Renewable energy economics – sending shockwaves through fossil fuel lobby
Broader estimates produced by the International Energy Agency and the European Commission suggest that the final outcome of moving to renewables will be cost-neutral over the long term, and may even save money, but will likely cause a rise in costs over the short term because of new technologies and infrastructure investment.
More critically, it will also send shockwaves through the energy industry as economics of fossil fuel generators is undermined
In a renewable world, baseload generation is redundant, REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson 29 March 2012 Energy Minister Martin Ferguson revealed the tenuous nature of his understanding of solar technologies in an interview on ABC TV’s 7.30 Report on Tuesday, referring to Solar Flagships projects as “solar baseload power.”
The Solar Flagships may be many things – big is one of them and possibly what Minister Ferguson meant. Or they may not be anything at all, given their problems in financing. But without storage one thing they certainly will not be is baseload. And even with storage, would solar ever work as baseload energy?
It is a common misconception, given that the energy grids for decades have been based on the principal of providing baseload energy, supplemented by peak-load power when demand is high. The question is often put: How could solar – or any other intermittent renewable ever be considered to be a source of baseload energy?
According to the latest study produced by experts at the UNSW, it may not need to. Continue reading
Success of solar energy electricity prices is frightening power generator industries
Why power generators are terrified of solar http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/03/27/why-generators-are-terrified-of-solar/ Crikey.com by Giles Parkinson, of RenewEconomy, 28 March 12, ”….. the merit order effect and the impact that solar is having on electricity prices in Germany; and why utilities there and elsewhere are desperate to try to rein in the growth of solar PV in Europe.
It may also explain why Australian generators are fighting so hard against the extension of feed-in tariffs in this country….. that solar PV is not just licking the cream off the profits of the fossil fuel generators — as happens in Australia with a more modest rollout of PV — it is in fact eating their entire cake….. Continue reading
Premier Campbell Newman to stop Queensland’s solar thermal energy program
Huge solar project in limbo as Newman pulls funding SMH, March 29, 2012 The first chance to test whether solar thermal energy can provide large-scale alternative power in Australia may be in doubt under the new LNP state government. The incoming Queensland government wants to pull out of an agreement formed by its predecessor to provide $75 million towards the $1.2 billion Solar Dawn solar research and power plant at Chinchilla, west
of Toowoomba, Premier Campbell Newman said yesterday.
The Solar Dawn project is set to be one of the largest of its kind in the world….. Solar Dawn is a 250 megawatt solar thermal project using sun-heated water in tubes to produce steam-driven energy, and is backed by the federal government and was supported by former Premier Anna Bligh. It is part of the federal government’s Solar Flagship Program. A similar project at Moree, in New South Wales, has received federal funding under the same program.
The University of Queensland has developed a $60 million research project to link to Solar Dawn.
UQ’s Professor Paul Meredith, the head of the university’s renewable energy research, said he was worried the LNP’s decision would damage what he thought was a worthwhile project and one that provided almost
400 jobs. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/huge-solar-project-in-limbo-as-newman-pulls-funding-20120328-1vynx.html#ixzz1qXtf3XFT
Queensland Premier will demolish environmental funding programs
Australia: Queensland Premier axes environmental funds 28. MARCH 2012 PV Magazine, BY: SHAMSIAH ALI-OETTINGER The new premier of Queensland Liberal National Party’s (LNP) Campbell Newman plans to axe the state’s climate change and renewable energy programs, including funds allocated for solar flagship programs. The Newman government is said to be planning the abolishment of eight of the former Labor government’s environmental funds, the 300 million Australian dollars (AUD) climate change fund and the AUD50 million renewable energy fund.
The other funds identified were the Queensland smart energy savings fund, the future growth fund, solar initiatives
package, waste avoidance and resource efficiency fund and the local government sustainable future fund. The FITs will however remain for Queensland’s home solar power systems at AUD0.44/kWh for surpluselectricity fed into the grids….
Victoria backs out too The state of Victoria also decided to back out of the 2020 20% emissions reduction target that was set by the Labor government. The conservatives supported this scheme when Labor was in power. The pressure mounted on the Victorian government from opponents such as Exxon Mobil.
: http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/australia–queensland-premier-axes-environmental-funds_100006254/#ixzz1qXst4p48
Commercial Eco Whisper wind turbine installed near Tullamarine, melbourne
The Eco Whisper Turbine is set to revolutionise delivery of renewable electricity supply to midsize commercial, manufacturing or industrial facilities, particularly in rural or remote locations that rely on diesel replacement.
Queensland renewable energy company Eco Whisper installs first commercial turbine, NewsMaker, , March 28, 2012 – The first commercial application of the Eco Whisper turbine, the world’s quietest 20kW wind turbine, is being installed and will be connected to the grid near Tullamarine in Melbourne. Produced and developed by Queensland-based Renewable Energy Solutions Australia (RESA), the 30 blade Eco Whisper turbine delivers virtually silent operation and produces up to 30 percent more power than conventional 3-bladed turbine designs.
