Media

The size of the BlackRock fund “is very material” for New Zealand, especially with its already high share of renewables and entrenched electricity decarbonisation pathways, says Tim Buckley, Sydney-based director of think tank Climate Energy Finance, who has done work for New Zealand’s power sector. “The whole idea of renewable energy infrastructure is that it is low-risk and patient capital,” Buckley explains. “It is effectively like bond-plus returns if you have the right long-term offtaker in place, so you can actually deploy a large amount of capital that would otherwise go into a bond fund.” Read more

Tim Buckley, Director of Climate Energy Finance highlights the remarkable advancements in renewable energy made by China, with a particular emphasis on solar and wind power. Tim is impressively captivated by China’s prodigious expansion in the energy field, recognising that it has surpassed other nations by installing an astonishing fivefold increase in renewable energy. He draws attention to China’s tactical approach, noting that an impressive 156 gigawatts of wind and solar have been set up within a span of eight months, signifying a substantial 120% escalation compared to the previous year. Read more

The Manly Daily reports meteorologists are predicting a hot, dry summer over the 2023-24 season, with a significantly increased risk of bushfires. A Northern Beaches community forum, with a panel of experts to discuss the implications and how to prepare and respond will be hosted by Mackellar MP Dr Sophie Scamps, and feature Tim Buckley, Greg Mullins, former Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) and Dr Simon Bradshaw, author and Research Director at the Climate Council independent research charity. Read more

As Elizabeth Thurbon et al write in The Lowy Interpreter, the Australian Renewable Industry Package is a $100 billion, ten-year green energy transition package proposed by a coalition of groups including Climate Energy Finance, the Smart Energy Council, and the Australian Council of Trade Unions. This was no knee-jerk or panicked effort, but a considered view on a proportionate Australian response to the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – a $520 billion bipartisan bid to secure US dominance in the high-wage, high-tech green industries of the future. The IRA is now sucking a good deal of green energy investment away from Australia, requiring a policy response from Canberra commensurate with Australia’s generational opportunity. Read more

In a feature on better utilisation of consumer energy resources to speed transition, the AFR notes that recently, Marsden Jacob Associates’ Cameron O’Reilly, Electrify Australia founder Saul Griffith and Climate Energy Finance’s Tim Buckley have pushed for more solar and batteries on household, business and public buildings to accelerate decarbonisation while large projects are built. Read more

As Comms Declare exposes PR firms involved in greenwashing fossil fuels, Tim Buckley notes Australia’s profit margin from exporting $240 billion in fossil fuels in 2022 had resulted in more money than ever to “fund their lobbying efforts to delay climate action and protect their profits”. Read more

In a beat up on the “failures” of energy transition reporting by the ABC and SMH, The Australian notes that the ABC AM program interviewed CEF’s Tim Buckley on Climate Energy Finance’s call for $100bn in government investment in renewables and critical minerals such as copper and lithium, and for the Future Fund to become an equity holder in renewables projects. Read more

Climate Energy Finance Founder, Tim Buckley, said that the package would re-industrialise the state and provide thousands of job opportunities for Australians. “A $100 billion package will help re-industrialise the nation, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, diversify our export base and revenue streams as well as increase local value-added production, secure supply chains and develop sovereign manufacturing capabilities. Read more

According to a report released today by Climate Energy Finance (CEF), capping the diesel fuel rebate (the Fuel Tax Credit Scheme – FCT) would save $14 billion over 7 years. It could also help to kick-start a mining electric vehicle industry in Australia, including export opportunities. Read more

Australian Mine Safety Journal reports that restricting fossil fuel incentives could accelerate the transition towards environmentally friendly alternatives, a study found. “This is not a revenue grab we are trying to encourage them to do the right thing,” Climate Energy Finance Corporation founding director Tim Buckley said according to the Australian Associated Press. Buckley suggested extra taxpayer money should be spent on luring Liebherr, Komatsu, Caterpillar and more to expand their domestic electric vehicle operations. Read more

The Biden administration’s package includes generous tax incentives for clean energy and other key technologies and has triggered a global investment race. The alliance – including the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Australian Conservation Foundation, Climate Energy Finance and the Smart Energy Council – is calling for a $100 billion sum over 10 years. Read more

Tim Buckley told AusBiz that CEF calls for a new $100bn new capital and direct budget investment in renewables and energy transition over the next decade, as a response to Biden’s IRA, with half to focus on domestic electrification and decarbonisation, another half to focus on value-added energy transition materials exports. Part of this could be funded by a cap on the diesel rebate to mining. Read more