. But is this spin or do I have to admit I was too critical?

I rang some businesses that install solar cells and discovered that sales have been down in most states except for Queensland where there has been a surge in sales. That's because in Queensland the state electricity authorities are paying a high "feed in tariff" to the homeowners for the excess electricity their small system feeds back into the electricity grid - a bit like the German system (where you can make a profit on your system). The Queensland system is not that generous but it is increasing sales. What if every Labor state did it? What if Penny made sure they did? I'll ask her tonight at a public forum in Petersham, Sydney.

Across the rest of Australia many people cancelled their orders but there's been an increase in the number of retirees buying. Their income has dropped below the cap so they can get the $8,000 rebate. And some who cancelled say they'll be back in a year or two when they retire. Ah, there's that baby boomer generation again - rock and roll on a solar cell.

What a Mess

At a point in time where Australia should be living relatively comfortably due to the hard work and diligence of Australian Governments, we are now stuck without a paddle.

Firstly Pensioners have been underpaid pensions for years although the cost of living has been surging upwards. We have only just started seeing self funded pensioners as most of these pensioners, were in a time where the Government guaranteed their pensions for most of their working lives and they had little contributions to put into it. Those that have been contributing to super funds have been stung by the crash due to investments made by their Super fund managers. And now the Government tell them that while no-one seems able to live on a pension with anything resembling comfort, they will have to wait. Now we have the Government pretending to care while looking at bail out packages for the very industries that have caused the problem.

There definitely is something wrong here. Our Government, and lets face it they are our duly elected Government who is supposed to be acting in the best interest of Australians, are more interessted in parading and preening themselves on the international stage, and bailing out failed big business than looking after people that have paid taxes for all their lives or even many of us that continue to pay taxes. We need to make ourselves heard that we will not put up with wishy washy politics. And I am talking about any Government not just our present ALP or previous Colalition Goverment, but any Government past present or of the future. We the electorate hold the power and we the electorate need to exercise it more than just ticking a couple of boxes every few years.

We need difinitive action by Government, we need them to look at how to make the ensuing crisis easier on us and they need to lead the way by cutting back on their own expenditure as well as their massive travel budgets.

1. We need alternative power made affordable to households, saving in ongoing electricity costs and reducing coal emissions.
2. We need alternate transport measures introduced and affordable to households, cutting costs, reducing emissions and driving petrol prices down.
3. We need to regulate on service prices, ensuring fair competition and fair and affordable prices to consumers.
4. We need to stop wasting money on price watch schemes and put this money into a productive area, like supplementing pensions.

So stand up Australia, this is OUR country and they are supposed to be OUR government, lets make them listen by weight of numbers. We can't change what is happening in the rest of the world, but we can do something constructive in Australia.