Today I have been sparked into thought about the infrastructure that I believe Australia needs in order to continue progress at each level of the community. After much consideration I see many infrastructure needs being served by removing the reliance upon fossil fuels. By reducing our reliance on fossil fuels there are two effects:
1. Removes our exposure to international price fluctuations of resource, primarily oil.
2. Greatly reduces the carbon footprint of Australia, and thus reduces our contributions to global warming.
These 2 benefits cover the three key areas for Australia’s improvement, economic, ecological, and societal. How is that so?
Economic benefits are seen by removing outside influences on prices. For example, OPEC often decide to limit supply simply to maintain a price that sees the oil price higher than what true market influences would dictate. This is then seen at the pump and every Australians budget shrinks for the period of the inflated prices thanks to a price fixing conglomerate.
The Ecological benefits are clear. Fewer greenhouse gases polluting the atmosphere, and fewer smog clouds to see. This in turn improves air quality for the environment.
Societal benefits come from the economic and ecological benefits. Each Ausstralian will be given some certainty over the cost of fuel for example, and also know that by taking brave decisions our country is doing something for the environment.
There are two key areas where I can see Australia reduce it’s reliance on fossil fuels they are transport and electrical production infrastructure. There are viable alternative solutions to service these needs. They do however come with a need for investment and commitment by our political leaders.
Transportation
Transport is a primary concern for the Australian public. We need to be able to get around efficiently and quickly. Currently the primary transport mode for public and business means is by motor vehicles (cars/trucks/motorcycles). The engines in these vehicles are predominantly fossil fuel burning combustion engines running on oil based petroleum. Whilst some companies have release hybrid passenger vehicles and are working on alternative fuel technologies there is little publicity in what is happening within the freight services that predominantly use diesel fuel.
I believe that Australia should be investing in rail to a far greater degree. Expansion of existing rail links and switches from diesel technology to electrical power needs consideration. Further, existing lines such as the NSW South Coast line on the CityRail network should be improved to ensure dual lines the full length of the journey. Currently there is a vast length that is single line, and thus a broken down train can lead to horrendous delays. Rail when it is fast and efficient is a clearly acceptable alternative to road transport, and potentially with a high speed rail link between regional and city centres an alternative to the vastly more polluting aircraft.
Australia also needs to consider greater investment in developing electric powered cars with the vehicle industry. These vehicles are not that far away, however measures need to be taken so that price barriers do not make them unreachable for the person on the average wage.
Power Generation
Modern society has a reliance on electricity for almost all tasks. Currently Australia relies on old technology burning fossil fuels, predominately coal, to produce electricity. This pumps vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere and contributes to global warming. Whilst there is a promise of clean coal it is yet to be seen if it is indeed a possibility.
For power generation the nation needs to revisit the nuclear power alternative. The use of nuclear power generation for Australia delivers benefits in relation to the emittance of greenhouse gases and reduction on the reliance on fossil fuels. Nuclear power generation produces no greenhouse gases, however the processes required to set up and operate a plant may.
There are a number of studies (Nuclear Energy Institute) that show that even with these considerations accounted for nuclear power generation is significantly less polluting than tradition energy sources. A prime example is a study undertaken by British Energy 5 years ago. In this study the impacts of real operating plants (nuclear, gas and coal fired) life cycle were assessed. The CO2 emissions from the nuclear plant were 5 g/kWh. Coal came in at 900 g/kWh and gas at 400 g/kWh. As can be seen against traditional methods nuclear is by far superior.
Even when pitched against renewables nuclear power there are studies showing that nuclear power at 17 tons/gWh comes in just behind wind (14 tons/gWh) and geothermals (15 tons/gWh).
Note: g/kWh = grams per killowatt hour, gWh = gigawatt hour
