Will the Federal Government’s Climate Change Bill have its day in the sun today? Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen hopes so. And what’s with the Albanese Government approving a bunch of new fossil fuel exploration sites recently?
Addressing a question from Independent member for Curtin Kate Chaney in Parliament yesterday about how the Federal Government reconciles approving the release of 10 new fossil fuel exploration sites with a 43% emissions reduction target and doing our bit to limit global warming, Minister Bowen had this to say:
“Well thanks very much Mr. Speaker, and I thank the honourable member for her question. And as I have before, thank her for her engagement on these issues in a very constructive way.
And as the honourable member knows, our Climate Change Bill should, if all goes well, pass the Senate tomorrow and become the Climate Change Act of Australia; and will enshrine that 43% emissions reduction into the law of land, which sensible honourable members agree is a very good thing because it provides that certainty and that signal to the rest of the world.
Now, as the honourable member also knows, 43% is an economy-wide target, to be achieved by the whole country. But we do have policies that achieve that on a sector-by-sector basis.
Rewiring The Nation when it comes to electricity, electric vehicle strategy when it comes to transport, and safeguards mechanism when it comes to big emitters, particularly oil and gas. And safeguards mechanism is important way for oil and gas emissions to be reduced. And we have a discussion paper out there at the moment and all honourable members are encouraged to make a constructive suggestion; if you have any.
And I know honourable members of the crossbench, they will do that because it is a sensible project, a process to go through, including how new proposals are dealt with in the safeguards mechanism; and we are open to constructive advice.
The Minister for Resources did a couple of weeks ago release for exploration an invitation to explore those areas. It’s an annual process that occurs every year. The Minister for Resources had done that in an appropriate way.”
On his hopes for the Climate Change Act of Australia, Minister Bowen on Monday tweeted:
“Passing the Climate Change Bill will underline the end of 10 years of denial and delay and dysfunction under the previous government and send a message to the world’s investors that Australia is open for business.”
Well, it will certainly be a start.
“Same Old Liberal Party”
Minister Bowen also took aim at the Opposition’s problem with tax cuts for electric vehicles yesterday.
“Opposing tax cuts that will make EVs more affordable isn’t the only EV policy the Opposition has,” he posted on Facebook. “They also oppose even talking about increasing EV supply in Australia. They haven’t changed. It’s the same old Liberal Party.”
But it’s not just the Opposition concerned about the nature of these cuts.
82 Per Cent Renewables “Just The Beginning”
Over to renewables specifically, earlier in the day Minister Bowen told a forum in Canberra having a grid powered by 82 per cent renewables by 2030 under Labor’s Powering Australia Plan is just the beginning.
“But then we’ve got to be moving on to 200, 300, 400 per cent in exports”.
By exports, he was referring to projects such as Sun Cable’s proposed Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink); a huge solar power and battery storage project that intends exporting electricity to Singapore.
There was also some hydrogen-huffing from Mr. Bowen, as has become very common generally these days.
Anyway, between the Climate Change Bill and EV stuff, it looks like an interesting day ahead.
UPDATE 3:20 PM. The Climate Change Bill 2022 has been passed in the Senate.
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Kate Chaney MP tweeted yesterday a video segment of her question in parliament to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, and his response at: https://twitter.com/ChaneyforCurtin/status/1567388684726734848
IMO, Chris Bowen did not satisfactorily answer Kate Chaney’s question.
Unfortunately, the Earth System is already ‘locked-in’ to breaching the +1.5 °C global mean warming threshold, likely by 2035, with some climate scientists suggesting as early as within the 2020s. Encouraging and approving more fossil fuel projects is contributing to facilitating ‘locking-in’ breaching the +2 °C global mean warming threshold. See my slide 7 in the pdf file (10.4 MB) at: https://www.ipcn.nsw.gov.au/resources/pac/media/files/pac/project-submissions/2022/05/mt-pleasant-optimisation-project-ssd-10418/20220708t144208/theclimateenergycrisis20220708.pdf
Meanwhile, on Sep 6, the Independent Planning Commission NSW (IPCN) approved the proposed Mt Pleasant Optimisation Project (see my slide 21), allowing coal extraction at that mine to continue beyond the previous consent (to 22 Dec 2026), until the end of 2048. The reasons for the IPCN approval are given at: https://www.ipcn.nsw.gov.au/resources/pac/media/files/pac/projects/2022/05/mt-pleasant-optimisation-project-ssd-10418/determination/220906-mount-pleasant-optimisation-project-ssd-10418–statement-of-reasons.pdf
IMO, governments (both federal and state), through their ongoing encouragement and approvals of more fossil fuel projects, are continuing to contribute towards facilitating civilisation collapse later this century – see my slides 8 – 17.
