A climate expert has seriously criticised Australia’s renewable energy ‘policy vacuum’, which he said was causing Australia to fall far behind global counterparts and could strip thousands of jobs from the economy.
The Climate Council’s head of research Dr Martin Rice insists it is “mind-boggling” that Australia was still focusing on a carbon-based economy when renewable energy was cheaper.
“We could power the country 500 times over with the solar and wind capacity in Australia and it’s already the cheapest new form of energy,” he told AAP Newsagency.
“We have everything we need at our disposal; there’s just a lack of political will to move forward.
“There’s a policy vacuum in Australia.”
Dr Rice said he believed global warming from Australia’s continued reliance on coal would kill the Great Barrier Reef, along with associated jobs in tourism and related industries.
He says the United Kingdom had already proven offshore wind was a viable economical alternative, and it had also solved concerns about the aesthetics of onshore wind farms.
Offshore wind costs in the UK have dropped significantly in the last year, and the creation of new wind farms typically take about one third of the time needed to build a nuclear plant or coal-fired power station, he said.
The industry was already starting to benefit regional towns in the UK like Grimsby, which is slowly seeing a revival of its once-bustling fishing port as the offshore wind sector moves in.
AAP reports Dr Stephen Wyatt from Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, which fosters innovation in the wind industry, said it had bipartisan support from the UK government because it will help meet the 2050 net zero emissions target.
“If costs are coming down so significantly for offshore wind and we’re seeing the economic benefits associated with the industry, particularly in poorer coastal communities, why wouldn’t you do more of this?” Dr Wyatt asked.
Dr Rice said wind farms made economic sense in Australia regardless of someone’s attitude towards climate change.
“The sad thing is Australia has been left in the wake of the UK when you look at what’s been happening with offshore wind.
“That’s really inexcusable because the UK is in pole position for the new economy, you’ve got jobs, you’ve got investment, you’ve got clean energy.”
There are currently no offshore wind farms in operation in Australia, although the federal government has granted an exploration licence for a proposal off the coast of South Gippsland in Victoria.
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