Ideal for mid-sized facilities and perfect to replace diesel generation facilities, the Eco Whisper collects wind more efficiently and can operate in both high and low wind conditions. One turbine can produce enough power for around three average homes. Continue reading
Lake Macquarie Council not happy with NSW’s restrictions on wind farms
Concerns over wind farm guidelines, ABC News, Newcastle, March 28, 2012 Lake Macquarie Council will write to the state Planning Department outlining its concerns over the Government’s Draft Wind Farm Guidelines. The Planning Minister Brad Hazzard has described the draft document as the “toughest wind farm guidelines in Australia and possibly the world”.
But the guidelines have been criticised by environmentalists and renewable energy lobbyists as unnecessarily restrictive. Greens Councillor Hannah Gissane agrees. “We’ve endorsed a submission to the draft guidelines exhibition which would pick apart the bits and pieces of it that make the process too onerous,” she said.
“We’ve also endorsed wind farms as a key mechanism in achieving 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020. “And that any guidelines should be part of a strategic facilitative approach to renewable energy.”
Councillor Gissane says the guidelines are too tough and criticism of wind turbines is not warranted.
“Our beautiful Lake Macquarie has ash dams, has coal-fired power stations, has coal mines, has subsidence all from non-renewable energy sources,” she said.
“I’d like to see future for the city where the glint of a solar panel and the whirl of a wind turbine were actually features of the city.” http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-28/concerns-over-wind-farm-guidelines/3916620/?site=newcastle
Australian renewables Venture Capital fund ready to be up and running
Australian renewables VC fund ready to invest A$200m, Environmental Finance, 27 March 2012 An Australian renewable energy venture capital fund backed by the government is to start looking for investment opportunities.
The A$200 million (US$210 million) co-investment fund was set up in December, when the Australian government and Softbank China Venture Capital each provided A$100 million to the fund, which is managed by the Southern Cross Venture Partners (SXVP).
Last Thursday, the investment criteria were finalised, meaning the fund is now ready to invest, said SXVP.
The 13-year fund will provide start-up and early expansion capital to Australian renewable energy technology companies and assist with management skills needed to “commercialise their technologies”, said SXVP. “The fund’s investment approach is founded on the conviction that Australian entrepreneurs need to be internationally aware and
connected to be truly competitive,” said SXVP.
The Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund will form part of the government’s $3.2 billion Australian Renewable Energy Agency when it starts on 1 July 2012…. http://www.environmental-finance.com/news/view/2394
Ballarat, Victoria launches drive for big solar energy
National campaign aims to shine spotlight on big solar. ABC Ballarat, By Margaret Burin, 26 March, 2012 Renewable energy advocates have begun a national campaign to promote large-scale solar power generation. About 50 groups around Australia are behind a campaign to push building large solar energy plants.
Supporters from Ballarat are the latest to launch the movement. Andrew Bray from the 100% Renewables group says large-scale solar energy is an underutilised resource in Australia. “We’re the sunniest country on Earth pretty much and we have no operating large-scale solar stations,” he says.
Mr Bray says large-scale solar power projects – which includes building solar towers and constructing panels in paddocks – are economically viable and can counter coal-fired power stations. “To give you some proportion, the normal coal-fired station is 750 to 1000 megawatts, and there’s no reason why solar power stations can’t scale up to that size.
“There’s a lot of know-how, lots and lots of know-how, in fact some of the major solar advances have come out of Australian universities and CSIRO, but industry needs to start putting out modest sized ones to learn how to do it and teach the financiers that the risks are quite modest.”
The Gillard Government has committed $10billion towards a new commercial fund, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. Mr Bray says if parliament passes the legislation, it will help drive funding for big solar projects….
http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2012/03/26/3464085.htm
Australia needs to speed up its switch to renewable energy
The shift to wind and solar power in Australia has been driven in large part by the purchase of GreenPower, a scheme under which people pay slightly higher energy bills, with the difference invested in energy generated from renewable sources and bought by their energy provider.
Contrary to some reports, rooftop solar panels are not a middle-class luxury but a prudent, money-saving investment in more working-class and rural areas,
Winds of change blow, but breaking habits is no breeze, SMH March 23, 2012 Households have helped drive up the share of power production from renewables in Australia, but it still trails far behind the ambitious plans of other developed countries, writes Ben Cubby.
When Sydney held the first Earth Hour event in 2007, renewable energy made up just under 5 per cent of the power produced in Australia. It now stands at 10 per cent, and that total must be doubled again over the next eight years if the national target for wind, solar, hydro and biomass energy is to be met.
