Nuclear energy a dead cat, as solar will take over
Is nuclear an option? It is difficult to see how the nuclear power industry will cope with falling solar prices and increased perceptions of risk following the Fukushima accident. Solar and wind power will soon put the nuclear power construction industry out of business.
Solar energy is vast, ubiquitous and indefinitely sustainable. There will never be a major solar accident, there’s minimal waste disposal issues, and we will never go to war over solar energy.
Solar will force coal and nuclear out of the energy business The Conversation, by Andrew Blakers, 18 August 2011, A solar energy revolution is brewing that will put the coal and nuclear industries out of business. Solar is already reaching price parity with coal in many parts of Australia. In contrast to coal and nuclear, solar is fully sustainable and safe. Solar is now an established industry that is growing very rapidly. Continue reading
Australian power companies skimmimg money from renewable energy schemes
A mean, green power scheme, Daily Telegraph, Geoff Chambers August 15, 2011 GREEDY power companies are using a federal government green scheme to skim cash from customers already struggling with increased bills.
The state’s biggest electricity utilities recently blamed price hikes of up to 18.1 per cent on the demand to buy green credits. Attempting to justify why electricity prices needed to rise by that much, the energy retailers said they would be required to pay $40 for every solar certificate issued to customers.
Instead, they are only paying $19 market rates for those certificates, virtually pocketing the difference, about $50 per family.
Fluctuations in the green credit market have pushed prices from the government standard $40 to just $19. Energy retail wholesalers are buying up green credits, obtained through rooftop solar panels and energy-efficient hot water systems, directly from solar installers, electricians and plumbers at lower rates.
TruEnergy, AGL and Origin Energy all lifted their bills to pay for green credits bought from small businesses.
Climate Change opposition spokesman Greg Hunt has called for a national solar summit to fix the solar industry “chaos” and blamed Labor’s energy policies for mammoth bill increases.
“It’s resulted in higher electricity prices and Labor is doing nothing to help people with their skyrocketing power bills or small solar businesses who’ve been caught out by this scheme and are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Mr Hunt said. A spokesman for Minister Greg Combet said he would not use his legislative powers to change the $40 price…..http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/a-mean-green-power-scheme/story-e6freuzi-1226114799464
Exciting new development for renewable energy in Australia’s Northern Territory
Centre for Renewable Energy launched at CDU, Power Engineering, 08/12/2011, By Dr. Heather Johnstone ,Chief Editor, Charles Darwin University (CDU), based in Northern Territory, Australia, has launched a new renewable energy research facility. Australia’s minister for climate change, Karl Hampton, said: “This new centre will be the backbone of renewable energy development in the Territory. The Territory has many potential sources of renewable energy and is already attracting significant investment interest in its solar, tidal and geothermal energy possibilities.
“The centre will work with government, the private sector and the community to drive the research, development and uptake of these projects. “The Centre for Renewable Energy will be the key institution in spearheading initiatives under the Northern Territory Government’s Climate Change Policy, including sourcing 20 per cent of wholesale electricity from renewable sources by 2020.”
Professor Glover, vice chancellor of CDU, said the Centre will develop and evaluate new renewable energy and low emissions technologies for their commercial application. He said: “The hybrid integration of renewable and low emissions applications in the Territory’s remote and regional communities will be a priority.”– http://www.power-eng.com/articles/pei/2011/08/centre-for-renewable-energy-launched-at-cdu.html
Queensland government adopts most recommendations for renewable energy development
Qld considers green power, 9 News, 11 Aug 11, The Queensland government hopes to increase the state’s use of renewable energy with new measures such as introducing it to all indigenous communities. The parliament’s Environment and Resources Committee released its report into powering more of the state with renewable energy sources in May.
Noting around 30 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions come from Queensland, it made 14 recommendations to drive an increase in green power sources.
The Queensland government this week responded to the report and has accepted 10 of those recommendationsQueensland will now aspire to the federal government target of sourcing 20 per cent of the state’s electricity from renewable energy by 2020, and will consider using upfront subsidies or interest-free loans to encourage customers to switch to renewable energy sources such as solar power.
