ACT Solar Power Facility Public Consultation

The first round of public consultations for the ACT solar power facility finished last week. I’ve attached a PDF of the slideshow for info:

Solar_Facility_Powerpoint_Presentation_June_2009

The criteria listed for selection of the site are:

• Cleared land with no significant shading
• Level land with a gentle gradient, preferably north-facing
• Land suitable for access roads
• Located near a connection point to a high voltage transmission network
• Access to a suitable gas supply
• Assess to a water supply and waste water disposal
• Separation from domestic residences
• Not overlooked by significant population centres
• Located way from major plumes or sources of dust; and
• Appropriate zoning and environmental considerations

To my untrained eye, the site at Ingledene Forest would appear to be more appropriate than Kowen Forest. The Ingledene area looks like this:

Whereas, Kowen is more heavily wooded:

(Oh, and one minor Gov2.0 gripe, why have a jpg of Ingledene and a pdf of Kowen, both nearly half a meg in size? Doesn’t make them quickly viewable or comparable for most people… I’ve converted the Kowen pdf to jpg and compressed it so it’s more easily read on this page).

Energy Efficiency = Lower targets for renewables

My fave insightful webtoonist Stuart McMillen published his treatise on energy efficiency back in April. I thought it was worth reproducing here.

The fundamental tenet is that as we continue to innovate appliances to reduce their energy usage, we can reduce our energy demand to a level that can be met by renewables.

Do Solar Flares cause global warming?

Indigenous Australians have important role to play in sustaining biodiversity

The Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at ANU has released it’s submission to the Review of Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010 – 2020.

The researchers, Jon Altman, Seán Kerins, Emilie-Jane Ens, Geoff Buchanan and Katherine May, argue that the role Indigenous Australians play in supporting and maintaining biodiversity remains poorly recognised.

The paper calls on the new biodiversity strategy to include a fundamental principle that ‘Indigenous land and sea management which acknowledges and respects Indigenous cultural values, innovations, practices and knowledge is fundamental to long-term biodiversity management’.

It also makes the other following recommendations:

• The New Strategy should include ‘supporting Indigenous people on country’—that is, supporting Indigenous people’s occupation of, and access and connection to their country—as an underlying principle of its development and implementation.
• To include support for ‘Indigenous people’s occupation of outstations/homelands’ as well as access and connection to their country to ensure Indigenous biodiversity-related knowledge and practices are maintained.
• Support the expansion of the Indigenous Protected Area system to include Indigenous management of sea country and the systematic and properly staged expansion of the Working on Country program.
• The New Strategy should include an objective that supports the equitable recognition, remuneration and resourcing of Indigenous people’s involvement in conserving Australia’s biodiversity.
• It should include ‘the private sector’ as well as all governments in partnership with Indigenous peoples.
• The New Strategy should promote a holistic and whole-of-government approach to Indigenous involvement in biodiversity conservation (and biodiversity conservation in general) that encourages Commonwealth, State and Territory government agencies to develop coordinated policies that effectively integrate, rather than undermine, biodiversity management and sustainable livelihoods on the Indigenous estate.
• Recognition of Indigenous people’s use of biodiversity resources as an essential element of managing country should be incorporated into the body of the New Strategy rather than solely being noted in an appendix.
• The New Strategy should retain the commitment contained under Objective 1.8.5 of the Current Strategy to: Recognising the importance of harvesting of indigenous plant and animal species, both on land and in water, to the wellbeing, identity, cultural heritage and economy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, provide assistance for the establishment of management programs for ecologically sustainable harvesting of wildlife by individual communities. The paper’s authors also suggest “amending this objective to: ‘provide support programs and assistance for the establishment of management programs for ecologically sustainable harvesting of wildlife by Indigenous peoples’.”
• The New Strategy should encourage Commonwealth, State and Territory governments to pursue international best practice in the recognition and prioritising of Indigenous customary use of biodiversity resources and the support of sustainable commercial use of biodiversity resources by Indigenous peoples.
• The Strategy should include sustainable commercial utilisation of indigenous and invasive species as alternative funding approaches.
• The New Strategy should include an objective supporting the development of comprehensive Indigenous land and sea management plans that incorporate and give legitimacy to local Indigenous cultural and natural resource management practices.
• The New Strategy should provide support for the development and operation of local-level Indigenous organisations for the governance of land and sea country.
• The New Strategy should retain Objective 1.8.1 of the Current Strategy ensuring that ‘the use of [Indigenous] knowledge in the scientific, commercial and public domains proceeds only with the cooperation and control of the traditional owners of that knowledge and ensure that the use and collection of such knowledge results in social and economic benefits to the traditional owners’.

