Renewables now the cheapest source of reliable power generation in Australia, RepuTex says“Clean” coal technologies won’t be commercially viable before 2030 without government subsidy and are fundamentally out of sync with the move towards more flexible power generation, according to the energy market analysis firm RepuTex. The long lead time before technologies such as carbon capture and storage reach commercial maturity means “clean” coal won’t help Australia meet its 2030 emissions reduction target under the Paris agreement. While the debate accompanying the Finkel review has centred on the electricity industry, RepuTex pointed out energy was not the only source of low-cost emissions reduction potential in the Australian economy. It asserts the review ignored the potential contribution of high-efficiency, low-emissions (HELE) coal technologies and ignored the potential of nuclear power. In its submission to the Finkel review, the CEFC noted there was no new coal-fired capacity among current proposals registered with the Australian Energy Market Operator.

Source: The Guardian March 08, 2017 19:07 UTC