Zero emission possible in ten years

Australia could cut emissions from electricity generation to zero in ten years for $40 billion a year, according to a preview of Beyond Zero Emissions’ first Zero Carbon Australia plan.
The plan, which is based solely on commercially available technology, relies mainly on solar and wind power to provide the country’s power needs.
Twelve large-scale solar power plants could provide 60 per cent of energy, with the remaining 40 per cent coming from wind turbines.
Twenty-four hour a day power from solar energy is possible through molten salt heat storage at the power plants, which would be heated to up to 650oC and then used to boil water for steam at night to produce power.
The plan was presented at the Transition Decade launch in Melbourne.
The Transition Decade campaign is based on the knowledge that the world is so close to a climate catastrophe that there must be urgent action to reduce emissions.
It is a response to the failure by state and federal governments to introduce policies that would significantly reduce emissions.
Such a transition plan could only be implemented through large-scale government investment in renewable energy.
The $40 billion a year to fund the plan could be raised simply by restoring the corporate tax rate to its 1987 level of 49 per cent, which would raise about $50 billion more in tax per year.