I’ve just found the Australian version of the cost of electricity
supply externalities!! http://www.apo.org.au/sites/default/files/ATSE_Report_Hidden_Costs_Electricity_2009.pdf
This makes VERY INTERESTING reading! 🙂 It’s key message is that “external impacts of an energy technology need to be assessed over its complete life cycle. Ignoring this will lead to wrong assessments and to misconceptions about the environmental credentials of a fuel, a technology or a product”.
Looking at the results of this in-depth and scientific study why aren’t I surprised to find out that “Combining greenhouse and health damage costs for Australia gives representative total external costs of $A19/MWh for natural gas, $A42/MWh for black coal and $A52/MWh for brown coal.” These are costs which we are all paying indirectly.
Contrast these figures to solar PV and solar thermal @ $A5/MWh and wind @ $A1.5/MWh. In addition, the Federal government is actively subsidising the fossil fuel industry to the tune of $12 billion pa and yet those industries are crying out for more handouts in the light of a forthcoming price on carbon. Shame, shame, shame on them and on all our ignorant pollies who fall in under their spell and mantra of lost jobs. What tripe!!!
