Bigger issues for zero carbon

TASMANIA may have boasting rights over our relatively low-carbon electricity generation, but it is one piece of a more troubling picture, says a renewable electricity expert.

Tasmanian Renewable Energy Alliance executive officer Jack Gilding said our 90 per cent renewable power supply could be largely attributed to 100 years of hydro history.

“We could boast more if we were doing the hard work, not just the easy work,” Mr Gilding said.

It was a common misconception that electricity was the biggest cause of the carbon emissions problem.

“In Tasmania in particular, our transport, land use and forestry are greater policy challenges,” he said.

“If we had an integrated approach looking in particular at transport and agriculture, that’s where Tasmania would be a world-beater.”

Hydro Tasmania Battery of the Nation project director Chris Gwynne agreed the carbon discussion tended to focus on electricity rather than the spectrum of carbon polluters.

“The common wisdom is that it’s the first base,” Mr Gwynne said. “The technology and opportunity are here in the electricity sector already.”

Transport and agriculture would prove trickier sectors to manage. “They bring more complex problems and it will take more time to find the right solutions,” he said.

Mr Gwynne said assessments of potential pumped hydro sites were advancing as part of the Battery of the Nation initiative, whereby Tasmania would develop a greater renewables storage capacity to serve other states as well as developing more wind and solar farms in the state.

Mr Gwynne said the initiative, which would fly only with federal funding, was a “massive” economic opportunity for Tasmania.

He was untroubled by the Victorian Government’s August commitment to a 50 per cent renewable by 2030 target, saying it boded well for greater rather than less demand for pumped-hydro storage based in Tasmania.

Hydro Tasmania modelling anticipates huge growth in electric vehicles, bringing both a significant new load and storage capacity.

A strong element of decentralisation of the energy system was also predicted.

“We anticipate a significant contribution of behind the meter generation with solar and storage systems as part of a future energy mix,” he said.

Mr Gilding strongly backs a robust decentralised system as the way of the future.

“The big changer is at the household level of integrated electric vehicles and solar panels and batteries,” he said.