Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Energy policy: can we have a Carbon-Cutting Reliable Affordable Programme (C-CRAP)?

By Geoff Carmody - posted Wednesday, 20 September 2017


Shifting priorities within the Government's energy policy 'trilemma'

The Commonwealth Government says we have an energy policy 'trilemma': trying to deliver lower emissions, reliable electricity, and affordable power, all at the same time.

But now it has also ranked these objectives. Apparently, they're not equal. Now, reliability and affordability are most important (well, d'oh!). Reducing emissions seemingly ranks third (a reversal from the last decade or so).

Advertisement

The Government wants to 'keep the lights on', at a price punters can pay. But it still wants to reduce emissions as per our international commitments.

Here's the thing. With foreseeable technologies, we can choose to achieve any two of these objectives, to any extent we like, if we are prepared to pay the price. But we can't do so for all three. One (or, two, or all, to some extent) must miss out.

Why? Each of these objectives has been chosen independently, for political reasons. Sure, we want to keep the lights on. Sure, we want cheap power. (We had both before.) Reducing emissions these days is Holy Writ (for believers if not sceptics and deniers).

However, technical trade-offs between these conflicting objectives didn't get a look-in when they were set. Let's look at some specifics.

Renewables are not only intermittent: more importantly, the intermittency is usually uncertain

The root cause of the 'trilemma' is renewable energy. We could deliver reliability and affordability, as we have in the past, if we didn't have renewable energy targets.

Advertisement

Why? First, as the resident cockie in every pet shop screeches, it's intermittent. With blackouts, polly doesn't want a cracker – not yet, anyway. It wants candles plus a log fire. Second, this on-and-off intermittency is uncertain. We can't be sure when the sun won't shine or the wind won't blow.

The recently rediscovered reliability objective requires government action, not just talk. We need urgent measures to insure against this uncertain intermittency, to which governments have allowed us to become much more exposed.

The reliability-emissions reduction trade-off

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

12 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Geoff Carmody is Director, Geoff Carmody & Associates, a former co-founder of Access Economics, and before that was a senior officer in the Commonwealth Treasury. He favours a national consumption-based climate policy, preferably using a carbon tax to put a price on carbon. He has prepared papers entitled Effective climate change policy: the seven Cs. Paper #1: Some design principles for evaluating greenhouse gas abatement policies. Paper #2: Implementing design principles for effective climate change policy. Paper #3: ETS or carbon tax?

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Geoff Carmody

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 12 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy