South Australian innovation in battery storage for solar and wind power
Energy firm claims battery storage breakthrough SMH, October 10, 2012 – Peter Hannam
Carbon economy editor A South Australian energy firm is claiming an international breakthrough in battery technology that will help generators of solar and wind power store their energy more cheaply.
ZEN Energy Systems today unveiled a computer-controlled storage system – with one model about the size of a bar fridge – which almost doubles the effectiveness of batteries.
“This technology is a game changer for the renewable energy industry and has the potential to change the way individuals and communities use electricity in the future,” ZEN’s chief executive officer, Richard Turner, said.
Mr Turner said as many as 10 Australian utilities are interested in trialling the system and the company has already begun shipping large-scale container-sized units to US clients…….. Continue reading
Victorian Wind Alliance to express Victoria’s majority view and promote wind energy
Victorian Wind Alliance to promote industry http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2012/10/09/544954_latest-news.html Samantha Landy | October 9, 2012 A NEW organisation aimed at building support for wind energy in Victoria is set to launch tomorrow.
The Victorian Wind Alliance, made up of wind workers, landowners, environmental and community groups and anyone else who supports wind energy, hopes to promote the wind energy sector in the face of a halt in wind farm developments.”The premise is that the majority of Victorians and the majority of Australians support the development of
renewable energy,” Friends of the Earth campaigns co-ordinator Cam Walker said.
“Here in Victoria, the government has largely stalled action on renewable energy. Continue reading
22 storeys up, Adelaide’s roof garden brings an ecosystem, and cools the building
Adelaide is leading the way in water-sensitive urban design and green roof technology.
Roof gardens proven to cool buildings ABC Radio The World Today Nicola Gage reported this story on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 ELEANOR HALL: Roof gardens are becoming more prevalent in the world’s major cities.
Now a study has found that not only are they building mini-ecosystems, they’re also cooling buildings significantly and reducing carbon emissions, as Nicola Gage reports.
NICOLA GAGE: Major cities have inherently been linked to pollution and rising carbon emissions, but 22 stories up on the roof of a building in Adelaide, there’s a micro-climate that’s returning wildlife to the city.
GRAEME HOPKINS: It’s had bees up here collecting honey, it’s got birds and we’ve identified two moth varieties and no doubt the birds have been chasing the moths. So there’s a whole ecosystem and this has
happened spontaneously on the 22nd floor, so it’s quite amazing. Continue reading
Free energy fuel- sun and wind- brings down cost of electricity for South Australians
Renewables typically have no fuel costs (free sun and wind), and thus have the lowest short run marginal cost of production.
Renewables ‘lowering SA electricity bills’ SBS WORLD NEWS, 8 OCT 2012, Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power appear to be the impetus behind a South Australian proposal to substantially drop electricity prices, By Dylan McConnell , University of Melbourne
Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power appear to be the impetus behind a South Australian proposal to substantially drop electricity prices, just as other states are hiking theirs.
The Essential Service Commission of South Australian (ESCOSA), which regulates retail electricity prices, has released a draft price determination that proposes an 8.1% reduction in the electricity standing offer, (that is, the default retail price that must be offered to South Australians, at a minimum).
The proposal, which follows an ESCOSA investigation into the wholesale energy costs, translates to a reduction of $27.19/MWh, potentially lowering South Australian electricity bills by an average of $160 per household.
And while it is not specifically acknowledged in the determination, this may be the first time the “merit order effect ” of renewable energy sources can conclusively be seen flowing through to consumers in Australia. The Merit Order Effect
There is nothing special about the “merit order effect”. Quite simply, if you introduce more of a product into a market (that is, increase supply) then prices fall. Continue reading
Solar panels best for town home energy: wind turbines better for farms
average wind speed needs to be above 5m/s (18km per hour) to make installing a wind turbine really worthwhile. Ideal locations for wind turbines are in the country, on farms, or on the coast: basically anywhere away from built-up areas. The more buildings around the wind turbine, the less wind there is and the more turbulent any wind present becomes.
While wind power can be ideal on farms, for most suburban settings Energy Matters strongly recommends solar panels.