What one party can vote into law, another can vote out, so the policy is binding for, at most, the term of the Albanese government. Should cost of living soar too much, and the Opposition show this legislation and other policies to be a driving factor, voters will cheerfully elect a government that replaces it with better economic policy.
And for those wanting a chuckle: https://www.breitbart.com/local/2022/09/04/stranded-tourist-dead-electric-car-helped-west-virginia-coal-miners/
That coal workers helping out an electric car driver is considered amusing shows how bizarre US attitudes have become. Coal workers interested in remaining coal workers should want electricity demand from the electrification of road transport to rise as rapidly as possible. But even if that wasn’t the case, it’s still normal for people to help other people whether they drive diesel or electric, or Ford or Holden, or bodies with pink skin or brown skin.
Ronald:- Part 1 of 2
I have attached below pre-release details of the brand new Australian National Electro-Engineering Technology training package about to be promulgated.
I had the pleasure to be a member of the Australian Technical Advisory Committee [40 Industry Specialists] in developing this new national apprenticeship curriculum during 2021/22.
The curriculum has now been brought up to worlds best practice standards across the broad Electro-Engineering Technology Sector to Advanced Diploma Level, with special emphasis on Renewable Energy Technology subjects.
Updated Qualifications:
UEE43322 Certificate IV in Electrical – Renewable Energy
UEE50122 Diploma of Computer Systems Engineering
UEE50722 Diploma of Renewable Energy Engineering
UEE60922 Advanced Diploma of Renewable Energy Engineering
UEE62022 Advanced Diploma of Engineering Technology – Renewable Energy
New Units of Competency:
UEERE0051 Apply electrical principles to renewable energy design
UEERE0054 Conduct site survey for grid connected photovoltaic and battery storage systems
UEERE0055 Conduct site survey for off-grid photovoltaic/generating set systems
UEERE0057 Coordinate the design of micro-grid renewable energy systems
UEERE0058 Coordinate the installation, fault finding and repair of micro grid systems
UEERE0070 Fault find and repair grid-connected photovoltaic power supply systems
UEERE0071 Fault find and repair off-grid PV/genset systems to an electrical installation
UEERE0072 Inspect grid connected renewable energy systems
UEERE0073 Inspect micro grid renewable energy systems
UEERE0074 Inspect off-grid renewable energy systems
UEERE0079 Install off-grid power conversion equipment to electrical installation
UEERE0080 Install photovoltaic power conversion equipment to grid
UEERE0082 Maintain renewable energy (RE) apparatus
Part 1 of 2
Lawrence Coomber
Part 2 of 3
Updated Units of Competency:
UEERE0052 Assess energy loads and uses for energy efficiency in commercial facilities
UEERE0053 Assess energy loads and uses for energy efficiency in industrial properties and enterprises
UEERE0056 Coordinate maintenance of renewable energy (RE) apparatus and systems
UEERE0059 Design energy management controls for electrical installations in buildings
UEERE0060 Design grid-connected battery storage systems
UEERE0061 Design grid-connected photovoltaic power supply systems
UEERE0062 Design micro-hydro systems
UEERE0063 Design off-grid photovoltaic/generating set systems
UEERE0064 Design renewable energy (RE) heating systems
UEERE0065 Design wind energy systems
UEERE0066 Develop effective engineering strategies for energy reduction in buildings
UEERE0067 Develop engineering solutions to renewable energy (RE) problems
UEERE0068 Develop strategies to address sustainability issues for electrical installations
UEERE0069 Diagnose and rectify faults in renewable energy (RE) control systems
UEERE0075 Install and maintain micro hydro energy systems to power conversion equipment
