Net Zero Transformation

THE COST OF AUSTRALIA’S NET ZERO ‘TRANSFORMATION’

On 25 August 2022, Net Zero Australia (NZA) released an interim report detailing various scenarios for Australia successfully reaching Net Zero by 2050.

The group, including University of Queensland, University of Melbourne, Princeton University and Nous Group, estimate that Australian governments will need to spend between $100 and $150 billion a year in order to phase out fossil fuel generators in favour of renewable energy.

In terms of providing a comprehensive ‘cost-benefit analysis’, however, the NZA report fails to properly assess the true impact involved in in terms of costs, lifestyle and land use.

Instead, the report relies heavily on the use of ‘models’ and a set of extremely ‘iffy’ assumptions that fail to stand up to scrutiny.

The Chair of the Net Zero Steering Committee, Robin Batterham, said:

“Our findings show there are no two ways about it – to meet net zero by 2050, AUSTRALIA MUST TRANSFORM.”

He got that part right.

Net Zero will mean a complete transformation of Australia.

We are looking at 30 years of intense social and economic disruption, greatly diminished living standards and the imposition of a command economy.

In terms of electricity capacity alone, Australia’s grid will need to be almost three times bigger by 2050.

Most homes and buildings will need to be rewired, as will the mains fuse, street distribution and local substations.

The cost of electricity will skyrocket in order to repay these major capital costs over the lifetime of the assets.

More importantly, it is all going to take an extraordinary amount of land.

And I am not talking about land in the remote outback either.

These industrial scale renewables structures will have to be sited on land close to the cities and towns they are intended to power.

The public simply has no idea how much land use this will involve.

Solar and wind farms alone will eliminate farmland, vegetation, forests and disrupt natural habitats.

Once you add biofuel to the mix, then there’s pretty much ALL your good land gone.

This is only a tiny fraction of what ‘Net Zero’ will involve.

Australian governments and policymakers need to start being honest with the public about the true cost of this transformation, and the extent to which it will radically alter their individual lives, lifestyles, mobility, finances, property rights and jobs.

Net Zero is an idea that you could only believe possible if you have no idea how the energy economy works or how energy is produced.