More power to your arm

Australians are now paying retail rate power bills 20% higher than last year. This increase has been been forced upon the public by government. By my calculations this increase applied nationally is the amount required to fully fund 60 gigawatt of CSP generation capacity by 2040, but non of this increase is earmarked for alternative energy (other than "clean coal" and CCS) infrastructure investment. This is a national tragedy.

Please keep up your wonderful work, Christine. yours is the only voice of reason in the energy political melee.

In gratitude

Bill Bunting

Agriculture

This is one of the areas where carrot for broadacre and small farmers is appropriate, encouraging them to change practices and reduce emissions through positive actions and a little stick for intensive animal producers - dairies, battery chickens, piggeries, beef feed lots - forcing them to process the manure to capture the CH4 greenhouse gas before using the manure.

Reason: The manure is concentrated allowing for such a treatment.

Otherwise the size of the entrprise of small family farms or the dispersed nature of broadacre dictates that a reduction in emissions is achieved with more co-operation by the rural community by changing consumption patterns, less meat and assisting them to change farming practices, the Landcare model of change.

The few farmers that won't or can't keep up will disappear whilst the agribusinesses, probably responsible for the bulk of emissions, will follow the regulations and the financial incentives lead

Safe Climate Bill

At last a policy that looks good and might actually work. You have the focus exactly right. Energy efficiency and conservation first and then renewables and sustainable transport.

Its a shame that it will never get enacted until either the people making lots of money from coal and aluminium are dead or the climate get so bad that making money becomes secondary to survival.

All credit to the Greens for actually getting it right - I will have a think about rejoining the party.

Another water saver.

Now that some dams are overflowing, I rang the Melbourne Water for some advice. I asked them, what happened to the excess water and they told me, that they pumped some of the excess water to other dams. But when I asked, if this water is also pumped to the Thompson dam, the answer was a no. I think with pumps and solar panels for power, is this not possible? This must be cheaper, than building a desalt plant.

global warming Admission tax

Senator,

Please take into consideration this extra tax cost that you and others want to unleash onto the General Public and put Australian’s into further poverty.
“Don’t do it”.

Fair enough you want to save the planet but don’t you think that’s a bit to late the damage has already been done and is Irreversible so there you go.
“Too late “IRREVERSIBLE” should of been done 30 years ago +”.

Do you know the average house hold is struggling so bad today to put food on their tables, pay all the bills & just exist.
“domestic violence has increased, suicides have increased, drug & alcohol incidents have increased, crime has increased ect, ect.”

All bills, all debt’s, food, ect has already gone up and my wage is struggling to meet these cost.
“This is the same for the rest of the Australian Public”.

Example: one of many: My 73 year old disabled mother and I had to sit in our boiling home with the heatwaves NSW has been experiencing with
the air conditioner switched off because now we cannot afford the cost to run it.
“ Which this is the case for all Australian’s, this is happening all the time all around Australia.

But “YOU SELFISH POLITIAN’S” sit nice and cool in parliament making unrealistic decisions to put further stress and burdens on
to the Australian people.

Common sense prevails that further disadvantaging the Australian public will eventually result in Anarchy.
“Anarchism” people can only be pushed so much.

Solar panels on the roof

I've heard that Victoria has decided to pay people who generate their own electricity from solar panels on the roof at the rate of 3 times the normal rate for all the power that they produce, even that which they use themselves, as well as that which is fed back into the grid. Surely this should be a national scheme. Even people who own rental accommodation would reap the reward of putting solar panels on their investment properties, giving their tenants free power and getting paid to do so at triple the normal rate paid for power. This would take enormous load off of the current power suppliers thereby reducing emissions substantially and bringing down the cost of solar power. If there is going to be any talk of subsidizing power production, let it be for renewable power production not fossil fuel power production.
Bentaxle

Copenhagen

Anybody out there ever heard of the Whole Earth Catalogues. I have two copies. I'd like to set up a discussion group , be part of a discusssion group focusssed on the WECs. I live in Adelaide. Call me - 08 8270 3548 NB I have 30 acres, and am willing to consider any useful strategies using this land.

Keeping cool in summer with window fans

Thermostatically controlled, electric window fans, have been around in North America for many years, and are significantly less expensive to purchase ($US40-60) and more climate-friendly than air conditioning (using up to 300% less power). They are best suited to climates where it is hot during the day and cooler at night, which makes them ideal for many regions in Australia.

Window fan units are rectangular in shape, and generally contain two fans (set side-by-side) operating at up to four speeds. They can be switched to either expel air or draw in air. They are relatively small in size (30cm x 60cm) and light-weight (4kg), and are inserted into a sliding or sash window frame between the outer frame and the window itself, the task taking less than a minute.

The object is to draw in cooler air at night whilst expelling hot air. During the day, they are removed from their frames to stop hot air entering the house. This can delay or completely eliminate the need for air conditioner during the day. Care needs to be taken in positioning them away from garbage bins and prevailing winds.

In winter they can be switched to reverse, i.e. to draw in warmer air during the day and expel cold air. In winter they need to be removed from their frames at night to prevent cold air from entering the house.

Window fans work even more efficiently in two-storey homes, where one set can be used to draw in cooler air on the lower floor, with the other set expelling hot air from the upper level.

Since they are primarily designed to use electricity at night window fans place less pressure on electricity supply, and are particularly useful in districts subjected to occasional blackouts.

Window fans draw minimal power (85-120 Watt depending on size) compared to air-conditioners (1000-3500 Watt). This enables them to be powered by batteries charged with solar cell arrays.

Unfortunately window fans are currently unavailable in Australia. However you can achieve a similar, but not quite as efficient result, by using a couple of high-velocity floor fans, which are now available universally, are rated around 60Watt and cost around $70 each.