2008-2009

 

 

 

THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

 

 

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geothermal and other Renewable Energy

(Emerging Technologies) Amendment Bill 2009

 

 

 

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Circulated by authority of the Honourable Bronwyn Bishop MP)

Geothermal and other Renewable Energy

(Emerging Technologies) Amendment Bill 2009

 

OUTLINE

These amendments require regulations to be made to determine that food processing activities, to the extent they are trade exposed, be given a 90% partial exemption from the additional renewable source electricity acquisition obligation for 2010 and later years.

 

The amendment relating to food processing defines additional renewable source electricity acquisition obligations.

 

The remaining amendments ensure that emerging renewable energy source electricity will be able to gain a share of the guaranteed renewable 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Provides that each Act that is specified in a schedule is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule and that any other item in a Schedule has effect according to its terms.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 

 

This item adds two new subsections  to section 38B . Subsection (2) requires that the regulations must determine a food processing activity, to the extent that it is trade-exposed, to be an emissions-intensive trade-exposed activity. The partial exemption of an emissions-intensive trade-exposed food processing activity for 2010 and any later year is to be calculated to be equal to 90% of the additional renewable source electricity acquisition obligation of the activity during the relevant year.

            Subsection (3) defines additional renewable source electricity acquisition obligation as the amount of renewable source electricity that the activity is required to acquire under this Act after the commencement of the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment Act 2009 in addition to the amount of renewable source electricity that the activity was required to acquire under this Act before the commencement of the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment Act 2009 .

Item 2 

This item inserts new paragraph (aa) in subsection 39(3) as follows:

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

Item 3 

This item inserts new section 40A, which sets out the required GWh of emerging renewable energy source electricity for each  year from 2015 to 2030

 

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

                

                   Subsection (3) contains a table which  sets out the emerging technologies and their features that qualify as providing emerging renewable energy source electricity:

 

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

                   Subsection (4) provides that the regulations may provide for additional emerging technologies to be added to the table.

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

Subsection (6) requires that 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.