Well, it's up to the government isn't it ?It was as recently as 2009 that we closed down our solar panel manufacturing, why would there be a complete change in the way we do things? That isn't the way Australia rolls, we buy manufactured goods from overseas and send the raw materials there so they can make the goods, that's our job.
The funny part is, it all happened on Labor's watch, go figure.
Where's the narrative, when you need it? It was still going on about 'work choices' which had already been thrown out, same as it still is today.
It's time people focused on our financial future and our kids living standards, rather than cherry picking issues and actually doing nothing to stem our slide into a 3rd world nation and both sides of politics are responsible.
This article is from 2012, when the Governments were paying feed in tariffs for people to put rooftop solar on their houses.
Silex Systems has abandoned plans to revive its solar panel manufacturing plant in Sydney’s Olymic Park, and has announced its immediate closure and decommissioning.Silex Systems closes Homebush solar PV manufacturing plant
Silex says the mothballed plant to be permanently closed because it can no longer compete against cheap Chinese imports.reneweconomy.com.au
Silex bought the then mothballed plant from BP Solar for $6.5 million in 2009, but ceased production of solar cells in August last year as part of a restructuring. It then mothballed the module manufacturing again in November, but after resuming limited production in February, it has now decided to cut its losses after trading conditions failed to improve.
Goldsworthy said SilexSolar will continue to progress some commercial-scale project work already underway, and will also continue to support existing installed product warranties, but he sounded downbeat about the future of that part of the business.
“It’s still a price driven business, it’s pretty difficult to compete,” he told RenewEconomy. He noted the US anti-dumping action against Chinese manufacturers and said the same thing should happen here.
Goldsworthy told RenewEconomy in February that the company was working on numerous opportunities, including a possible bid into the ACT Government’s large scale solar auction. He would not comment on the result of that bid, although it is thought Silex did not make the shortlist of bidders.
Around 100 people may have lost their jobs all told. The August closure resulted in the loss of about 30 manufacturing jobs, while suspension of the panel manufacturing caused another 45 workers to be retrenched. Around 20 people remained employees of SilexSolar
In 2009, the ACT Government established a scheme for payments to ACT households and businesses generating renewable electricity. This was established under the Electricity Feed-in (Renewable Energy Premium) Act 2008 (the Act). This is referred to as the Small and Medium Feed-in Tariff Scheme.
It's all about the narrative, if they wanted to push that way,the media would be peddling it. Obviously 'the powers that be' don't see that as Australia's future, probably just a mine for the U.S is the future.Well, it's up to the government isn't it ?
If they want manufacturing here then they have to come in with either subsidies or tariffs or both.
No good Albo making grand speeches about local manufacturing and expecting it to come without costs.
Well if we are just going to be a mine then we should be bringing in a mining tax so that we get enough revenue to make up for the lack of local manufacturing jobs, otherwise all those minerals profits will just go o/s with the jobs.It's all about the narrative, if they wanted to push that way,the media would be peddling it. Obviously 'the powers that be' don't see that as Australia's future, probably just a mine for the U.S is the future.
It's a bit like the narrative in the U.S pre Biden, tariffs were bad and the U.S was being led by loonies into war, now with Biden the tariffs have increased and the international politics has worsened, yet not a murmur.
We just have to accept, life is smoke and mirrors.
We have had a royalties system in place for ever, why it can't be tweaked to reflect the current world market price of the commodity, is beyond me.Well if we are just going to be a mine then we should be bringing in a mining tax so that we get enough revenue to make up for the lack of local manufacturing jobs, otherwise all those minerals profits will just go o/s with the jobs.
We have had a royalties system in place for ever, why it can't be tweaked to reflect the current world market price of the commodity, is beyond me.
This is right in the middle of an area where coal ships wait at sea for a berth in the Port of Newcastle.Punchy Bowen is going to be in trouble once all this gets mapped out.
