Plans to build a 600MW solar farm in south-eastern New South Wales have been lodged with NSW Planning and Environment, as part of the $600 million project’s preliminary environmental assessment.

The Goulburn Post last week reported that CWP Renewables had outlined plans to develop the proposed solar and storage project about 15 kilometres south-west of Goulburn.

The Parkesbourne Solar Farm is proposed for a 2000 hectare site that is bisected by the Hume Highway. CWP said the spot was well suited to solar generation due to its flat terrain, low density of rural residential dwellings and proximity to existing transmission infrastructure.

It also happens to be in the Hume electorate of our new federal energy minister, Angus Taylor, who is an outspoken critic of wind farms. Just as well he is a fan of solar.

The proposed project would create 300 jobs during construction, and once completed, provide 25 ongoing operational positions, the company said.

Read more:

https://reneweconomy.com.au/cwp-moves-forward-with-600mw-solar-farm-in-a...

Wind turbines operate on a simple principle. The energy in the wind turns two or three propeller-like blades around a rotor. The rotor is connected to the main shaft, which spins a generator to create electricity. Click on the image to see an animation of wind at work.

So how do wind turbines make electricity? Simply stated, a wind turbine works the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which connects to a generator and makes electricity. View the wind turbine animation to see how a wind turbine works or take a look inside.

Wind is a form of solar energy and is a result of the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth's surface, and the rotation of the earth. Wind flow patterns and speeds vary greatly across the United States and are modified by bodies of water, vegetation, and differences in terrain. Humans use this wind flow, or motion energy, for many purposes: sailing, flying a kite, and even generating electricity.

The terms wind energy or wind power describe the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this mechanical power into electricity.

Modern wind turbines fall into two basic groups: the horizontal-axis variety, as shown in the photo to the far right, and the vertical-axis design, like the eggbeater-style Darrieus model pictured to the immediate right, named after its French inventor. Horizontal-axis wind turbines typically either have two or three blades. These three-bladed wind turbines are operated "upwind," with the blades facing into the wind.

Wind turbines can be built on land or offshore in large bodies of water like oceans and lakes. The U.S. Department of Energy is funding efforts that will make innovative offshore wind technology available in U.S. waters.

Utility-scale turbines range in size from 100 kilowatts to as large as several megawatts. Larger wind turbines are more cost effective and are grouped together into wind farms, which provide bulk power to the electrical grid.

Offshore wind turbines are larger, can generate more power, and do not have the same transportation challenges of land-based wind installations, as the large components can be transported on ships instead of on roads.

Single small turbines below 100 kilowatts are used for homes, telecommunications dishes, or water pumping. Small turbines are sometimes used in connection with diesel generators, batteries, and photovoltaic systems. These systems are called hybrid wind systems and are typically used in remote, off-grid locations where a connection to the utility grid is not available.

Learn more about what the Wind Energy Technologies Office is doing to support the deployment of small and mid-sized turbines for homes, businesses, farms, and community wind projects.

This video explains the basics of how wind turbines operate to produce clean power from an abundant, renewable resource—the wind.

Read more:

https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/how-do-wind-turbines-work

The funny bit is that Rick Perry is in charge of all this, in the Trump administration...

Source: CNN

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2018/09/06/world-largest-offshore-w...

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Taylor is also working up an agenda for cabinet on power price reductions, some of which could involve cooperation with the states, depending on what cabinet ultimately resolves over the coming weeks.

Taylor’s new package is based on a number of measuresrecommended by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. This week, the ACCC chairman, Rod Sims, championed his blueprint at an energy conference.

Sims also warned it would be foolish to wait for political agreement on emissions reduction before pressing ahead with formulating an energy policy, because Australia’s political parties have demonstrated, through the torturous Neg debate, that they have irreconcilable differences.

“There are many saying, for example, if you can’t get agreement on emissions reduction, then therefore we don’t have an energy policy,” Sims said.

“If your prerequisite for getting an energy policy is agreement on emissions reduction, I can only say good luck. Every political party in the country has a different approach on emissions reduction”.

