The global trend is seeing native forests cut down to be burnt in electricity furnaces and termed ‘renewable power’. This further damages climate, natural carbon stores and our forests and wildlife.
The global trend is seeing native forests cut down to be burnt in electricity furnaces and termed ‘renewable power’. This further damages climate, natural carbon stores and our forests and wildlife.
Our governments should take note: some US Senators are wanting a moratorium on use of bioenergy as renewable energy under their Clean Power Plan. They believe that by claiming biomass power plants that burn forest ‘waste’ emit zero emissions, it could undermine the ability of the Plan to reduce emissions from the power sector. Massachusetts has …
The Federal Government and Opposition have reached agreement on a revised Renewable Energy Target (RET), but remain at odds over the energy sources to be included. The major parties have agreed to cut the target to 33,000 gigawatt hours (GWh), but Labor is objecting to the Government’s push to include native wood burning. The Government …
THE clean energy sector is warning against investment-risking “messy” negotiations, after the government and Labor agreed in part to a pared-back renewable energy target. AFTER months of political stalemate, the two parties struck a deal on Friday to slash the target from 41,000GWh to 33,000 but bipartisanship on the entire package remains in doubt. The …
A plan to approve the burning of public native forests for electricity generation is back on the federal agenda. It could be passed on May 12 when parliament resumes. Planned changes to the Renewable Energy Target (RET) will include approval of forest furnace electricity to be defined as ‘renewable energy’. When the ALP were in …
The future of the Renewable Energy Target remains in the balance, with no hint of a final compromise. But a long running argument over burning waste and residues from Australia’s native forests threatens to undermine the prospects for any peace deal on the RET. In addition, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has backed trials for another …
MONTANA mill at Nowa Nowa employs up to 8 people. They produce sawn timber, floor boards, recycle some timber and supply durable timbers for heavy construction like wharves and bridges. They also have mountains of docked firewood and rely on ‘waste’ to sell as woodchips. They have a Montrose office and mill near Melbourne as …
Tony Abbott’s plan to deal with climate change is very worrying. It gives incentives to burn native forests and will term this as ‘renewable energy’! Abbott is handing a slush fund to industry dressed up as climate action. To date no one has wanted to build a forest furnace to generate electricity because they are …
This seemingly good news story could be a disaster. Energy development company HRL and two other companies are planning 60 ha of hydroponic greenhouses heated by 220,000 tonnes of wood ‘waste’. Coincidentally, it’s the same amount the government is currently trying to find a buyer for to save the ailing East Gippsland logging industry. This …
EEG recently made a submission to the federal review of the Renewable Energy Targets (RET) focusing on the plan to allow the burning of native forest trees as ‘renewable’ energy. In the government’s review it states under 6.3: “The Government is committed to the reintroduction of wood waste derived from native forest as an eligible …
HRL Technology in the Latrobe valley had to call a halt to its plans for a study into using Wood and Timber Waste for power generation. It put out a call in mid May 2014 for funds to pay for the study. They were offering their supporters access to the results for a bargain $2700. …
