Why Coal’s biggest problem right now, is not renewables
There’s no doubt that coal has a legitimacy problem with large swathes of the public around the world. Once a darling of energy and still in relative abundant supplies, Coal provides significant levels of energy per gram consumed. Yet the end outcome is now known to be incredibly harmful to localised communities needing to breathe air filled with particulates, as well as the climate heating properties of its use. With renewable energy sources being positioned for rapid uptake, it’d be easy to think that Coal’s major problem is renewable energy alternatives. But if you’re in the coal Industry and thinking you need to hold the tide against renewables, you’re fighting the wrong tide
So let me go out on a limb here. The Coal sector’s biggest problem is not holding the tide against renewables – that link has already been established despite numerous Government’s policy changes and uncertainty. Instead, what is galvanising the ‘anti-coal’ proponents is an energy source much closer to the coal sector – fracking.
Coal seam gas extraction is quite frankly a pariah in energy. Around the world, the threats to land use, poisoning of water supplies, depletion of fresh water for townships and more, has heightened awareness of the need for alternatives to such a point, that movements once considered miles apart, have discovered a significant alliance and likeness. The ‘green’ and ‘farm’ goroups have been forged together to hold off fracking, to retain arable land, to allow farmers to manage their own land without the destructive and toxic chemicals utilised by the fracking industry potentially poisoning their farms forever.
This anti-fracking movement has provided the energy to significantly question the viability of developing new coal resources. Fracking is the weird relative at the family BBQ. No one really wants it but it turns up uninvited and with long term impacts unknown (but not likely to be beneficial).
That Coal seam gas exploration has not provided ANY benefits to consumers in New South Wales is well know with a state-wide price rise INCREASE of almost 20% being attributable directly to export of gas overseas. These price jumps have encouraged (even forced) consumers to seek out alternatives, and yet again, renewables, particularly solar, continue to benefit. And consumers now have a price point that even without feed in tariff payments, the cost of a solar system is at a level where many still proceed regardless. The CSG sector is actively working against any chance that coal might have led the drive to a managed draw down of it’s assets.
If existing coal players want to be able to find ways to maintain a business by having the lead time to develop cleaner options for coal, they need to focus on putting the racking sector back in pandora’s box. Until they do (and the longer they take to do so) the viability risks grow and community acceptance levels decline. Renewable energy is not Coal’s biggest problem – it’s CSG fracking.
In rental and lease markets it’s fair to say that for the best part of three decades, the landlords have been the price setters. The rules around negative gearing in domestic supply enable sizeable portfolios. Demand in office spaces in central suburbs has been consistently tight. And now, finally, CFO’s have become aware of the…
Read More >With Australia having just about wrestled Covid19 to the ground (NSW remains a bit of an issue) there’s now surging demand for PPE in the USA. The Covid19 virus is tracking toward an exponential increase and PPE Manufacturers should start looking for supply opportunities Sadly in the USA over the past week, they are adding…
Read More >The Mechanical, Psychological, and Biological Interventions of a Pandemic With Johnson and Johnson also pausing it’s #Covid19 #vaccine trial, it is becoming clearer to more of the public, that the long steady path to a vaccine is not something that can be rushed for anyone’s political agenda or preferred view of the world. We’re learning…
Read More >It seems that one way or another, Victoria is going to pop out of #Lockdown. Probably not in the way we would have hoped. And so for everyone pushing for #AfterLockdown in Victoria and for the wider society, there are two questions you must confront: One – ‘What do you feel is an acceptable level…
Read More >No, it’s not easy. Most of the challenges come down to our expectations – are they valid based on the assumptions you have made about your future? Those assumptions are based on the information you have available to you. We gather information, make an assessment of meaning, which leads us to make assumptions for an…
Read More >A thought on the ‘Why should I be in lock-down in my suburb, it’s not fair that we have to do it and no one else has to, my hair’s a mess I need to sell coffees and pizza’ crowd – an explanation you might appreciate You’ve been asked to go back into lock-down…
Read More >Visions are forward looking statement, but good ones, REALLY good ones have key elements 1. They are things you want but do NOT have 2. Are as long or as short as they need to be 3. Are by the people they are for 4. Are for the people they are by 5.Offer stability in…
Read More >If there’s one thing that the #CaronaVirus has shown us loud and clear it is that we are reliant on the people AT THE CONTACT FACE to carry us through. For Individuals, it is those in Healthcare we rely on. For Populations, it is those in food creation and delivery and sanitation we rely on.…
Read More >Most Councils and Government community assets are in full lock-down. Now more than ever, Local Councils Must Pivot their focus on what their Communities Can and Will do instead. Basketball stadiums? Closed Swimming Pools? Closed Theaters? Closed Libraries? Closed Community Halls? Closed Around the country these critical social assets are in shut down. And with…
Read More >Travel Insurance Providers may face claims for cancellations for travel plans yet taken. But the HUGE risk is covering costs for people ALREADY overseas. That’s way more costly For people with travel insurance taken out prior to the #CaronaVirus being made a declared event, getting your money back will be relatively straight forward. In…
Read More >