The full submission can be found here: Biodiversity_Strategy_0809

Solar Power Facility Sites

The community consultation process for the ACT’s solar power plant has kicked in – details are available here. Signage at the potential sites at Kowen and Ingledene will go up soon with public meetings being scheduled for June. A Context_Map is available showing both locations.

I’m very excited about this project – it’s something I campaigned for in last year’s ACT election and I’ve blogged about it in the past.

One thing I’m trying to get more info on is the potential location at Kowen in relation to the Sparrow Hill MTB trails. It doesn’t appear to be the same spot – a lot of mountain bikers would be very unhappy if it is.

Labor-Greens Agreement Signed

The Labor – Greens Agreement signed on Friday signals a number of fundamental changes to the governance of the ACT.

The tone of the document is positive in the main and it will be interesting to see how some of the proposals translate.

One of the most significant is the proposal to develop “oversight institutions as an emerging fourth branch of government”. The role of the Legislative Assembly Committees are to be expanded with the Committees having both a traditional scrutiny role and a new collaboration role with the Executive, engaging on “legislative reform, policy setting and service delivery”. Committees will meet in two modes – Collaborative Meetings and Scrutiny Meetings. The increased engagement of elected representatives across the party spectrum could have very positive outcomes, however the danger is that the responsiveness of government will be slowed by the increased need for meetings and dialogue.

Greens’ MLAs will become Chairs of the following Committees:

* Public Accounts
* Health, Community and Social Services
* Climate Change, Environment and Water
* Select Committee on Ecological Carrying Capacity for the ACT and region

So while the Greens have not become part of the Government by taking on a Ministry, they will have a say in the policy direction of the health and environment areas (given the addition of the collaborative modes of the Committees) and in public governance and probity through the Public Accounts Committee.

There has been criticism of the Greens that they have an “all care and no responsibility” approach and it will be fascinating to watch how they balance their input into policy outcomes with their desire to maintain and strengthen their electoral position in the future.

One other point to highlight is the introduction of Triple Bottom Line reporting. The “People, Planet, Profit” approach to accountability and sustainability will, I assume, attempt to measure social capital, natural capital and fiscal outcomes.

Will we be able to put Triple Bottom Line reporting into practice without it being merely lip service layered with bureaucracy? I’m not convinced anyone yet understands the implications of the approach. There are obvious benefits from understanding the social and environmental impacts of each piece of legislation or policy proposal, but as always, good outcomes are only achieved when lofty ideals are translated into crystal clear realities.

Responding to queries

I recently received a couple of queries from a Canberra Times journalist, asking my views on civil unions, public art funding and the arboretum. Here’s my response:

Civil Unions

I absolutely support the inherent equality within the Civil Unions legislation. I don’t believe we should discriminate on the basis of sexual preference. People in same sex relationships should have the same legal rights as heterosexual couples and I therefore fully support Civil Unions in the ACT.

Public Art Funding

Government has a responsibility to provide not only fundamental services such as health, education, housing and transport, but to also support the nurturing and awareness of art and culture. The funding of public art is one way of achieving this, and by taking art to places where people travel, shop, gather or live, I believe we are enhancing the “civility” of our city.

