Renewable energy: What alternatives for WA?

SATURDAY 13TH NOVEMBER, 2-4PM
Public forum - all welcome

Perth Activist Centre (15/5 Aberdeen St, East Perth - next to McIver station)
Speakers:
Patrick Hearps (via skype), Standing in for Matthew Wright, (Young Environmentalist of the Year, and founder and executive director of Beyond Zero Emissions)
Chris Johansen, presenting Beyond Zero Emissions' Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Stationary Energy Plan
Tim Barling Secretary, Sustainable Energy Now (SEN)

The WA government this year approved plans for 5 coal-fired power stations, with predicted yearly greenhouse gas emissions of over 8 million tonnes of CO2 to open over the next few years. Safe Climate Perth is campaigning to stop the expansion of coal-fired power in WA. But how can we meet our energy needs?

Renewable energy in the form of geothermal, sun, waves and wind are very abundant and many of the technologies that we need to harness them are already here or in development.

Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE), a not-for-profit think tank, and the Energy Research Institute of the University of Melbourne have recently published “Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan”. This is a costed, detailed blueprint outlining a ten-year transition to a zero emissions economy. It shows how Australia can capitalize on its immense resources of sunlight and wind to repower the economy with clean, safe and secure renewable energy. The plan details how already commercially operating concentrated solar thermal technology and wind power can be harnessed to ensure total baseload electricity supply for the whole country at economic costs no more than business-as-usual (mainly coal and gas fired power stations) by 2022. At the 2010 Banksia Environmental Awards on 15 October the Plan won the Environmental Research Award.

Matthew Wright, the founder and Executive Director of BZE was announced as Young Environmentalist of the Year. The judges' comments noted that "[h]is vision behind Beyond Zero Emissions is to help bring about the changes needed to reach a safe climate for current and future generations." Via skype, Matthew will outline the impact BZE has had on the national debate about how far, how fast to make the transition to a zero carbon economy, and where to now for the campaign.

Chris Johansen will present a summary of the entire ZCA2020 Stationary Energy Plan, with detailed discussion of how concentrated solar thermal modules can produce baseload electricity.

Tim Barling is Secretary of Sustainable Energy Now - a volunteer group of scientists, engineers, computer specialists, economists, designers, doctors, academics, politicians, retirees, students and others who are passionate about the renewable energy potential of WA and are studying how to harness it. Tim's presentation will outline the renewable energy resources available in WA and some scenarios of how we could use them.

Presentations will be followed by discussion.

RSVP not essential, but encouraged for catering.
Entry by donation.

Organised by Safe Climate Perth as part of the "No new coal" campaign. Email info@safeclimate.org.au. Phone Kamala 0417 319 662, Ben 0400 878 322.

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