Sims said the best way to move the debate forward was to separate out affordability, reliability and emissions reduction, rather than trying to formulate a policy to address all three, which is what the Turnbull government attempted.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/05/angus-taylor-to-r...

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Former Water Minister Barnaby Joyce spent $80 million buying back floodwater from a Cayman Islands company set up by Energy Minister Angus Taylor. The Twitter sleuths who first uncovered this controversy, Jommy Tee and Ronni Salt, report exclusively for IA.

It was a winter’s day in July when an agent from Allan’s Off The Shelf – a firm specialising in setting up and registering companies – visited the Australian Security and Investment Commission (ASIC) offices and lodged a set of registration papers, paid the requisite fee, and established a new company. 

The company that was born that day was Eastern Australia Agriculture Pty Ltd(EAA) and its owners likely held lofty ambitions for its future success.

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A lot of water under the bridge... then:

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It would not be until 2015 that the fortunes of EAA and EAI changed, a time that coincides with Barnaby Joyce becoming the minister with responsibility for water. Joyce would ditch his long-held opposition to water buybacks and take-up an unsolicited offer from EAA — a deal that resulted in the Coalition Government paying $80 million to EAA. This deal that attracted much ire and controversy when it was concluded and made public in July 2017. 

Matthew Bickford-Smith and Peter Cottle were EAA’s signatories on the relevant contracts. Tony Reid was both an adviser to EAA and EAI during the buyback process and involved in discussions between with Department of Agriculture and Water Resources during the negotiation phase.

After a series of allegations are made about the water buyback deal on Twitter in mid-April 2019, a spokesperson for Angus Taylor announces to Buzzfeed on 17 April 2019:

Allegations currently online that link Minister Taylor with EAA’s sale of water entitlements are incorrect.

Minister Taylor has not had any direct or indirect financial interest in EAA or its parent company at any time. He has never been a shareholder or held an equitable interest in either company. He severed all advisory ties with EAA well before entering Parliament.​​​​​

Read more:

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/angus-taylor-...

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This is how you do non-corrupt corruption... Read from top.

If you want to give yourself an ego boost online, it’s probably best not to leave a clear trail that you are giving yourself a pat on the back. 

The energy minister, Angus Taylor, was caught out after his official Facebook page was spotted replying to its own post, telling the minister he was “fantastic” and saying “well done Angus”.

Read more

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/01/well-done-me-angu...

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One of the main beneficiaries of an $80m sale of water to the federal government was a Hong Kong-based investment fund whose founder and chief investment officer attended New College, Oxford, alongside Angus Taylor.

In 2017, the government paid Eastern Australia Agriculture $80m for its entitlements to overland flows on two properties in Queensland.

There is no evidence that Taylor played a role in the 2017 sale and he has said he was not aware of it until after it occurred.

An investor in EAA was Pacific Alliance Group, a Hong Kong-based fund that was established in 2002 by Chris Gradel, who is its chief investment officer.

Taylor, now the energy minister, and Gradel were both at New College between 1990 and 1993. Both were members of the elite New College boat club. Gradel was captain of boats and Taylor, a Rhodes scholar, lists rowing among the several sports he participated in while at Oxford.

The two remained friends after college, though it is understood they are not in regular contact.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/17/angus-taylors-oxf...

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The minister responsible for reducing Australia’s carbon pollution has backed the ongoing operations of ageing coal-fired power plants while also shrugging off Friday’s massive protests for stronger climate action.

Quizzed on the ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, Angus Taylor warned that the planned closure in 2023 of AGL’s Liddell plant must not be allowed to affect supplies or cause price spikes.

Mr Taylor has not ruled out using the government’s so-called “big stick” legislation – which threatens to break up power companies found to be raising prices unfairly.

“If there is not either extension or like-for-like replacement this will be unacceptable,” he said of the Liddell shuttering, predicting it will see “see upward pressure on prices and a loss of reliability.”

