2008-2009

 

 

 

THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

 

 

 

 

THE SENATE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geothermal and Other Renewable Energy

(Emerging Technologies) Amendment Bill 2009

 

 

 

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Circulated by authority of Senator the Hon Nick Minchin)

Geothermal and Other Renewable Energy

(Emerging Technologies) Amendment Bill 2009

 

OUTLINE

 

This Bill seeks to ensure that emerging renewable energy source electricity will be able to gain a share of the guaranteed renewable energy market in accordance with the table set out in the Bill.

 

Geothermal technology is included in the title of the Bill to stress the importance of this emerging technology.  

 

FINANCIAL IMPACT

There is no identifiable budgetary impact.

 

 

NOTES ON CLAUSES

Clause 1 - Short title

Provides for the Act to be cited as the Geothermal and Other Renewable Energy

(Emerging Technologies) Act 2009 .

 

Clause 2 - Commencement

This clause provides that the Act commences on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

 

Clause 3 - Schedules

Provides that each Act that is specified in a schedule is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule and that any other item in a Schedule has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1 - Amendment of the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000

Item 1             After paragraph 39(3)(a)

Insert:

                            (aa)  for a year after 2014 and before 2031—the required GWh of emerging renewable energy source electricity for the year; and

Item 2  At the end of Division 2 of Part 4

Add:

40A  Required GWh of emerging renewable energy source electricity

             (1)  The required GWh of emerging renewable energy source electricity for a year is set out in the following table:

 

Required GWh of emerging renewable energy source electricity
Year	GWh
2015	1375
2016	2875
2017	4375
2018	5875
2019	7375
2020	8875
2021	8875
2022	8875
2023	8875
2024	8875
2025	8875
2026	8875
2027	8875
2028	8875
2029	8875
2030	8875

             (2)  The required GWh of emerging renewable energy source electricity for a year specified in subsection (1) is a component of the required GWh of renewable source electricity for that year specified in subsection 40(1).

             (3)  The following table sets out the emerging technologies and their features that qualify as providing emerging renewable energy source electricity for the purposes of subsection (1):

 

Type of technology
Solar thermal energy or Solar concentrator energy	·          Evacuated-tube collectors ·          Parabolic-trough collectors ·          Dish/engine systems ·          Power towers ·          Transpired collectors (heating
Geothermal energy	·          Flash steam power plants ·          Dry steam power plants ·          Binary cycle power plants ·          Direct use geothermal (hot water systems) ·          Geothermal heat pumps (heating
Ocean thermal energy	·          Closed cycle electricity conversion systems ·          Open cycle electricity conversion systems ·          Hybrid systems (a combination of closed and open cycle systems)
Tidal energy	Wave energy conversion systems: ·          Channel systems ·          Float systems ·          Oscillating water column systems
Biofuels	·          Bioethanol ·          Biodiesel ·          Methane (produced by anaerobic digestion)
Biopower (or Biomass power)	·          Direct-fired biopower plants ·          Co-firing biopower plants ·          gasification (e.g. Integrated Gasification Combines Cycle (IGCC) coal-based power generation

             (4)  The regulations may provide for additional emerging technologies to be added to the table in subsection (3).

             (5)  A generation unit for a technology listed in subsection (3) must be 1 MW capacity or greater to qualify as emerging capacity capable of providing emerging renewable energy source electricity for the purposes of subsection (1).

             (6)  The regulations must make provision for the inclusion of emerging renewable energy source electricity in relation to:

                     (a)  the acquisition of electricity by a liable entity;

                     (b)  the creation and transfer of certificates;

                     (c)  the calculation of the renewable power percentage for a year;

                     (d)  the required renewable energy of a liable entity for a year;

                     (e)  the surrender of certificates by a liable entity for a year

                      (f)  the renewable energy certificate shortfall of a liable entity for a year.