Priority 2 for Energy Change, The Sustainable Cities Round Table, 20 May 2009
Posted in Sustainable Cities Round Tables by Ferne Edwards on June 10th, 2009
‘Priority 2 for Energy Change‘ is an outcome from the recent Sustainable Cities Round Table – The Energy to Change, 20 May 2009. Audience members were asked: “In your perspective, what are the three things that need to happen for energy?” Ie. if were going to address climate change what are the most important things that we and others around us can do? This is their response for Priority 2. The data is shown as it was collected – there has been no analysis at this stage at all.
Priority 2
Open markets for decentralized electricity generation from renewable sources. Including incentives for implementation.
Government support eg policies, incentives, drivers etc
Regulations
Need users o reject the business as usual approach
Large scale solar projects
Initiating community food gardens
High price for carbon pollution emitters for each unit of pollution
De-emphasize CCS
Energy efficiency existing homes-retrofit 10% per year (and educate home owners)
Focus on building peoples awareness as to their energy actions and their consequences
Develop green energy policy framework to stimulate research and investment to kick start the greening of Australian energy systems.
Invest heavily in non-carbon transport-both individual and public
Energy efficiency-existing commercial buildings (energy management and retrofits)
Co-generation-reframe legislation and government support to make it easier
Use of recycled toilet paper and print paper by consumers. Ban virgin paper or ban nature forests being cut down for paper
Generating clean fuel
Ensuring the days hottest celebrities around go around banging on about their low energy lifestyle
Serious mandate on energy use in the design of houses and appliances includes TVs etc
Energy use must be made more visible to consumers
Biomass for electricity and heat
Eliminate incandescent lights-all of them. Really no excuses.
Require all sectors to contribute to energy reduction
Energy efficiency rating for all houses
Reward sustainable behaviour eg tradeable energy quotas
Rezone land for zero emissions community development
Government to become much more stringent on energy efficiency, renew energy targets, CO2 targets mandatory
Electricity prices to include externalities: carbon price, relative scarcity of fossil fuels
Education and acceptance
Renewable subsidies with taxes on polluting non-renewable power of fuel
Utilize renewable energy at the precincts level
Interest free loans to communities/ individuals to install renewable energy and fair tariff to feed back to grid
Utilize waste heat from electrical generation ie co generation
Cultural change
Local initiatives
Education/behavioural change mandatory
Retro-fitting existing homes, offices, factories etc and 8 star building regulations for all new buildings
More solutions for renters- framework for new and existing buildings
Community political pressure
Facilitate schemes that makes it relatively easy for households, communities and businesses to reduce emissions.
More investments and support for renewables
Whole of precinct and cross-sectoral research exploring low energy production
Efficient power plant with less emissions
Reduce consumption
Government should ‘fast track and incentivise commercial and residential development that builds in renewable energy
Investment in research into renewable energy sources
Local power generation
Investment in micro-generation
Community co-operation in conserving power
Improve public accountability and bureacacy
Have more sustainable food production systems
Communities working together to reduce energy change
Have compulsory environmental education in work environments
Dont give free credits to coal plants in Australia as part of ETS. Rewarding polluters is wrong.
Cost of greenpower and renewables needs to be the same as standard grid electricity
Significant review of building code of Australia to improve standards of all buildings
Getting on with it despite ridicule, discouragement in public and private behaviour
Urban consolidation on national scale
Create cycle and mass transit infrastructure asap
Use more solar and wind energy and decentralize energy distribution
Community ownership of renewables
Large scale renewables
Change in price structure and incentives for generation of all renewables at household and community level
Renewables- a mix of renewable energy supplies
Target people of a non-English speaking background to raise awareness of greenpower and renewable energy sources
Buy less pointless stuff
Regulations
Reduce reliance and tax on non-renewable sources
Install large sale renewable energy stations and increase government funding in renewables. Take the money from the CCS and invest it in a distribution network from SA governmental plant to the national grid.
Carbon pricing so that there is an incentive to conserve energy
Mandated requirement for higher level energy rating on new homes
Community scale energy/water/waste planning (zero emissions neighbourhoods everywhere)
More use of renewable resources
Radical change in the way we build and operate our buildings to slash energy use
Contain the worlds population
Require instrumented feedback so all resources to run a household are offerred