"Although carbon pricing has been in less than a year, it would seem that it is achieving it's aim."
Sometimes you just want to shake the sheet out of something. This is a load of garbage. Total electricity demand in Australia has been declining (-ve growth = shrinking) since late 2007, the top of the bubble.
AUS electricity demand by 4 largest states to Dec2011 - - shows NIL growth since late 2007
To pick out the largest net drag on the Australian economy (NSW) to zoome in - - shows NIL growth since late 2007
mf, are you related to the climate speculator group? Renewables being measured as an increasing proportion against a background of decreasing overall demand is false economics.
Total electricity generation in Australia has decreased due to a number of factors including poor economic conditions and the shutting down of our largest energy intense industries. Car making is going the same way as we literally screw ourselves into the dirt like a slow turning auger.
Saying this is due entirely to the carbon trading is a fallacy. Economic activity is down, local production has closed down (as in no longer exists). Of course our carbon production will be reflected by this reduction in activity.
Increased efficiencies certainly factor in for some of the drop. These serve well in masking our slowing down of industry.
via ABS 2012 BREE - Australian Energy statistics data to 2011 and the changes from peak energy use in 2007 to 2011
- Black+brown coal, local energy use is down 8.3% or -193.6 PJoules
- while total energy used to generate electricity is down 1.6% or -40.2PJoules. Natgas is a large increase.
It kinda proves itself mathematically that on suppressed economics, the output drops and demand drops with it.
