The Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Stationary Energy Plan
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ENERGY A research collaboration PHOTO:TORRESOL ENERGY Australian Sustainable Energy Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan > A ten year roadmap for 100% renewable energy > Baseload energy supplied by renewable sources > Affordable at $8 per household per week As a nation better endowed with renewable energy resources than most, and at the same time the OECD’s biggest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases, it behoves Australia to act promptly, and perhaps lead the world to a zero emissions economy based on renewable energy. This Report shows one way to do it, using presently available and commercially viable technology, and at an affordable cost comparable to our planned defence expenditure of 3% of GDP over the next ten years. Zero Carbon Australia is a timely and aspirational report that deserves the widest attention and debate, particularly by political and industrial decision makers. — gEnEral PETER GRATION, AC, OBE, FTSE FORMER AUSTRALIAN CHIEF OF DEFENCE As a company involved in the development of solar plants all over the world, at Torresol Energy we support the Zero Carbon Australia Plan that sets the path for a future with clean, renewable energy. Australia is one of the areas with better solar radiation and forms part of the international ‘sun belt’. Besides, the country has excellent conditions for profiting from that solar radiation: large low-populated areas to build the plants and an industry that can support the technological development in the solar generation sector. In that sense, each of Torresol Energy’s new projects introduces technologically advanced improvements to make Concentrated Solar Energy a manageable, economically competitive option and a real, viable, ecological and sustainable alternative to traditional energy sources. Torresol Energy has two plants currently under construction, Valle 1 and Valle 2, and another one in operation, Gemasolar, which started in May this year. With an innovative technology of central tower with molten salt receiver and thermal storage system, Gemasolar is the first commercial plant in the world that can produce electricity 24 hours a day, and therefore it can supply energy to the grid based on demand, regardless of whether there is constant solar radiation. With this project, Torresol Energy has made generating dispatchable power from renewable energy sources a reality. Today, all of the analyses that have been carried out either by ourselves or by major international institutions show that tower plants with thermal storage is the type of technology that will be capable of generating reliable, manageable and renewable energy at the lowest costs. Therefore Australia could adapt this kind of technology in its renewable energy development plan that will allow the country to conserve the environment for future generations with a reliable energy source through utility scale baseload CSP plants. — Santiago ariaS CHIEF INFRASTRUCTURE OFFICER TORRESOL ENERGY I believe our long-term global goal is to very substantially reduce our emissions, a goal that will require almost all of our energy to be produced from zero or very near-zero emission sources... The work they [Beyond Zero Emissions and Melbourne Energy Institute] have done is important, it provides the most comprehensive technical blueprint yet for what our engineers, our scientists, can begin to do tomorrow. — malCOLM TURNBULL FEDERAL MEMBER FOR WENTWORTH The Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan represents the kind of visionary work that should be eagerly embraced. It is the first time that I have seen a plan that makes the possibility of zero emissions feasible and affordable. In particular, solar energy offers so much promise in this dry and sunny continent. Politicians have been postponing decisions in this area for too long. They, and decision-makers generally, should study Zero Carbon Australia intensely and urgently. The work is so comprehensive that it makes me eager to see the further studies that will be emerging in the near future. — ProfESSor EmErituS Sir guStAV NOSSAL, AC, CBE, FRS, FAA DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE FORMER AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR | i ZCA2020 Stationary Energy Plan As the IEA has shown in its research, solar energy is now a serious global player for providing the world’s energy. Australia has one of the world’s best solar energy resource, especially suited for concentrating solar thermal power plants, which can dispatch electricity when it is needed. The Zero Carbon Australia Plan is based on up-to-date and sound information and provides quality insights on how a country well-endowed in renewable resources can transition to a solar and wind economy. — CédriC PhilibErt RENEWABLE ENERGY DIVISION, INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY With our natural advantage Australia can and should be positioning itself as a global renewable Super Power for future prosperity. This report will help shift the climate debate to focus on energy; security; affordability; export and of course opportunity. Beyond Zero Emissions offers a new and invigorating message that is much needed. — ProfESSor roBIN BATTERHAM KERNOT PROFESSOR OF ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING FORMERLY CHIEF SCIENTIST OF AUSTRALIA The Zero Carbon Australia 2020 plan shows that it is technically feasible and affordable to replace all fossil fuel electricity with 100% renewable energy given the willpower and commitment to do so. This is a cutting-edge science-based plan that should be read by every energy decision maker and politician in Australia. — marK Z. JaCOBSON PROFESSOR OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING PROFESSOR BY COURTESY OF ENERGY RESOURCES ENGINEERING DIRECTOR, ATMOSPHERE/ENERGY PROGRAM, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, USA No doubt improved technologies for tapping usable energy from the sun, the winds, the tides, and the hot core of our planet will emerge as time goes by. But this report shows clearly that the solutions available now are, with our small population and enormous landmass, sufficient for Australia to move forward very quickly to tap renewable energy sources and minimize greenhouse gas emissions. We have the resources. We need the will. — PETER DOHERTY NOBEL LAUREATE, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE This is an ambitious, technically feasible plan that should be looked at seriously. — tim flANNERY PROFESSOR FACULTY OF SCIENCE, MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR 2007 100 % renewable energy with zero emissions is achievable in Australia in about a decade if politics takes concerted actions… Moreover, Australia can become the initiator for a serious attempt to shift the world to a solar economy. This is the only promising strategy for climate protection and would provide societies around the world with solutions for climate protection, economic development, poverty reduction and conflict resolution. We need action now! — hanS-JoSEf fEll MEMBER OF THE GERMAN PARLIAMENT ALLIANCE 90 THE GREENS SPOKESMAN FOR ENERGY | ii ZCA2020 Stationary Energy Plan To achieve a safe climate future we need an urgent, large-scale transition. The work of Beyond Zero Emissions shows that the technical transition is affordable and achievable. Now we need a social and political transition to get behind it. — ProfESSor CarmEn lAWRENCE SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA FORMER PREMIER OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Over the past few decades the community in general and all sides of politics have come to accept the significance of the threat that greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use has given rise to. Serious concrete action on changing our energy mix is all too slow in coming. One of the challenges that those of us promoting a renewable energy future face, is that in the community and amongst decision makers, whilst there is widespread support for the idea of the renewable energy solutions, there is a lack of information on their level of technical and commercial maturity and their ability to deliver in short time frames. This is the information gap that the Beyond Zero Emissions study helps to fill in a very significant way. The ZCA report analyses one particular scenario of renewable energy technology choice based on available solutions, in considerable depth. It successfully shows in detail that 100% renewable energy is both technically possible and economically affordable. Clearly other renewable energy technology scenarios are also possible, that only serves to strengthen the overall conclusion about viability. The group is to be congratulated for their efforts. — aSSoCiaTE PROFESSOR KEITH LOVEGROVE HIGH TEMPERATURE SOLAR THERMAL GROUP, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY The chips are down - there is no longer any doubt about our need to rapidly transition to a zero emission economy. The fate of Australia and the world depend on it. The Zero Carbon Australia strategy being launched by Beyond Zero Emissions provides the roadmap to the solutions. Let’s hope it is adopted by responsible governments everywhere. — ProfESSor oVE HOEGH-GOLDBERG DIRECTOR, GLOBAL CHANGE INSTITUTE, THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND “This is a bold and ground-breaking piece of work which should be a wake-up call to all those in government and industry who refuse to see beyond coal. This is a very exciting report. It has academic rigour; it has also the hope of a generation and it has thousands of jobs waiting to happen. We can and must aim to power Australia with 100% renewable energy as soon as possible if we are to truly tackle the climate