UEERE0076 Install and maintain wind energy systems to power conversion equipment
UEERE0077 Install battery storage equipment power conversion equipment to grid
UEERE0078 Install battery storage to power conversion equipment
UEERE0081 Install photovoltaic systems to power conversion equipment
UEERE0083 Maintain safety and tidiness of remote area power supply systems
UEERE0084 Manage renewable energy (RE) projects
UEERE0085 Plan renewable energy (RE) projects
UEERE0086 Promote sustainable energy practices
UEERE0087 Provide basic sustainable energy solutions for energy management in residential premises
UEERE0088 Work safely with remote area power supply systems
Part 2 of 3
Lawrence Coomber
Part 3 of 4
New Skill Sets:
UEESS00191 Grid-connected Battery Storage Systems Designer-Installer Skill Set
UEESS00192 Grid-connected Battery Storage Systems Installer Skill Set
UEESS00196 Grid-connected Renewable Energy System Site Surveyor Skill Set
UEESS00197 Grid-connected Renewable Energy Systems Inspector Skill Set
UEESS00198 Hybrid Photovoltaic, Wind and Battery Storage Systems Installer Skill Set
UEESS00199 Micro-hydro Systems Designer Installer Skill Set
UEESS00200 Micro-hydro Systems Designer Skill Set
UEESS00201 Micro hydro systems Installer Skill Set
UEESS00202 Micro-grid Renewable Energy Systems Inspector Skill Set
UEESS00203 Micro-grid Systems Design Coordinator Skill Set
UEESS00204 Micro-grid Systems Installation and Maintenance Coordinator Skill Set
UEESS00205 Off-grid Photovoltaic/Generating Set Systems Designer-Installer Skill Set
UEESS00206 Off-grid Photovoltaic/Generating Set Systems Installer Skill Set
UEESS00207 Off-grid Photovoltaic Generating Set Systems Designer Skill Set
UEESS00208 Off-grid Renewable Energy System Site Surveyor Skill Set
UEESS00209 Off-grid Renewable Energy Systems Inspector Skill Set
UEESS00217 Wind Energy Systems Designer-Installer Skill Set
UEESS00218 Wind Energy Systems Designer Skill Set
UEESS00219 Wind Energy Systems Installer Skill Set
Updated Skill Sets:
UEESS00193 Grid-connected Photovoltaic and Battery Storage Systems Designer Skill Set
UEESS00194 Grid-connected Photovoltaic Systems Designer-Installer Skill Set
UEESS00195 Grid-connected Photovoltaic Systems Installer Skill Set
UEESS00210 Sustainable – Electrical Installations Sustainability Strategies Skill Set
UEESS00211 Sustainable – Energy Assessment of Commercial Facilities Skill Set
UEESS00212 Sustainable – Energy Assessment of Industrial Properties and Enterprises Skill Set
UEESS00213 Sustainable – Energy Assessment of Residential, Office and Retail Premises Skill Set
Lawrence Coomber
4 of 4
UEESS00214 Sustainable – Energy Efficiency Systems Designer Skill Set
UEESS00215 Sustainable – Energy Efficiency Systems Developer Skill Set
UEESS00216 Sustainable – Identify Energy Efficiency Strategies Skill Set
—————-
This new curriculum will bring Australian Renewable Energy Technology training into line with current world’s best practice RE engineering standards and practices.
The TAC [Technical Advisory Committee] has also emphasised to the National Training Authority, that young Australian Apprentices should also be prepared for, encouraged, and assisted, to progress beyond their Apprenticeship / Electrical Trade Level over time, as they advance through their careers, and continue to undertake Tertiary Studies at the Graduate and Post Graduate Levels, and in high numbers moving forward.
It is not well known, that one of the world’s top three Engineering Technology Universities [Engineering Institute of Technology] is Australian, which currently plays a major role in Tertiary Engineering Qualifications up to Doctorate of Engineering Level, both Online and On-campus, for Engineering students from over 60 Countries.
https://www.eit.edu.au/study-areas/electrical-engineering/
Lawrence Coomber
Thanks for the update, Lawrence. That’s a very comprehensive set of comments.