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The continent Australia can be seen as having the unluckiest hand in the geological draw. Instead of being a part of Pangea, the large mass that other continents broke off from millions of years ago, Australia was part of a super-continent situated closely to the South Pole, Gwondanaland. It has experienced a drift over the past millennia, but to a less amiable position than most, to a latitude where dry and arid temperatures are the norm. While other continents experienced tectonic fluctuations that promoted fossil fuel formation, Australia continued to remain the driest of all continents, a hard and rough landscape, more conducive to coal formation than to the formation of crude oil deposits. In fact, Australia continues to be the largest exporter of coal (mostly to China), but their oil reserves started at the smallest of amounts at nine billion barrels, about half a percent of the world's supplies. Luckily, Australia possesses quite a small population due to its harsh landscape and oil usage has been pretty conservative.

Australia has been mostly self-sufficient with its oil production and usage, as 85% of the oil used is domestically produced. However, reserves are dwindling as oil usage is on the rise. Estimates show that by 2010, Australian oil supplies will only provide 42% of their need and will be forced to import the difference, mostly form Middle Eastern reserves. The population of Australia has experienced 300% growth since 1945, but mostly to the coastal cities, while its rural populations have dwindled. The cities are heavily motor vehicle dependent, making need for oil supplies to increase. Because Australia is an island quite separated from other continents, transport of imports to their population is very costly. Transportation of all products throughout Australia is dominated by semis and eighteen-wheelers. As a result, oil dependence continues to grow.

Energy Tags: clean energy, solar energy

White Cliffs is an opal mining town, situated in a desert area of far north western, New South Wales. Opals where first discovered in the area in 1884 and the town was founded in about 1889. With the discovery of some valuable stones, the town began to rapidly grow and by about 1900 there were over 1,000 resident miners. Miners continued to flock to the area, increasing the population to about four thousand, until about 1914 when the first world war broke out and Australian citizens were called for military service.

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Australia Considers Putting All Schools on solar power by Rick Chapo

You have to love politicians. Jumping on the renewable energy bandwagon, they are suddenly coming up with all kinds of programs to solve energy problems.

In Australia, the Labor Party is throwing around a startling idea as part of its effort to win upcoming elections. In an effort to cut greenhouse emissions and create jobs I the renewable energy industry, the Labor Party wants to convert all public schools to solar power. To understand the motivation for making the proposal, one has to have a grip on what has been happening in Australia. Cutting to the chase, there have been allegations that utility giants are strong arming government agencies to prevent the implementation of green energy programs. Specifically, there have been claims that government agencies are so in bed with large energy companies that scientists are being pressured and even gagged on renewable energy subjects.

To resolve this, the Labor Party is promoting free and open debates as part of its political policy. It also intends to create a new council, the National Sustainability Council, to improve Australias environmental outlook. While this sounds fairly general, the Council would be charged with making objective observations as to whether industry was meeting environmental regulations.

As to the solar schools initiative, the Labor Party isnt entirely clear how the conversion will be funded. There are vague assertions the money will come out of the current education budget, but most countries have very tight education budgets. Labors solar schools plan will be funded by dedicating some education money for school capital upgrades.

The switch is designed to help schools upgrade cooling and heating systems for classrooms, bringing relief and better concentration in extreme weather regions.

While it is easy to read the solar power school initiative in Australia as a pure political ploy, it should still be celebrated. Who would have every thought solar power would become a political weapon? It appears it has in Australia.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on solar power and renewable energy.

Will Raise up to $1 Billion AUD to Fund Initial Network Build Out

Melbourne, Australia (Oct 22, 2008) — Better Place today announced agreements with AGL Energy and financial advisor Macquarie Capital Group to raise $1 billion (AUD) and begin deploying an electric vehicle (EV) network powered by renewable energy. The Better Place model for sustainable mobility will help Australia move toward oil independence. With the world’s seventh highest per capita rate of car ownership, the country has nearly 15 million cars on the road after adding over a million new cars last year.

Victorian Premier John Brumby said, “The Victorian Government supports any initiative that will have positive outcomes in reducing emissions in the transport sector and welcomes this innovative approach to help make broad adoption of EVs in Australia possible.”

Better Place will use its scalable model, which Israel and Denmark have adopted, to build the EV network in Australia. Macquarie will assist in business development and help raise AUD $1 billion for the network build. In support of the project, AGL will provide electricity from renewable sources to power the electric cars and enable Better Place to deliver sustainable transportation.

“As the world’s sixth largest country, our network build out in Australia will demonstrate that the Better Place model works in all countries, regardless of size,” said Shai Agassi, CEO and Founder of Better Place. “We are investing in Australia’s economy and adding jobs while helping the country take a generational leap forward toward oil independence.” Agassi added, “With our commitment to build infrastructure and the Federal Government’s $500 million Green Car Innovation Fund, there is a compelling case for automobile manufacturers to jump in and build clean, safe, affordable electric cars for Australasia and Southeast Asia.”

More on BETTER PLACE PARTNERS WITH AGL AND MACQUARIE TO BUILD ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE IN AUSTRALIA

Energy Tags: energy resources, energy

Dreaming and fantasizing are the first step towards innovation. People all over the world and especially in America are dreaming of a green world where there will be only solar power energizing the needs of the entire country. Experts feel that in five years, solar power will be cheap enough to compete with conventional electricity, even in UK, Africa, Australia and India. If that is the case more and more people will use solar energy in their homes. In a decade, the cost may have fallen so dramatically that solar cells could undercut oil, gas and coal. Technology is leaping ahead towards eco friendly, pollution free and a green future with the advent of solar energy homes.

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