The government also gave in-principle support for a plan to introduce renewable energy systems into 34 remote indigenous communities that rely on diesel generators for power….http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8284274/qld-considers-green-power
Australia’s soldiers going solar
Super slim solar cell a success, The Age, Ben Cubby August 12, 2011 ‘A typical solar cell is about 0.2 millimetres thick, which is 200 micrometres thinner than a human hair or a sheet of paper, will soon be used by Australian soldiers on patrol in Afghanistan as a portable power source. The solar cells, invented by researchers at the Australian National University, can be used to cover helmets, tents or clothing and recharge electronic gear such as night vision goggles.
They also have extensive potential in civilian applications, including recharging phones and computers, because a square metre of lightweight solar panel can generate 140 watts of power and yet be rolled up into a ball afterwards. ‘A typical solar cell is about 0.2 millimetres thick, which is 200 micrometres – that’s too thick to bend, it would shatter,” the project’s chief investigator, Andrew Blakers, said. ”But these cells are about 45 microns thick, so they are flexible and also about the same efficiency as commercial solar cells. By comparison, really fine quality merino wool is about 18 microns thick.” In practice, many square metres of panel could be unfurled from a box about the same size as a wine cask http://www.theage.com.au/national/super-slim-solar-cell-a-success-20110811-1iot3.html
Mount Gambier leads in renewable energy training
Solar & wind power facility best in Australia, ABC Radio Adelaide, 10/08/2011 by Alan Richardson Mount Gambier can now boast that it has the very best facility in Australia for training technicians and installers involved in domestic renewable energy systems.
The $150,000 “Solar & domestic wind turbine installation and grid conect training centre” was built by TAFE students and largely financed by industry sponsors. It has attracted sponsorship and interest from around Australia in fact. The site features a ground level roof structure which has a tiled section, a currugated iron section and a Trimdeck section so students can practice installing solar panels on all roof types. There are also separate controllers and electronics for each set of installed panels , and their output can be monitored remotely via the internet.
Promising economic future for Queensland with renewable energy
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Eco Business, , August 9th, 2011
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A coalition of social, union, environmental and research organisations today said the federal government’s clean energy future plan would provide unprecedented investment in Australia’s renewable energy resources and energy efficiency, with the potential for major job creation, especially in Queensland.
The Southern Cross Climate Coalition, comprising The Australian Conservation Foundation, The Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Australian Council of Social Services and The Climate Institute, made the claims in an analysis that also urges the federal government to release measures to meet Australia’s international climate finance obligations, in advance of the next round of climate negotiations in Durban in December. Continue reading
Sydney-siders go solar
Solar use in Sydney soars, SYDNEY, Aug. 8 (UPI) –– Beset by rising consumer energy prices, consumers in Sydney, Australia’s most populous city, are looking to solar energy. In 2010 the city introduced a solar bonus scheme, which was very popular in Sydney’s more prosperous suburbs, with more than 14 percent of homes installing rooftop solar panels, compared with a New South Wales statewide average of about 3 percent…..
the number of private dwellings with solar panels had increased from 2,000 18 months ago to 46,000 after the former New South Wales Labor government introduced a solar bonus rebate scheme.
That plan allowed for a 60-cents-per-kilowatt-hour feed-in tariff for consumers utilizing solar panels, The Sydney Morning Herald reported….
Bowing to increasing public interest in the issue, Ausgrid has begun publishing details of solar panel installations and other data on its Web site to allow councils, consumers and other interested parties to evaluate patterns of electricity usage…http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2011/08/08/Solar-use-in-Sydney-soars/UPI-88871312819223/?spt=hs&or=er
Victorian solar cell initiative
AUSTRALIA TO MANUFACTURE SOLAR CELLS WITH NEW PRINTING MACHINE, FEN, By Annie Dang on 1 August 2011 Producing solar cells with zero-emissions electricity will provide new manufacturing opportunities for local industries.
Australian solar researchers and industry have partnered to develop innovative ways of generating zero-emissions electricity using a printing machine to produce solar cells.
