Good morning dignitaries, distinguished guests, delegates, ladies and gentlemen.
Can I start by offering a sincere thank you to Mayor Zhang, the City of Yangzhong and the Forum organisers–– for their gracious hospitality, in making us feel truly welcome, and for the invitation to speak at this important Forum.
I would also like to acknowledge and give special thanks to both Party Secretary Pan Zaoyun and previous Party Secretary Lu Chaoyin for the instrumental role they played in making this visit possible.
The development of green energy and the innovative technologies that can efficiently and effectively harness energy for industry, commerce, transport and the everyday needs of our communities should be one of the highest is a priorities for all nations.
Collectively every home, town, city, province and nation has a responsibility to play their part in helping transition toward ensuring both our local and global environment remains sustainable through the use of renewable and clean green energy sources and the adoptions of ecologically sound best practices.
Yangzhong is an example one such city and community that is leading by example. I understand the city is now well advanced toward their goal to become one of the first carbon neutral cities in China. This commitment and realisation of that goal will be a significant achievement for which Yangzhong City and community must be commended and congratulated.
In Australia our home State of Queensland is widely known as the Sunshine State and a recent audit has identified that approximately 32% of Queensland homes and businesses have already installed solar power generation. With the rapid uptake of solar both domestically and for industrial uses, opportunities in new technology and production of solar and other green energy sources will be a key area for us to explore with Yangzhong.
It is widely recognised that by harnessing the diverse range of renewable energy sources and innovative technologies communities will not only reduce emission but ultimately the overall cost of energy production will be reduced as well.
With our abundant sunshine in Australia, the participation of households and business consumers replacing traditional coal-fired energy with solar energy has been rapidly increasing. In March this year solar installations hit their highest peak in five years with more than 15,000 homes and businesses participating. This transition to solar has been driven by both the recognition by communities of the need to protect the environment as well as the rising cost of both gas and coal-fired generation.
In total 91 megawatts of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems were installed during that month with our home State of Queensland leading the way, installing 25 megawatts of capacity, which is enough to power about 5,500 homes and businesses.
An audit of Queensland early this year has identified that over 32 percent of homes in Queensland have solar panels on their rooftops which collectively makes solar the biggest power generator in our State. A similar audit nationally of the uptake in battery storage to store excess power shows almost 7,000 were installed in Australian homes last year with a prediction to triple this year.
It is likely that as the cost of battery storage becomes more affordable and technology improves more and more households in Queensland will be considering going entirely off the power-grid.
Currently Livingstone Shire Council is undertaking a comprehensive carbon audit across Council’s entire operation to accurately benchmark our carbon footprint and identify opportunities for immediate reduction through behavioural change and improvement in our business operations.
These include investigating innovative solutions to utilise our abundance of natural resources, including a pristine tropical climate with an average 272 days of sunshine a year.
Initiatives include: Solar powered smart lighting throughout the Yeppoon Town Centre. The use of photovoltaic cells on both public and private buildings across the Shire. The potential for large scale solar farms. The capture of methane from Council’s Landfill and Sewage and Wastewater Treatment facilities.
The results of the carbon audit will inform the development of an organisational Carbon Strategy which will provide direction on how the organisation will achieve reductions to its carbon footprint and the ultimate, long term goal of carbon neutrality, a goal we share with Yangzhong City.
We realise there is a long journey ahead so we view our responsibility as global citizens to preserve our natural environment with the utmost importance.
Forums such as this provide the opportunity for us all to share learning and to help each other on the journey to realise the vision of a greener and more sustainable future for both our communities today and hopefully our grandchildren’s grandchildren.
Thank you once again for the opportunity to contribute at this important Forum as well as your warm hospitality and generosity in hosting our delegation.
I invite you all to visit us on the pristine Capricorn Coast in Sunny Queensland!
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