🚀 go-pugleaf

"Peter Webb" <webbfamily@DIESPAMDIEoptusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:47b99665$0$22095$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
>
> "hot frog" <short@tension.span> wrote in message
> news:47b9907d$0$26343$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
> > "Peter Webb" <webbfamily@DIESPAMDIEoptusnet.com.au> wrote in message
> > news:47b91d9d$0$25392$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
> >>
> >> "hot frog" <short@tension.span> wrote in message
> >> news:47b83ec1$0$24086$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
> >> > Here is a simple, cost-free method most households can use to reduce
> > their
> >> > CO2 emissions, literally by tonnes.
> >> >
> >> > Step 1. Replace any incandescent light bulbs in your home, that are
> >> > left
> >> > on
> >> > for several hours a night, with compact fluorescent lightbulbs
(CFLs).
> >> >
> >>
> >> Fine.
> >>
> >> > Step 2. Use the money you save on electricity to purchase accredited
> > green
> >> > energy.
> >> >
> >>
> >> Pointless. Buying "green energy" doesn't increase the generation of
green
> >> energy. It just subsidises the excess capacity that must be produced to
> >> reach the government Minimum Renewable Energy Targets (MRETs), and has
no
> >> effect whatsoever on how power is actually generated.
> >
> > Retailers are audited to check they haven't counted their GreenPower
> > purchases towards their mandatory requirements to purchase renewable
> > energy
> > under Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET).
> > http://www.greenpower.gov.au/what-accreditation-means.aspx
> >
>
> True but irrelevant. Their is an oversupply of "green" energy as industry
> gears up for the next round of MRET targets, and the certificates for the
> excess is all they are selling. They sell the electricity anyway, they are
> just selling the feel-good quality. A couple of years ago, the incremental
> cost with some suppliers was zero - they charged the same for green
> electricity as normal electricity, because electricity is electricity and
> they were just selling (giving away) the feelgood for power being
generated
> but surplus to MRET at that time.
>
> Buying "green power" would have no effect on the installed base of
> renewables unless the additional consumer costs matched the additional
cost
> of making green power - which is about 4 or 5 times as much as we pay for
> coal power now in NSW.

I find all of this very hard to believe. For a start, wind power generation
costs were already down to 7.5-9 c/kWh in 2004, and falling at 4% per year,
compared to at least 3.5 c/kWh for coal power.
[ http://www.bioenergyaustralia.org/reports/Clean_Energy_Future_Report.pdf ]
And wind power is not the cheapest green power by any means.

Secondly, why would retailers buy the more expensive renewable energy in
excess of their MRET, unless they had to honour their commitment to
greenpower customers.

This is a more complete quote from
http://www.greenpower.gov.au/what-accreditation-means.aspx :

"
Accreditation also means that GreenPower retailers' sales and purchases are
audited on an annual basis to ensure you get what you pay for. Retailers are
audited to check they haven't counted their GreenPower purchases towards
their mandatory requirements to purchase renewable energy under Mandatory
Renewable Energy Target (MRET). This means you pay only once for renewable
energy.

From a customer's perspective, the GreenPower label demonstrates at a glance
that they are supporting renewable energy that is best for the environment
and the renewable energy purchased will decrease greenhouse pollution.
"

Note "the renewable energy purchased will decrease greenhouse pollution."