Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No:  25
Division/Agency:	Industry, Communities and Energy Division
Topic:	Solar Cities
Hansard Page ECITA:	42 

Senator Webber asked:
Senator WEBBER—Do we have any information on the number of households that will be covered by those Solar Cities projects?
Mr Morvell—I do not have them all in total. That one is one I would take on notice, although I notice that at least the Adelaide project does involve 1,700 homes in their proposal. So orders of magnitude there are several thousand individual homes involved across the proposals that have been announced. But I will get those details for you and provide them separately.

Answer/s:
Based on the arrangements for the four Solar Cities that have been approved in Adelaide, Blacktown, Townsville and Alice Springs, it is anticipated that more than 240,000 residents and businesses will be involved. 
The Solar Cities trials involve:
•	education and awareness campaigns targeting participating communities 
•	the installation of over 3,200 solar photovoltaic panels on private and public housing and on commercial and iconic buildings,
•	3,400 solar hot water systems in private and public housing,
•	13,900 energy efficiency audits, and 
•	70,000 energy efficiency packs for households and commercial customers.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No:  26
Division/Agency:	Industry, Communities and Energy Division
Topic:	Geothermal Energy
Hansard Page ECITA:	43-44

Senator Webber asked:
Senator WEBBER—How about work on geothermal energy? Has the department commissioned or undertaken any research on that?
Mr Morvell—We are providing funding through a number of programs. I would like to take the question on notice to give you the fine detail. We have provided funding particularly that led to the establishment of a company called Geodynamics. With their very early work, when they were based in the universities, we funded some work to develop their technology on hot dry rocks. In recent times, the government has funded work by both Geodynamics and another company called Petrotherm and I believe a third company called Scope Energy, all of whom have received funding under various renewable energy programs to take the concepts of geothermal and hot dry rock technology in particular into the proof of concept and into the next stage of looking at commercialisation.

Answers:

The Australian Government recognises that geothermal energy has the potential to contribute to Australia's energy supply without creating greenhouse gas emissions, and is investing substantially in geothermal exploration and development. The Government has allocated around $27 million for research and development of geothermal energy under the Renewable Energy Commercialisation Programme, Renewable Energy Development Initiative, Renewable Energy Equity Fund, Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, and other programmes. Funding of $58.9 million over 5 years (2005-06 to 2010‑11) has also been allocated to Geoscience Australia for the Onshore Energy Security Programme, which supports exploration for a number of energy resources, including onshore geothermal energy.

In addition, the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources convened a Geothermal Industry Roundtable on 27 March 2007 with companies that are exploring geothermal potential to identify issues that the Australian Government can address to ensure this low emission source of power is developed. To support this initiative, the 2007 Budget provided $205,000 for the development of a Geothermal Industry Development Framework. Work has commenced on this framework, which will act as a guide to the long-term development of this emerging energy sector. 

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No:  27
Division/Agency:	Industries, Communities and Energy
Topic:	Solar Cities
Hansard Page ECITA:	Written Question on Notice 

Senator Crossin asked:
1.	When will the fourth or other Solar Cities be announced?

2.	Why the delay?

3.	Can we expect announcements this year?

4.	Has there been significant cost savings by delaying the announcement of other Solar Cities?

5.	What feedback have you given the 11 short listed but so far unsuccessful Solar Cities applicants?

6.	Has spending under the program announced in 2005 been cut?

7.	What is the projected budget for the life of the Solar Cities program?

Answer/s:
1-3.	The fourth Solar City, Alice Springs, was announced on 16 April 2007 and it is anticipated that there will be a further announcement this year.

4.	There have been no cost savings. 

5.	Feedback to the four successful and the unsuccessful Adelaide applicants have been provided. Further feedback will be provided to the other applicants in conjunction with further announcements. 

6.	No.

7.	$75 million, as originally announced in the Energy White Paper in 2004.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No:  28
Division/Agency:	Industry, Communities and Energy Division
Topic:	Renewable Energy
Hansard Page ECITA:	87

Senator WORTLEY asked:
Does that mean that, moving into my next question, you would not be able to provide the answer to what percentage of total electricity generation was provided by renewable energy when MRET was first established?

Answer:

According to the Final Report of the Renewables Target Working Group, available at http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/markets/mret/rtwg/pubs/report.pdf, the share of renewable energy as a proportion of total electricity generation in 1996-97 was estimated to be either 10.7 per cent, if self-generators (that is electricity-consuming entities engaged in the supplementary activity of owning, controlling, or operating a generating system) were included, or 10.5 per cent if self-generators were excluded.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No:  29
Division/Agency:	Industry, Communities and Energy Division
Topic:	Renewable Energy Scenarios
Hansard Page ECITA:	90

Senator MILNE asked:
Senator MILNE—Let us have some scenario planning on growth and then percentage of renewables under the current MRET scenario and under other MRET scenarios. Did you model that for the Tambling inquiry?
Mr Rossiter—We are not involved in that aspect of it. We administer. We do not deal with the policy aspects, so we do not do modelling of that nature. I do it for my budget purposes; that is all.
Mr Morvell—The Tambling review did some modelling, which was publicly released along with their report, and within the department we did produce a number of scenarios for the government. They were not publicly released; they were internal advice we gave ministers on various scenarios that arose out of the Tambling review.
Senator MILNE—Those scenarios have never been made public.
Mr Morvell—That is correct.
Senator MILNE—Minister, will you make them public?
Senator Abetz—I will take that on notice.

Answer:
The scenarios prepared by the Department outline possible responses to different, hypothetical situations. The scenarios were prepared for internal discussion purposes in the process of providing advice to Ministers. It would not be appropriate to make the information public.