Global crowded population, Climate change and Energy rise

The UN declared that the global population reached the milestone of seven billion by Monday 31^st October 2011. This will impact greatly on the countries around the world to provide for the needs of the overly crowded population. With the world's population more than doubling over the last half century, basics like food and water are under more strain than ever, say experts, and providing for an additional 2-3 billion people in the next 50 years is a serious worry. Water usage is set to increase by 50 percent between 2007 and 2025 in developing nations, while food security remains a challenge with 925 million people going hungry. However, climate change also going to be the biggest challenge with the rising usage and the global need of energy. A crowded population hits 7 billion.


According to Parvinder Singh, head of communications for ActionAid India "The issue of population cannot be seen divorced from the aspect of resource or energy footprint."

In Western Australia, the Government is planning to furthermore increase the energy prices. "For budget planning purposes, the 2011-12 State Budget assumes that residential electricity tariffs will increase by 5 per cent in 2012-13 and by 12 per cent in each of 2013-14 and 2014-15," stated the Energy Minister Peter Collier.

The revelation about the true scale of price increases in the pipeline came as Verve Energy warned of a gas supply crisis. Verve managing director Shirley In't Veld said the company risked a gas shortage crisis when its gas supply agreement with the North West Shelf expired in 2015. "There is the potential for us either having insufficient gas or being out of gas and that's the biggest challenge we're facing at the moment," she said. Therefore, this is actually a great time to go Renewable Energy, which will benefit the environment and also sustain our energy requirement.

More energy prices increases to come

Solar: Act now or pay more later

Australia’s first utility-scale solar PV project near Geraldton in Western Australia is going to be constructed by a US company, a 10MW facility being built with GE and Verve Energy. Head of Australian and Asia Pacific operations for First Solar, Jack Curtis stated that variable of such projects will be needed to help bring down operating, engineering and financing costs.

Solar: Act now or pay more later



In 2010 about 84% of the global population (6.74 billion people) had access to piped water supply through house connections or to an improved water source through other means than house, including standpipes, "water kiosks", protected springs and protected wells. However, about 14% (884 million people) did not have access to an improved water source and had to use unprotected wells or springs, canals, lakes or rivers for their water needs.

A clean water supply, especially so with regard to sewage, is the single most important determinant of public health. Destruction of water supply and/or sewage disposal infrastructure after major catastrophes (earthquakes, floods, war, etc.) poses the immediate threat of severe epidemics of waterborne diseases, several of which can be life-threatening. (Source: Wikipedia)

Sufficient water supply is needed to cover the public demand. The source of the water could be from groundwater (aquifers), surface water (lakes and rivers), conservation and the sea through desalination. However the water has to go through several types of processes before it can be consumed without affecting our health, while it also could be reused for landscaping, irrigation or industrial use. In accordance to this, data maintenance of water treatment for a vast number of consumer could require complicated administrative and management accomplishment.

On the 15th of September 2011, GE Energy (NYSE: GE) announced the release of GE’s Smallworld*Water Office software solution, a suite of data models, applications and integration products designed to help water supply and drainage utilities meet their current and future spatial asset management needs.(Source: http://www.cisionwire.com/general-electric-news/r/ge-energy-launches-new-smallworld--water-office-software-solution-for-water-supply-and-drainage-netw,c7956)

CSG Protest makes it to Canberra.

The major parties' bipartisan support for the coal seam gas (CSG) mining industry will be put to the test in federal parliament this week when bills are introduced to increase the rights of land owners and protect water quality.

CGS-Co2 tax protests arrives in Canberra

Western Power fat cats lose bonuses, but gain wages

Barnett canned employee bonus' only to bundled it into their wages and super instead. All whilst WA families struggle to keep up with 57% increases to their power bills.

Western Power fat cats lose bonuses, but gain wages!

Japan's energy policy in disarray.

The meltdown at the Fukushima power plant has shattered the public's confidence in the safety of the country's nuclear fleet. Scandals over the government's cozy relationship with the power industry have exacerbated the concern. Japan sacked three officials over the scandals, but it was unclear if this was enough to help repair public confidence in Tokyo's ability to govern the industry.

Japan's energy policy in disarray

Feeding Tariff in Western Australia

The WA Sustainable Energy Association has called on the new Gillard Government to work with the Council Of Australian Governments (COAG) to develop a nationally consistent gross feed-in tariff (FiT) for renewable energy.

National solar power solutions provider Energy Matters is running a petition at FeedInTariff.com.au calling for a national gross feed in tariff program for solar power that has collected over 20,000 signatures so far. The interim results of the petition were tabled in Parliament by Senator Milne in June 2009.
http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=1050