Rudd announces renewable energy funds

Half a billion dollars will fund clean power plants across Australia over the next
18 months in a bid to fight climate change.
Inspecting a new solar farm at Windorah in far western Queensland on Sunday, Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd said the fund would stimulate the economy and reduce carbon
pollution.
The $500 million fund was originally set to be spent over six years starting in 2009.
"It's time for Australia to begin a solar revolution, a renewable energy revolution
and we've got to fund it for the future" he told reporters.
"It's good for jobs, it's good for stimulus, it's good for acting on climate change
and that's what we are on about here.
Mr Rudd will unveil the federal government's plan to tackle climate change on Monday.
Federal opposition climate change spokesman Greg Hunt called on the government to
scrap means testing for solar panel rebates, saying it made the panels unaffordable
for middle-income earners.
"Instead of a solar sunrise, we've seen a solar sunset," Mr Hunt told ABC Radio.
Mr Rudd said the federal and state governments were working on uniform feed-in
tariffs to encourage households to adopt solar power.
The $4.5 million Windorah solar farm's five dishes worked together for the first
time last week.
It will soon power the town - population 100 - all day long, cutting its reliance on
diesel by 100,000 litres per year, or 300 tonnes of greenhouse gases.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said her government wanted to transform the Sunshine
State to the Solar State.
"We've got many remote towns that, just like Windorah, can be using solar energy ...
where else but Queensland to put solar energy right on the world map?" Ms Bligh
said.
And possibly as a sign of the environmental times, Mr Rudd's plane refused to start,
forcing him to hitch a ride - or plane pool - to Brisbane with Ms Bligh.
An alarm on the prime minister's official plane had activated and prevented the
aircraft from starting.
It will remain at Windorah until Royal Australian Air Force mechanics can be brought
in.
Mr Rudd will unveil the federal government's white paper on the carbon pollution
reduction scheme on Monday in Canberra.
The guidelines for the renewable energy fund will be released early next year.