SOME may not find surprising the NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Study final report's urging that the state maximise the potential of its renewables sector as a buffer against COVID-19's economic destruction. NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean, for one, was staunch in the value of investing in renewables in these uncertain days.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"I don't just want to see our children paying the interest on our debt, I want to see our children earning returns on our investments," Mr Kean said on Tuesday.
Put simply, Mr Kean's comments highlight the looming elephant in energy discussions as youth call for climate action in the streets and opposition rears to both new coal mines and expansions. Given its role in that industry, much of that opposition has unfolded in the Hunter.
Dependability of today's energy grid is undoubtedly front of mind, particularly for the Hunter's large cohort employed in mining and energy production as it stands today.
Equally important to consider, though, are the canaries in coal mines already indicating that coal's eternal ascendancy is far from guaranteed, including its present price slump. There is a need to diversify, to avoid becoming what Mr Kean describes as a "rust bucket state" if and when coal's primacy fades. Mr Kean compares a NSW hydrogen industry with the much-sought vaccine for coronavirus: "a breakthrough that changes the world".
There is ample reason to look at hydrogen in the Hunter beyond today's workers. Key among them are the region's innovators, particularly at the University of Newcastle. These pages have featured both Professor Beghdad Moghtaderi, whose world-first efforts in the hydrogen space appeared on the front page of Friday's edition, and director of the university's Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials Professor Ajayan Vinu in the past week alone.
These advances do not exist in a vacuum. They are steps on a road, and a road that increasingly points away from the industry remaining as it has stood in recent years, no matter how much such change may invite concern.
What remains crucial is that the transition is handled without unnecessary upheaval and pain, something that unions have been clear about in recent years. An early start can help reduce the economic whiplash, but environmental groups on Monday were quick to point out that detailed transition policy is a crucial next phase to make that a reality.
The state government deserves some praise if it can follow Monday's rhetoric with equal action that will pay dividends when the time comes.
The full scale of coronavirus in reshaping the economy continues to unfold around us. Few saw it coming over the horizon but, as Mr Kean points out, we owe it to our children to try and keep an eye on what comes next.
