Thread re: today's leaked @NCCCgovau report (drawing on the @CntrFutureWork's *Powering Onwards* report on renewable manufacturing):
1. We don’t specifically need gas (or coal) to power any major industrial process
2. Renewables are cost-competitive and getting cheaper
3. To the extent we are replacing fixed capital that has been built around gas (e.g. in food manufacturing), for reasons of cost and emissions we can and should be installing electric systems, which in turn can and should be powered by renewables
4. Renewables can be made firmable/reliable, still cost-competitively
5. Already-existing examples from the private sector show the way forward on this (e.g. power purchase agreements and co-located solar/wind farms, saving the firms concerned a great deal of money)
6. @AngusTaylorMP says: we have all this gas, we'd be crazy not to use it – but the same argument applies to renewable resources, we’d be crazy not to use them (especially given the need to reduce emissions worldwide).
7. That in turn puts the settings in place for the onshoring of manufacturing, since exporting renewable power is more difficult than fossils (the corollary being that it would be more cost-competitive for us to manufacture here, if we do go the renewables route).
The whole report is published at the following location: futurework.org.au/renewable_ener…
ps. who knows what will happen to gas prices? we're in a double-bind because to support our gas exports and capital investment we want prices to be high; but to support the broader domestic economy we want them to be low
otoh we know renewables will stay cheap and get cheaper
otoh we know renewables will stay cheap and get cheaper
