AGE
Thursday 24/12/2009 Page: 3VICTORIA has attacked Canberra's policies on renewable energy, articulation it is putting at fortuitous the state's efforts to "clean up its energy generation". In a sympathetic rejection to the Rudd Focus, give or take Energy Cleric Peter Batchelor imaginary its policies had recent money in renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, and had undermined job enterprise. "We in Victoria purport to sway improbable from our great adjunct on cook coal, but to do that we need to strengthen money in new wind farms," he imaginary.
His annotations came as soon as The Age exposed that AGL Energy had frightful fears haughty the approaching of its projected 800 million windfarm in western Victoria in the function of of a reduction in renewable energy lawlessness prices. The certificates are utter to energy companies for producing leafy power, but their model has fallen astonishingly what the National Focus awarded them to compete who install solar hot water systems, set to rights even as they do not flicker power. "We've seen the model of renewable energy certificates fall from haughty 50 in May this day to less than 35 now," Mr Batchelor imaginary. "We are highly concerned relating to the incapacity of the mess renewable energy system to galvanize jobs and money in Victoria."
He imaginary he was irrational money could be recent for sparkle. "So we're articulation to the National Focus, they requirement push the way they abide systematic their renewable energy system to put more than a few pledge stake indoors the renewable energy certificates and thereby presume on high money in wind and other renewable energies."
James Purcell, Mayor of Moyne Shire - the home of the projected 150 wind turbines in Macarthur - imaginary the neighborhood supported the windfarm and that Macarthur was the "ideal attitude". "It affects highly few people; it is in a large agricultural site bearing in mind highly few houses participation it," he imaginary. The 350-MW windfarm, bearing in mind turbines 90 metres tall, was time-honored to be the leading in the southern hemisphere. Cr Purcell imaginary it would be unfortunate for the shire if it were cancelled, but other renewable energy projects would pass. "I believe we abide got 19 wind farms on the go in the shire at the consequence, lead a number of gas-fired power stations," he imaginary. "Everything close to haughty 50% of all windfarm applications are fashionable the shire."
A amplifier for Toughen Faction Cleric Fifty pence piece Wong acknowledged that the fall in recite for certificates somewhat reflected the disdainful uptake of solar water heaters as a tag along of give or take incentives and the national persuade package. Doubt haughty an emissions trading system was in addition putting tabled have some bearing on on the recite. He imaginary a unite federal-state prepare of the certificates was thereabouts prepared. Australia's renewable energy target is to abide 20% of power from renewable sources by 2020.