There will always be people who dislike a particular artwork, or even the concept of spending any funds on public art. But if we responsibly fund public art, I believe we are on the whole enhancing Canberrans’ quality of life.

Arboretum

As I campaign around Canberra, so many people say to me: “Please work to preserve our green spaces; our bush capital. Make sure we don’t become like any other concrete city”. I believe the arboretum helps fulfil this wish.

As with Lake Burley Griffin, our children will not say: “Why did they spend money on that?” They will say: “Thank goodness they had the foresight to create something that makes Canberra an even better place to live”.

Solar Option for Data Centre

The proposed ActewAGL data centre and power generator south of the Mugga Lane landfill area presents a great opportunity to examine the use of a sustainable and cost-effective solar generation system.

This is a superb project for the ACT and I support it strongly. While gas fired power generation is a big step toward sustainability in energy supply, ActewAGL should use the extended consultation period to take the next step and assess the viability of an alternative solar option. This would help allay the concerns of residents close to the site and would place the ACT at the forefront of sustainable infrastructure development.

Canberra is a smart city with a wide range of home grown businesses that punch well above their weight nationally and internationally. We have a world-class University sector with some of the best and brightest minds living and working in the ACT.

The recent announcement that ActewAGL and the ACT Government will undertake a feasibility study into a Solar Power Plant that can power 10,000 homes demonstrates that this technology is viable. The ACT can and should be a world-leader in solar technology and the data centre can be the next example of our ability to apply that technology.

Should I be elected to represent the people of Molonglo I will be arguing for exactly this type of enhancement to the industrial and economic base of the ACT – a green alternative that offers new employment opportunities while reducing greenhouse gases and our reliance on fossil fuels.

Solar Power Plant Feasibility Study

The announcement today of a joint-funded feasibility study into a Solar Power Plant in the ACT is exciting news for the Territory.

ActewAGL and the ACT Government will explore options for a large-scale reduction in our greenhouse emissions through the building of a facility capable of supplying power to thousands of ACT homes.

The terms of reference for the feasibility study will include (but not be limited to):

• Assess options for suitable location/s for such a facility, having regard to land availability, grid connectivity, environmental considerations and access for students and visitors;
• Determine the optimum size of the solar facility in terms of initial capacity and the potential for future expansion, and identify the environmental benefits flowing from the proposed solar facility in terms of emissions reductions;
• Assess current solar technologies and determine the optimum proven technology for large-scale generation, having regard to cost efficiency and the environmental impact of proven technology, and the ability to expand output using emerging new technology;
• Determine the cost of constructing and operating the solar facility and the level of indirect or direct subsidy, if any, that might be required to make the investment commercially viable, with consideration to regulatory and electricity pricing implications;
• Undertake a full cost-benefit analysis of the solar facility proposal, having regard to net environmental impact, cost efficiency, social equity, public safety and Federal and ACT Government greenhouse gas policy;
• Compare the cost efficiency of the proposed solar facility withy mainstream electricity generation and any other local green energy generation alternatives that might be viable;
• Identify and consider all planning and statutory requirements relating to the proposal; and
• Provide a report to the joint parties by 1 July 2008.

Encyclopaedia of Life

The Encyclopaedia of Life (www.eol.org) was launched on the internet yesterday. It’s a huge project to catalogue the 1.8 million species on Earth.

While only 24 species have been fully documented to date, the idea is to gradually complete the encyclopaedia over the next 10 years. It’s intent is to bring together the sheer scale and volume of work on each species into one central location that is available to everyone.

The Encyclopaedia of Life is the brainchild of EO Wilson, an emeritus Harvard professor who is a world leader in biodiversity and sociobiology and is an environmental advocate.

But don’t expect to be able to jump straight into the EOL website – it’s been completely flooded since it launched and takes ages to load. It’s worth the wait though.