This represents a vast, fast change for Australia’s coal, oil and gas-dependent society, yet the country still lags a long way behind most other developed nations. An index developed by the non-profit think-tank the Climate Institute and the energy company GE, released this week, placed Australia 16th out of the G20 countries for its ability to remain competitive in a low-carbon environment. Continue reading
Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to kick off with large investment
Fund ready to plough $200m into renewables sector, Climate Spectator, 23 Mar 2012 The Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund is ready to begin investing in Australian renewable energy companies, the federal government said
today.The $200 million Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund is now the largest venture capital fund dedicated to renewable energy in Australia..
… The Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund will make equity investments in early-stage Australian renewable energy
companies to help them overcome capital constraints, develop technologies, increase skills and forge international connections. The fund will form part of the federal government’s $3.2 billion Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) when it commences on July 1. http://www.climatespectator.com.au/news/fund-ready-plough-200m-renewables-sector
Wind energy a winner for South Australia
Wind Power costs a lot less than the savings it makes – it’s like a preventative measure; an insurance that you buy against high electricity prices. In the case of South Australia, they did just that and it paid off.
Wind Works. It’s giving South Australia climate security through decarbonising its economy, energy security through reduced imports of expensive volatile fossil fuels. And it works so well that South Australia can now go further and target 50 per cent of the state to run on wind power and put much more solar on rooftops while planning to integrate this with
Baseload Solar Thermal plants installed in locations like Port Augusta.
South Australia’s big win with wind, REneweconomy, By Matthew Wright 21 March 2012 Wind Power in South Australia has been a howling success; it now provides more electricity in the state than coal and in just a decade the wind industry has developed into one of the world’s leaders – and all to the benefit of South Australians. Continue reading
3000 jobs and cheaper electricity for South Australia with wind power
They are reportedly unpopular but a CSIRO report in January found there was stronger community support for wind farms across Australia than suggested by media coverage.
It found rural residents often backed the developments but did not seek media attention or political engagement to express their views.
SA wants to lead with renewable energy, Business Spectator, 22 March 12, South Australia’s Labor government wants to be a leader in renewable energy and wants more wind farms to do it. SA has more than half of Australia’s wind farms and they provided 26 per cent of the state’s electricity last year, up from 18 per cent in 2010, and less than one per cent just five years ago…… Continue reading
Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) gets a good rap from business analysts
The CEFC: A good first step, 19 Mar 2012, Climate Spectator, Kane Thornton A recent report by Deloitte, based on consultation with over 40 senior executives in Australian banks, super funds, venture capitalist firms and major investors, has revealed that they see clean energy as a good bet.
This should come as no great surprise: last year, local investments in renewable energy totalled $5.2 billion, while globally the pool reached more than $260 billion. What was perhaps surprising about the Deloitte findings was the
overwhelming support respondents gave to the government’s $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), to be funded by carbon pricerevenue collected from the country’s 500 biggest polluters. Continue reading
Huge commercial rooftop photovoltaic solar system for Port Melbourne
Australia’s Largest Rooftop Commercial Solar Power Project Announced, by Energy Matters, 19 Mar 12, NEXTDC Limited (ASX:NXT) (“the Company” or “NEXTDC”) has made another unprecedented move for the Australian data centre industry by committing to build what will be Australia’s largest privately-owned rooftop photovoltaic solar system at its Port Melbourne data centre called “M1”.
NEXTDC will spend approximately $1.2 million to install up to 400kW of solar panels to generate around 550 MWh (megawatt hours) of electricity per annum. A system of this size will offset over 670 tonnes of CO2 per annum. This equates to taking around 200 cars off the road, or powering NABERS 4 star office space for over 890 people….
NEXTDC has already incorporated energy efficient measures into its new-build data centres such as trigeneration plant and outside free air-cooling. After successful deployment of the solar panels at M1, additional investments will be made at their other data centres around Australia.
“We are proud to be the first data centre operator in Australia to invest in solar energy,” Mr Slattery said. “In fact, we are also committing to install up to 1MW of solar energy within the next 12 months at our upcoming data centre facilities”….
http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3109
The Eco Whisper – small, silent wind turbine in operation in Geelong
New polish on the factory floor, The Age, Jo Chandler, March 16, 2012 Geelong manufacturer Austeng ticks many of the boxes nominated by industry gurus as crucial to survival in the globalised world. Is this modest firm the template for the future?……..
The latest proud product of their collective skills sits outside in the yard. It’s a prototype 21-metre high wind turbine, its blades whizzing silently in the breeze, generating 20 kilowatts of energy. It’s emblematic of the kind of future George is determined to be part of. He has put his money where his mouth is, buying back the Eco Whisper prototype that he had built for a renewable power company, and he estimates it will generate about a third of the energy required for his factory. Continue reading
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