Australia missing huge employment opportunities in renewable energy sector  

Although last week’s G20 meeting in Queensland saw the announcement of an emissions reduction deal between China and the US (the world’s two largest polluters), Australia has planted its foot on the accelerator of coal exports and proclaimed to the world that we are open for business.

And who wouldn’t want to buy our coal? After all, it’s good for humanity!

It’s no wonder the Coalition wants to reduce its bi-partisan commitment to renewables from 41,000 gigawatts of capacity to only 26,000.

Foreign investors however have cottoned on to our uncertainty and are withdrawing their support for Australian renewable projects and development in favour of low-carbon initiatives throughout Europe and South America.

This not only hurts large-scale solar projects, it also trickles down to the consumer level with uncertainty and confusion disrupting customer confidence.

“They feel the government is attacking solar so they don’t want to be involved with it,” explains Stacy Nichols, operator of a Gold Coast solar company.

Twenty-first century solutions have emerged that facilitate our twenty-first century electricity usage in ways that were previously unfeasible. While network infrastructure like electricity poles and wires are still indispensable, solar panels can produce electricity directly where it is required: at our homes and businesses.

Electricity storage options have also emerged as a viable alternative to instantaneous power generation and transmission.

“We are undergoing an energy revolution no less significant than the move from horse and cart to automobiles, or from copper wire telephony to mobile telephony,” claims Andrew Want, CEO of energy consultant firm Vast Solar.

“Now we can store energy for days and even weeks and use when it is most needed.”

Imagine waiting for it to rain before you can wash your dishes and you start to see that energy storage offers a compelling alternative to our current energy arrangement.

At least things at the state government level are looking a little more prosperous. Victorian Labor are committing a $200,000 grant to assist a local community near Bendigo become the first “solar town” sourcing 100% renewable energy should they be successful at the upcoming election.

Director of Energy Resource Studies Australasia Tim Buckley puts things a little more bluntly, accusing the Queensland government of feeding their coal addiction by committing public funds to projects that international financiers wouldn’t touch.

“Many would consider this a Government simply p***ing taxpayers’ money up against the wall,” he laments.

Unless you’re a cleaner there’s not a lot of job security resulting from that.