The solar & renewable energy industries have always had to rely on government support for:
- Education at all levels
- Strategic analysis of energy needs of the populace
- Long-term planning of the introduction of renewable energy systems
- Research funds
- Development and Demonstration funds
- Business plan funding
- Provision of public information
- Regulations for quality control of manufacturing
- Installation regulations
- Financial support of industry bodies and societies
- Subsidies, rebates and tax concessions to encourage up take of technologies
- Energy pricing mechanisms (renewable energy buy back schemes)
- Security and strategic defence issues
The Governance section of the site will provide information and links for visitors to understand what government support is available in different parts of the world.
Current articles relevant to Government and Governanace appearing on our blog – please click the link to read the full article:
Coastal Planning Western Australia In this paper 6 March 2012 Garry Baverstock AM reviews the draft State Coastal Planning Policy document and highlights important amendments needed, in particular the importance of using sun angles to avoid overshadowing the beach and the consequences of inadequate action on set-backs.
Cottesloe Beach Will the beach be washed away by the end of the century? This article 4 January 2012 includes computer modelling of the coastline, based on known scientific facts.
Australian Carbon Price The way forward after the introduction of Australian carbon price legislation is discussed in this article 14th November 2011
Political Policy
Apart from government initiatives and regulation, a critical aspect of developing the solar industry in the next two critical decades will be political intervention to make the changes needed to achieve a low carbon economy throughout the world.
In Australia the latest initiative of introducing a carbon tax by the Federal Government to be starting mid 2012 will undoubtedly be a long-term strategy that will assist the faster implementation of solar and renewable energy.
Such initiatives have commenced in Europe and the debate rages in the USA. International consensus needs to be reached over the next few years for this strategy to be effective and create a level economic platform for the industry on a global scale.
However on its own it will not be what is needed for effective change in the ways we generate and use energy.
This section of the website represents an open invitation for political parties and their supporters to inform the visitors to this website about what they stand for and will promote as part of their election campaign at the next election.
Of course existing government programs summarized for conciseness and the linkage for those wanting to know more is encouraged from this section of the solar-e.com website.
The authors of political policies outlines are invited to submit a summary for the following main regions of the world:
China
India
Japan
Middle East
Australia
Liberal/National Party Coalition Policy
The Liberal /National party Coalition parties, the current Opposition in the Federal Parliament has released its platform for the next Federal election in 2011 as follows:
The Coalition supports investment in solar and has a 20 per cent target for renewable energy by 2020, of which solar will play a significant part.
The Coalition Government will:
- Invest $100 million each year for an additional one million solar energy homes by 2020;
- Establish a $75 million Solar Cities program, with 5 solar cities projects announced for Adelaide, Townsville, Blacktown, Alice Springs and Central Victoria. This will provide practical benefits for the community including:
- 3,464 solar photovoltaic panels installations on private and public housing and commercial buildings
- 4,100 solar hot water installations in private and public housing
- 15,100 smart metres to give customers real-time information on energy use
- Fund 125 mid-scale solar projects in schools and communities;
- Examine the most effective way to keep electricity costs down by commissioning a Productivity Commission analysis on the benefits, costs and forms of feed-in tariffs.
In Government, the Coalition established a $4,000 rebate to help families install solar panels in their homes – and then doubled this rebate to $8,000. The Labor Government, breaking an election commitment and creating havoc in the Australian solar industry, subsequently scrapped this rebate.
We like to thank Mr Ken Wyatt MP, Federal Member for Hasluck, WA for submitting the coalition’s position on the development of renewable energy. Public comment and intelligent debate is invited on solar-e.com to ensure informed opinion is created before the next federal election.
Labor Party current platform
Coming Soon.
Australian Greens Party
Coming Soon.
Other Countries
Please submit in writing for dissemination throughout the world. This section will need to be updated as new information comes to hand. We support the publication of key links for further information.
One of the main reasons why there are so many governance problems with renewable energy development and applications is that the general public are not active in learning and commenting on government policy. This is why large lobby groups such as the coal industry, nuclear industry, project builders, large land developers and media cartels with an interest in maintaining the status quo, tend to shape government policy, not always the public interest. the internet is definitely the way forward. a great way to learn is to participate in sharing knowledge and expressing opinions.
We need better quality people in parliament, better and in more informed voters and solid characters as government leaders. Hopefully this section on solar-e.com will help to make a difference locally, nationally and globally. Your ‘quality’ participation is mandatory.
We may not be always right but open communication will be a great resource for those open minded and interested in discovering the truth.
I have created solar-e to have a constructive venue for the development of ideas and strategies that will interest well meaning and achieving politicians and government leaders.
[Reply]
We need quality expertise to develop strategies that governments will take notice of investigate and maybe even engage with our network. The challenge for committed experts with a knowledge of government processes to post material for comment and criticism. Who knows, resultant discussions may end up in main stream media instead of ‘infotainment’ type stories from the various champions of the status quo being the main instigators of ‘news’.
There are many facts and strategies that need to be communicated quickly, especially via the internet for governments to be in a position to guide and encourage changes our economies to reflect the enormous environmental challenges facing planet earth by 2050.
[Reply]
Australia needs an open and thorough debate to discuss the ideas that population decline fear mongers and growth boosters like Fred Pearce (“People Quake”) and KPMG consultant Bernard Salt have been pushing.
Many boosters like Bernard Salt, try to scare audiences by quoting UN projections that show population peaking and then declining gently post 2050. The UN projections that many boosters rely on are not predictions. They are based on a pattern of fertility decline that was established during the 1970s and 80s when family planning was well supported. The sort of scare-mongering put out by Fred Pearce and Bernard Salt, combined with conservative resistance to birth control from the USA impacting aid allocation, has decimated support for family planning. Fertility decline is NOT currently following the UN’s medium projection. Fertility is certainly declining, but only enough to keep growth on a linear path, adding the same number of people each year, which is not a path that would ever peak and decline. Forty years ago in 1970, when population was 3.7 billion, a growth rate of 2.1% pa increased numbers by 77 million pa but today, with a population of 7 billion and a much reduced growth rate of 1.1% pa, we still get a net 77 million new mouths to feed each year. To see peak population we must actively support increased access to and acceptance of family planning, or wait for nature to increase mortality.
[Reply]