The HRL “CCS ready” gassification plant for which Howard pledged $100 million and the Victorian government $40 million should have been commenced at least two years ago and should be in commissioning now. It hasn’t yet started! It’s just like the FutureGen fiasco in the US.

Another example is the solar thermal plant at Mildura. That project, of 200 MW capacity has been talked about since 2001. They could have built the thing in that time. But no, just nine years of talk and now they are banging on about some other solar technology up there.

Because governments just talk, it’s up to concerned citizens to act. PV arrays on domestic houses might not be as “economic” as large scale projects, but at least it’s something. Why hasn’t every new house in Australia mandated to have solar hot water. Why because people don’t like the look of them on their roofs and governments are too gutless to stand up for something that works.

If we wait for govenments and the big end of town to do anything we will all be cooked.

First the rebate; I thought it was a pretty inefficient delivery mechanism. The rebate made no consideration of one’s geography, and everyone got the same rebate regardless of their lattitude. So the Govt were essentially paying the same amount for solar in Tassie as they were for the same installation at Inniminka. I’m sure you can see that $/kWh that’s a bad way to spend public funds.

Further, I also think that feed in tariffs for solar in general are a pretty blunt instrument. All generating tech, including renewables, benefit from economies of scale. Subsidising solar on individual houses requires an inverter on every house (which are much more efficient when bigger), maintenance on every house, etc. I for one would much rather see the Govt spend the same money on BIG solar projects, rather than lots of little ones.

However, one benefit of FITs is that it get’s houses thinking more about their energy use. This is a hard benefit to measure, but not worth discounting all together.

A better mechanism still for delivering all of this is a solid ETS. Which we will not be getting under the current scheme. If the cost of pollution was included, properly included in our goods and services, solar would be more competitive, houses would make better energy choices, big renewables projects would be cost effective. I’m glad Xenephon is voting against it, and I hope the Libs do to. With some luck it’ll go Double Dissolution, Labor will wedge the shit out of the Libs and put up a decent target. But I will not be holding my breath waiting for it to happen.

Another alternative is that the EU will guilt us into doing better, and we’ll get eaten into submission. They did it over GM crops, and may do so again.

We all know that a complete change is going to cost. As a pensioner, I don’t mind contributing my share, I do mind that the Mining Industry that have been gettting subsidies and hand outs for years still have so much power. Another thing, why are we exporting so much natural gas overseas, when it is better for the environment to use this while we wait for renewables like solar? The knowledge is there, we just need to start implementing it in the best way, for the planet and the economy. There’s no point saving jobs if the planet is stuffed! To all the pollies, and those with a vested interest in keeping the status quo - Get out of the way, pull your heads in, and stop bellyaching - this is too important for prima donnas to whine and whinge. It’s boring!

Oh yes, to those who want to wait for China & India to come ‘on board’? We’ve contributed to the problem by exporting our coal to their countries. We export more Co2 gases! The West caused most of today’s problems, not China & India! There’s a lot of us who know what’s been going on - we’re not stupid! Stop treating us like morons! Go and tell your mates in the Opposition Nick, and then get together and work it out - soon!