Backyard Wind Turbines – In Adelaide You Can (For Now) http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3413 by Energy Matters 9 Oct 12, If you live in Adelaide and want to install a wind turbine atop a 10 metre tower in your back yard, it seems to you can do so without the need for council approval. But you may need to be quick. Continue reading
Solar plant construction in Victoria moves on
Solar plant work heats up with latest funding http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-05/waste-dump-to-top-agenda-at-anti-nuclear-forum/4297944 Oct 5, 2012 Victoria’s Energy Minister has launched the second funding round for a new 1.5 megawatt solar power plant near Mildura.
Work started on the $400 million Solar Systems power station at Carwarp, south of Mildura, earlier this year.
The latest round of $10 million in funding from the State Government will allow the plant’s construction to begin in earnest.
Minister Michael O’Brien says he expects the project to showcase solar energy.
“This new 1.5 megawatt power plant will really demonstrate its scale – that large scale solar can work, the technology works and establishing these plants is actually proving on the ground that they work,” he said.
“[It] is really a massive step forward towards creating a new solar industry for that part of Victoria.”
The Member for Mildura, Peter Crisp, has welcomed the announcement and says it is a milestone in the plant’s development.
“Part of that development that makes it so critical at this stage is that they are now getting ready to start construction in Mildura,” he said.
“Those who have been out will see that it’s fenced, there’s a road area, there’s loading bays – there’s a whole lot of work being done but now you’ll start to see the parabolic dishes being assembled on site, as it now starts to move into that larger scale project.”
Business Council , Australian Industry Group,Origin, TRUenergy and AGL all now support Renewable Energy Target
The renewable energy target may be breaking our fossil-fuel path dependence, The Conversation, Neil Perry, 2 Oct 12 Submissions to the Climate Change Authority’s Issues Paper for the renewable energy target (RET) review have thrown up a few surprises. The renewable energy target ensures that 20% of Australia’s electricity supply comes from renewable sources by 2020. It does this by requiring electricity retailers to purchase renewable energy certificates which are created when clean generators, such as wind and solar farms, produce power.
In its submission, the Business Council of Australia (BCA) reverses its long-held objection to the target, citing the need for investment certainty. The Australian Industry Group (AIG), whose members now include renewable energy providers and equipment makers, also reverses its position, held only three years ago, that the target should be scrapped. Several energy companies with significant investments in fossil-fuel based energy supply, such as Origin, TRUenergy and AGL, also continue to support the target.
This could be evidence that the RET is successfully working to break the path-dependence and carbon lock-in in our energy-supply sector…… Continue reading
$Multi million sale of Australia’s biggest solar power plant in Alice Springs
Australia’s biggest solar power station sold http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201210/s3604021.htm By Allyson Horn, 04/10/2012 Australia’s largest solar power plant has been sold in what’s believed to be a multi-million dollar deal.
The Uterne power plant in Alice Springs began operating last year. It was developed in partnership between internationally-based SunPower Corporation and the Northern Territory’s electricity provider, Power and Water Corporation, at a cost of $6.6 million.
It’s been sold to Australian-based alternative energy company Epuron for an unknown price. The terms of the deal are not yet known. Under a new arrangement, Power and Water will continue to buy electricity generated by the plant at an agreed rate for the next 20 years.
SunPower will continue to provide operational and maintenance services in conjunction with Ogden Power, which is based in Alice Springs. The venture was financed by the Commonwealth Bank, making it Australia’s first major bank to support a solar project of this size.
Epuron executive director Andrew Durran said the acquisition made the company one of the largest solar project owners and asset managers in Australia.
The solar station produces about 1 per cent of Alice Springs’ electricity a year and can meet 2 per cent of peak demand on a sunny day. Epuron, which was founded in 2003, has also been involved in the development of a large number of power-generating wind farms, particularly in NSW.