Asked how he felt about Friday’s rallies in capital cities and towns across the country, Mr Taylor insisted the nation is on track to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris target – a 26 per cent to 28 per cent reduction on 2005 levels by 2030.

Read more:

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2019/09/22/minister-angus-taylo...

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Angus Taylor is employed to be a coal lover by our coal fairy titanium man, Scummo. Angus is not paid to be a renewable pusher. He hates windmills... On track?... Totally untrue... Idiots!

Energy Minister Angus Taylor relied on "grossly inaccurate" documents to accuse the City of Sydney of spending $15.9 million on travel for its councillors when the council's annual report showed the costs were less than $6,000.

The dispute has triggered a formal complaint to the Australian Press Council and a demand from the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, to reveal how a disputed version of the city's annual report was obtained by Mr Taylor's office.

Angry that the false numbers were published by The Daily Telegraph on September 30 in a newspaper article, Ms Moore wrote to Mr Taylor this week asking him whether the "erroneous documents" originated in his office. Mr Taylor rejected that suggestion.

Mr Taylor relied on an altered version of page 14 of the City of Sydney's annual report for the year to June 2018 showing the cost of interstate visits by councillors while representing the council was "$14.2" and the cost of overseas visits by councillors was "$1.7".

The Energy Minister used this to defend federal government policy, as first reported by The Guardian on Wednesday night.

"Given your most recent annual report shows your council spent $1.7 million on international travel and $14.2 million on domestic travel, there is a real opportunity for your council to make a meaningful contribution to reducing Australia's emissions," Mr Taylor wrote to Ms Moore.

The $1.7 million and $14.2 million figures were used soon afterwards in the September 30 news article in The Daily Telegraph, contrasting Ms Moore’s calls for action on climate change with the apparently exorbitant travel costs.

But the council's annual report for the year to June 2018, available online since November 2018, showed completely different figures.

The annual report said the cost of travel by interstate travel by councillors while representing the council was $4,206.32 and the cost of international travel by councillors was $1,727.77.

The expenses disclosed in the annual report covered only councillors not all staff members.

Ms Moore has lodged a complaint with the Australian Press Council over The Daily Telegrapharticle and wrote to Mr Taylor this week to give him an opportunity to reveal where the false document originated.

"The City has submitted a complaint to the Press Council regarding The Daily Telegraph’spublishing of the erroneous figures," Ms Moore wrote to Mr Taylor.

Read more:

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/conspiracy-theory-taylor-accused...

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Angus Taylor will face a further grilling when parliament returns over the origins of a doctored document he says informed a letter blasting the City of Sydney over its travel spending.

An estimates spillover hearing on Monday heard his department had prepared a draft that did not include the highly inflated figures and the minister representing him at the hearing refused to answer questions about where they came from.

Taylor, the minister for energy and emissions reduction, will also be under pressure over the grasslands saga as new answers to questions on notice revealed the department had not been contacted by the unnamed Yass farmer that Taylor says prompted him to seek meetings with the environment department over the grasslands listing.

Parliament resumes on 25 November.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/12/angus-taylor-to-f...

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Time for Angus to resign...

The Morrison government has promised new measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including introducing an incentive scheme to allow big industrial polluters to earn revenue by emitting less than an agreed limit.

It also plans to allow businesses to bid for funding from its main climate policy, the $2.55bn emissions reduction fund, for projects that capture emissions and either use them or store them underground.

Angus Taylor, the energy and emissions reduction minister, said the government had agreed to 21 of 26 recommendations in a review headed by former Business Council of Australia president Grant King, who was charged with coming up with new ways to cheaply cut emissions.

The appointment in October of the panel of business leaders and policy experts was not publicly announced, and was seen by observers as an effective concession the emissions reduction fund, now rebadged as a climate solutions fund, was failing to cut national pollution.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/19/coalition-reveals-ne...

Depending on the agreed limit, this is most likely going to be a rort, like sports rorts and other fiddle by the Scamming government. What we could need is another dose of Corornavirus, say Covid20+, to give us time to think rather than restart with crappy ScoMonian ideas...

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