Really, the writing was on the wall when Bob Brown campaigned against offshore wind farms in Tassie because they 'looked bad'. Who would have thunk? The ones proposed along the east coast have more merit to oppose. Whales, eagles, shipping, etc.
There's a cost-benefit analysis yet to be done with all this. Neither side has made a detailed and coherent argument.
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Frustrated Port Stephens residents say their calls for consultation to be restarted over the controversial 5GW Hunter offshore wind zone have been denied and warned that voters in the heartland Labor seats will abandon the Albanese government if the project proceeds.
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who met with a handful of community representatives in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, received a hostile reception from around 100 protesters holding placards and banners and calling for the offshore wind farms to be axed.
In a meeting with around 12 community members, Mr Bowen was urged to consider a mix of solar and onshore wind farms in place of offshore turbines, which locals say will devastate their coastal economy and marine environment.
Over the years, there have been two ships go aground because of East Coast Low weather events which intensify in a matter of hours to being very nasty storms.
There have been a hell of a lot more near misses that do not make the general news headlines.
I'm not familiar with the area or issues but someone looking at this from an objective risk management perspective would likely conclude the shipping ought not continue in this manner and poses an unacceptable risk regardless of what is or isn't done with the wind farm.It is also a seafood catchment area and a whale main highway
The area in question is relatively shallow for the Tasman Sea because it has thousands of years of silt from the Hunter River.I'm not familiar with the area or issues but someone looking at this from an objective risk management perspective would likely conclude the shipping ought not continue in this manner and poses an unacceptable risk regardless of what is or isn't done with the wind farm.
If the area's full of whales meanwhile they've got a constant stream of ships crossing it, and the ships are in danger of running aground, that seems like a disaster waiting to happen.
Its almost an insoluble situation.Painting themselves further into a corner and becoming tunnel visioned isn't going to work .
Coalition’s nuclear option would cost $387b: Bowen
The Albanese government is taking the fight to the Coalition over the latter’s campaign to end the moratorium on nuclear energy in Australia.www.theage.com.au
Maybe we could moor a couple of spare nuclear subs somewhere and run a power lead onshore each night.Its almost an insoluble situation.
People want clean energy but they don't want to look at windmills or dont want dams flooding catchments or don't want solar panels going into landfill or transmission lines across their property etc.
The so called 'social license' is going to get harder to obtain.
Nuclear is too expensive and the Greenie's will complain forever.
What's the best alternative that will offend the least amount of people ?
Gas turbines running on hydrogen ? Supercritical coal plants with CCS ? Put solar panels on every house?
Nothing will satisfy everyone, but the government hasn't got the guts to tell people that something has to give. If you want cheap clean energy you have to accept wind turbines in your view or some areas of land being flooded.
Just be honest Chris.
Go back a decade and there was an argument along the lines that regardless of any uncertainties about climate science, we should just act anyway because there's no downside to doing so.Its almost an insoluble situation.
Serious incident as in serious. Doesn't have to involve putting the lights out, although that's an obvious possible scenario, but it could instead just be a very hard landing recession and a general period, years, of doom and gloom. A climate "incident" is another possibility. Something big and of long enough duration that it forces an acceptance that change is required.
In various contexts I've used the analogy of someone in poor health.I think that the Ukraine war and consequent inflation and cost increases, together with the pandemic's effect on supply lines, plus the climate emergencies around the world and the manipulation of the oil markets by Russia and Saudi Arabia should be enough of a signal that things must change.
Meanwhile in Queensland they're going on strike at Kogan Creek (750MW, coal).The W.A Bluewaters power station debacle continues.
The W.A Government is already paying Griffin Coal, to supply fuel to the Japanese owned power station, now the lawyers are getting involved.
Industrial action to start on Thursday includes limiting the number of conveyor belts transporting coal from the nearby Kogan Creek coal mine to the power station.
A union organiser from the site said anyone standing underneath the hangar when it collapsed "would have been punched through the grid like mincemeat".
Hundreds of jobs axed as Molycop stops Newcastle steelmaking operations
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