City of Sydney acting to develop locally produced energy
City Of Sydney: Locally Produced Energy The Smartest Investment http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3408 by Energy Matters, 3 Oct 12 Regulation should be reformed to encourage locally produced energy says the City of Sydney. The City has lodged a submission to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) review of electricity network companies.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore points out consumers were bearing the brunt of costly upgrades to aging and inefficient network infrastructure that transmits coal-fired electricity all the way from the Hunter Valley to the middle of Sydney.
“The smartest investment we can make is in generating electricity close to where it is used,” said the Lord Mayor.
The City of Sydney is demonstrating leadership on this issue with a plan to boost the energy efficiency of its buildings and produce energy locally with solar, wind and trigeneration technology; which will drive down costs and environmental impact.
“But to make them a reality we need the government to get the regulation right,” says Lord Mayor Moore.
A media statement issued by the City of Sydney says network charges make up the lion’s share of electricity bills and are expected to account for 60 per cent of the average bill by 2014. In 2009. the AER approved spending of $17.4 billion on electricity network infrastructure in NSW over five years, representing $2,400 per person. The City says average electricity prices in the Sydney electricity distribution network area are expected to increase by a massive 83 per cent during this period.
According to a study from the University of Technology, Sydney, the City’s proposed $440 million trigeneration network could save electricity consumers $1.5 billion in avoided spending on network upgrades and new power stations by 2030.
The City has also called for electricity bills clearly detail the costs for peak, shoulder and off-peak, network and retail charges so consumers can see the contribution of each component and adjust their consumption to reduce costs.
According to solar solutions provider Energy Matters, households don’t have to wait for government to act in order to rein in electricity bills. A 4kW solar panel system installed in Sydney can generate electricity bill savings of over $1,000 a year. Factoring in the cost of a system from the company, such a system will produce electricity at a cost as little as 5.5c per kilowatt hour.
Cairns to host renewable energy session on report on Queensland’s Far North energy potential
a renewable energy information session would be held in Cairns within weeks to discuss the report, plan and the next steps.
Far North could be capital for renewable energy http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2012/10/03/234605_local-news.html Nick Dalton October 3, 2012, The Cairns Post A MOVE to make the Far North the renewable energy capital of Australia has been backed by a new State Government report which shows the sector has the potential to be worth $750 million a year and employ more than 2500 people within 10 years.
The report and a development plan commissioned by the State Government showed the industry, which includes solar, wind, biomasse and biodiesel, is currently worth $100 million a year involving 108 businesses which employed 700 people. The detailed strategy and action plan called for the employment of a full-time project officer to
implement the recommendations to grow the industry.
Report authors David Smyth and Grant Behrendorff, of Evolve Energy in Cairns, said a steering committee involving more than 12 people from the industry as well as Cairns Regional Council, Advance Cairns, Ergon Energy, the State and Federal governments was already working to implement the recommendations. Continue reading
South Australia energy prices cut by renewable energy
Wind, solar force energy price cuts in South Australia REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson 3 October 2012 The rules of Australia’s energy markets continue to be redrawn after the South Australian pricing regulator on Tuesday cut its calculation of wholesale energy costs and recommended that retail electricity prices be cut by 8.1 per cent. Continue reading
Australia’s top solar suburbs are low to medium income areas, not rich
Australia’s Top 6 Solar Suburbs http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3403 by Energy Matters, 2 Oct 12 The mortgage belt suburbs and the bush are where solar power truly shines. REC Agents Association (RAA) has expanded on an earlier submission prepared for the Climate Change Authority in relation to Australia’s Renewable Energy Target review that conclusively busted the myth ofsolar being the realm of rich city dwellers.
In its geographical analysis of solar energy systems under the Renewable Energy Target, RAA states suburbs with the highest penetration were typically in the outer metropolitan mortgage belt.
The RAA lists the 6 top solar suburbs as being:
Coodanup, Western Australia – 30% (9,463 systems)
Abbotsford, Queensland – 26% of houses (9,029 systems)
Booral Queensland – 34% of houses (8,823 systems)
Cocoroc Queensland – 29% of houses (8,426 systems)
Hoppers Crossing, Victoria – 34% of houses (8,138 systems)
Bentley, New South Wales – 39% of (7,763 systems)
The organisation notes some houses may have solar panels and solar hot water systems installed, meaning the penetration rate could be slightly lower
The average annual gross income of solar households across Australia is estimated to be $60,216 a year.
