Antinuclear

The state government recently released its energy vision for the next 20 years, titled Tasmania’s Energy Strategy, Restoring Tasmania’s energy advantage”

Unlike the federal equivalent, the energy white paper, it did not focus on fossil fuels – Tasmania hasn’t much to speak of – but it did look to profit from its major natural resources, renewable energy in the form of hydro, wind and even solar.

What is fascinating about this paper is not so much the ambition – because, frankly, there is not a lot – but the recognition of the potential there is to exploit. A more progressive government faced with declining traditional industries, a huge fuel import bill, and such excellent renewable resources, and the potential to become a green energy manufacturing hub may think that it should be more ambitious. But at least it is a start.

Tasmania is already pretty much at 100 per cent renewable energy for its electricity needs, given the extent of its hydro plants and wind energy – both existing and potential. It also has more than 70MW of rooftop solar installed across the state………

In its paper, the Tasmanian government says that EVs will create competition with liquid fuels and, therefore, reduce reliance and vulnerability to oil prices and supply.

They will also provide the opportunity to increase Tasmanian electricity load, re-shape demand and improve network utilisation (with appropriate market signals), which should lower prices for all customers.

The government says it is looking to deploy EVs in government fleets, and is providing incentives to have them deployed in private fleets too. This could provide education for consumers, and the market, for charging networks to be installed.

The other option is to try to attract new industrial load. That would mean selling Tasmania as a source of cheap green energy to industrial users.

“Tasmania should be more active in pursuing customers that value this attribute (renewable energy),” the document says.

“Energy intensive industries that may be attracted to Tasmania could include data centres, silica smelters, food processing, and irrigated cropping, to name but a few.

The government still has ambitions to increase its output to the mainland and is still considering a second inter-connector that could facilitate that, and boost its hydro energy output by around 10 per cent. This is notwithstanding its recent decision to discontinue the proposed 600MW wind farm on King Island and its associated connection to Victoria.

It notes that the emergence of battery storage could be a game changer that could lead to some customers choosing to to go ‘off grid’. But it does not appear certain about how to respond to this…………

the Australian Energy Market Operator forecasts rooftop PV in Tasmania to jump four-fold over the next decade, from 70MW now to approximately 300MW by 2024, so this situation is likely to accelerate.

And it signals a big take-up of battery storage. “In addition, rapidly falling battery storage costs may cause some customers to consider disconnection from the grid,” it notes. “To the extent that this occurs, it will leave fewer customers to pay for the maintenance of the grid, resulting in even higher prices and driving even more customers off the grid.”

Of course, the introduction of battery storage could also add stability to the grid, and allow for greater integration of variable renewables such as wind and storage, as the government owned Hyrdo Tasmania is finding it its ground-breaking projects on King Island, and soon on Flinders Island.

Still, even though the government recognizes the potential of Tasmania’s clean energy resources, and its possible economic benefits, it still appears to be in defense  mode on current industries and policies. http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/tasmania-looks-to-evs-as-next-step-to-100-renewable-energy-32899