Introducing Tony Wood from the Grattan Institute

The National Sustainability in Business Conference will be held in Brisbane from the 23-24 March 2017. The National Sustainability in Business Conference theme ‘Renewables – Markets – Innovation – Opportunities – Capital’ will address the need for sustainable business practices, and what this means in today’s ever-changing world. Tony Wood joins us next March at the National Sustainability in Business Conference. Tony Wood has led the Grattan Institute’s Energy Program since mid-2011. Since then he and his team have delivered twelve major reports on energy and climate change and he has developed a strong profile with governments and industry, and …

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Abstract Submission Closing Soon!

The National Sustainability in Business Conference will be held in Brisbane over 23-24 March 2017. The Conference Theme of ‘Renewables – Markets – Innovation – Opportunities – Capital’ will address the need for sustainable business practices, and what this means in today’s ever-changing world. If your answer is yes to any of the questions below, we want to hear from you! Do you work in the field of renewable energy? Do you support local business and have the attitude “think local, buy local”? Does your organisation have sustainable business practices? What great, innovative ideas do you have for business start-up? …

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How New Systems Can Make The World A Greener Place

Global energy consumption has grown steadily over the past century. This trend, driven by population and economic growth, is set to continue in spite of rising efficiency of both production and consumption. The IEA estimates that over the period to 2035 the investment required each year to supply the world’s energy needs will rise steadily to $2,000 billion. In response to new opportunities such as renewable energy and smart technologies – and new policy goals – to reduce emissions and extend energy access, Distributed Energy Systems (DES) encompasses a diverse array of generation, storage, energy monitoring and control solutions. DES …

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Rushing to renewable energy targets puts sector’s reputation at risk

The last time an entire state blacked out was on the night the Beatles arrived in Sydney in 1964. So what happened in South Australia last week was rare and the repercussions could be vast. The key question is whether that state’s heavy reliance on wind turbines might have increased the risk of a state-wide blackout. More broadly, the event will supercharge concerns over how renewable energy is being integrated into a national grid that was not designed to cope with it. Wind presents two problems. First, it is intermittent, so all of it has to be backed up by …

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Pig poo power plant set to boost jobs and energy in northern Victoria

An ambitious plan to turn pig poo and food scraps into power is being developed in northern Victoria. The power plant, glasshouse and piggery expansion, called Waranga Green Energy, will be built at Stanhope, west of Shepparton. For over five years, it has been the dream of piggery owner John Bourke. The project is set to transform the quiet town of Stanhope, providing an additional 30 jobs and estimated $10 million per year for the local economy. The aim of the property is to develop a closed system for power and waste on the farm. Pig poo and straw from …

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Present at the National Sustainability in Business Conference

The National Sustainability in Business Conference will be held the Hotel Grand Chancellor Brisbane from the 23-24 March 2017. The Conference Theme of ‘Renewables – Markets – Innovation – Opportunities – Capital’ will address the need for sustainable business practices, and what this means in today’s ever-changing world. Do you work in the field of renewable energy? Do you support local business and have the attitude “think local, buy local”? Does your organisation have sustainable business practices? What great, innovative ideas do you have for business start-up? Are you up to date with the latest trends, policies and strategies? If …

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Does rapid renewables expansion mean higher electricity prices?

Perhaps one of the many points coming out of the Grattan Institute’s latest report is the idea that rapid expansion of renewable capacity must necessarily mean higher electricity prices. But what has been the experience in Europe over the last five years during which there has been a rapid expansion of renewable capacity in most European countries? The Council of European Regulators compiles useful information on retail and wholesale electricity prices. Here is a table compiled from their data, which shows their estimate of average wholesale electricity prices (in Euros per MWh) in 2008/9 and 2014 in various European countries. …

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Move to clean energy requires smart policy

The phrase “sovereign risk” is used liberally in Australian public debate, most often in relation to established industries that may be affected by change in federal and state policy. But few have suffered as much as the still-establishing renewable energy sector, which has had to deal with constant chopping and changing in government thinking since the turn of the century. This has particularly been the case since the election of the Abbott Coalition government in 2013. With an axe hanging over the renewable energy target and the abolition of the Labor-Greens carbon pricing scheme, there was a 70 per cent …

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The dairy farmers committed to sustainability

It was a soil bacteria course in New Zealand that convinced Reggie Davis to change his farming methods. The fourth-generation Victorian dairy farmer had become increasingly concerned by the costs, chemicals and time involved in the use of nitrate fertilisers to maintain – what was considered to be – high-quality pasture for his dairy herd. So when his dairy herd nutritionist mentioned that the US biological farming advocate Dr Arden Andersen was running a soil management course in New Zealand, Davis decided to go. He asked around to see if any neighbours might be interested. Within weeks, 40 other dairy …

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Renewables are getting cheaper all the time – here’s why

The stars are aligning for Australia to transition to 100% renewable electricity. Our fossil fuel infrastructure is ageing, which means we will soon need to invest in new power generators. New technologies such as battery storage could revolutionise long-standing business models. With care, the transitions away from fossil fuels could offer greater job opportunities. Our latest research, which corroborates previous work, shows the technology already exists to solve many of the remaining questions around technological capability. For instance, the fact that wind and solar don’t generate electricity when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining can be dealt with by …

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