The full report includes a table of the top 20 solar PV and solar hot water suburbs by state. In a related research note, RAA says the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) has resulted in 1.5 million solar systems being installed by Australian families up until June 30 this year. Of this number, 753,844 were solar panels systems and 743,842 were solar hot water systems.
It says the cost impact of the SRES will drop to less than 1% of residential electricity prices when the Solar Credits multiplier is totally phased out in 10 months from now
The REC Agents Association (RAA) was established in late 2011 and acts on behalf of agents registered with the Clean Energy Regulator (CER).
Solar Trivia: Only 118 households had installed solar panel systems 2001.
Federal government commissions scenarios for 100% renewables SBS World News, 1 OCT 2012 The federal government has given the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) the job of coming up with a 100 percent renewable energy scenario for 2030 and 2050, By Roger Dargaville , University of MelbourneThe Federal Government has given the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO ) the job of coming up with a 100% renewable energy scenario for 2030 and 2050.
The market operator is working with a consulting company and CSIRO to provide information and data on renewable resources, storage technologies and demand-side response. It will combine the input data with its transmission modelling capability to find the least-cost combination of technologies to achieve a 100% renewable energy system for the National Electricity Market.
On Friday, the government hosted a meeting to discuss the data and modelling assumptions with various stakeholders and interested parties.
The data have all been made freely available on the Department of Climate Change & Energy Efficiency’s website . The government and the market operator are to be commended on this open and transparent approach to their modelling work. They have committed to also making the models available at the completion of the study in May next year…… http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1697647/Federal-government-commissions-scenarios-for-100-r
Australia’s renewable energy policy an inspiration for America
What America Can Learn from Australia’s New Clean Energy Future Package http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/09/29/929441/what-america-can-learn-from-australias-new-clean-energy-future-package/ Sep 29, 2012 by Jennifer Morgan, via WRI Insights Australia, one of world’s most carbon-intensive countries, recently began implementing a comprehensive national policy to address climate change and transition to a clean-energy economy. Yesterday, WRI had the pleasure of hosting Mark Dreyfus , Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, who outlined his country’s plans to a group of business, congressional, and NGO representatives.
One point that came through at the event is that Australia’s recent energy and climate choices can be very instructive to the United States. This post provides a quick look at Australia’s new policy and explores how it can inform and inspire U.S. efforts to move toward a low-carbon future.
Why Did Australia Adopt a National Climate and Energy Policy? Continue reading
Melbourne University’s plan for 100% renewable energy for Australia in just 10 years
100% renewable energy in Australia in only 10 years – no carbon tax
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qImNRuV4G0Q&feature=colike
Melbourne University has released a 194 page blueprint for how to convert all Australia’s existing power generation to 100% renewable in just 10 years. The report is scientifically based, well researched and takes into account all aspects of such a plan including technology, jobs, upgrades, placement, transitionary effects and it is completely costed.
This country needs a plan that is bold. This country needs a plan that doesn’t involve a massive increase in the cost of living that will do NOTHING to reduce emissions but will ensure coal miners and their union heavies are kept in employment within their polluting industry.
I urge everyone to visit the link I have at the end of the video and below and download the plan. Set yourself a couple of hours to go through it. If you agree with it, email your local member and raise it with them.
It is time this country did something bold, something that will create 10’s of 1000’s of jobs and make the Snowy River Scheme look like a Sunday picnic. This could be our opportunity to show the world what we are capable of and set ourselves up as the global leaders in renewable energy technology.
Please go to the link.
http://www.energy.unimelb.edu.au/uploads/ZCA2020_Stationary_Energy_Report_v1.pdf
1 This month
15 April – Zoom –Nuclear Power is Not the Solution
Apr 15, 2026 01:00 AM in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Join the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) on Tuesday, April 14th for a timely webinar exploring the risks associated with nuclear power and challenging the myth that it offers a simple, safe, carbon-free solution to the climate crisis
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity
Antinuclear 