The $7.2 million project will see the development of a possible alternative solar cell technology compared with more conventional photovoltaic systems. It is expected that the products will provide Australia industries the opportunity to commercialise and produce the cells competitively. The Federal Government will contribute a $1.7 million grant through the Australian Solar Institute with the Victorian Government providing funding of equal amount.
Launched in Melbourne yesterday, Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP said the project was aimed at developing efficient solar cells using organic materials and conventional printing methods.
The project will see researchers at the University of Melbourne, the CSIRO Future Manufacturing Flagship, and Monash University collaborate with industry partners BlueScope Steel, Innovia Films and Robert Bosch to take commercialese their printing machine innovation…. http://www.myfen.com.au/news/australia-to-manufacture-solar-cells-with-new-prin
Daylesford shows the way, for Australian community owned wind power
Community-owned wind powers up, ABC Environment | 2 AUG 2011 BY SUE WHITE With profits to be made from the provision of renewable electricity, an increasing number of savvy community groups around the world are pooling their resources to get in on the action.
The newly-installed turbines started generating on June 22, as Hepburn Wind begins its quest to create 12,200 megawatt hours (MWh) over the next 12 months – the equivalent of powering 2,300 homes. Hepburn Wind’s journey began in 2005….. Continue reading
Too much success for household solar power in Western Australia
WA solar rebate scheme too popular to continue, SMH, Courtney Trenwith, August 1, 2011, The WA government has axed one of the most successful household environmental programs – the solar panel rebate scheme – precisely because it was too popular.
No new applications will be accepted from today. More than 65,000 household solar panels have been installed since the scheme started in 2009…WA solar rebate scheme too popular to continue
Future for decentralised solar power in Australia
”grid parity” – when unsubsidised solar energy becomes cost-competitive with power from the electricity grid – is getting devilishly close as the cost of photovoltaics (PV) falls…..
”If you can spend $500 and get $700 to $800 back, there won’t be a person in Australia that would ignore that,” Newman says. ”The PV [photovoltaic] retailers will be all over them, and the smart energy retailers will of course step into the game.” It might not be the cheapest form of abatement available to the economy but it’s money in the bank for the punter.
Future lies in power to (and from) the people, Sydney Morning Herald,Paddy Manning, July 30, 2011 It’s hard to tell whether the glass is half full or half empty for Australia’s solar industry right now…….. Continue reading
South Australia’s bright future for renewable energy jobs
Renewable Energy Jobs For South Australia, Renewable Energy News, by Energy Matters, 26 July 11 A visit by the federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Greg Combet and South Australian Premier Mike Rann to a wind turbine tower manufacturing plant in suburban Adelaide has highlighted the economic benefits from growth in renewable energy in the state.
Mr Combet said the recently announced new Clean Energy Finance Corporation will play a vital role in unlocking significant new private investment into clean energy projects and may include assistance for businesses manufacturing components for clean energy projects…..
Clean Energy Finance Corporation a business plus for Australia
…Far from being a slush fund for the ALP, the proposed CEFC would be a commercially-minded independent authority enabling Australian businesses to commercialise and deploy Aussie renewable energy innovations…..The CEFC is a critical institution for driving Australia’s long-term reductions in emissions at least cost with maximum economic benefit. …
Why we need the Clean Energy Finance Corporation CEFC, Climate Spectator, Simon O’Connor. 22 July 11“……The Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC) has enabled Australian businesses to overcome financial barriers to doing business by bridging market gaps the commercial banks dared not bridge.
Far from being a risky strategy, this commercially-oriented authority has delivered to government dividends totalling more than $100 million in the last decade. Continue reading
On solar energy – Victoria, wind power -New South Wales
5MW Solar Farm Constructed In 6 Weeks, Energy Matters, Renewable Energy News, 20 July 11, “….Last week, the UK’s largest solar farm was fully commissioned and connected to the mains grid. The 4.9MW station was developed by Lark Energy and is located at Hawton in Nottinghamshire. The project consisted of 21,000 solar panels situated on 30 acres of former quarry land and will provide enough energy for the electricity needs of 1,300 homes. As Australia finally begins the journey towards a low-carbon economy in earnest, it’s reassuring to know that solar power can quickly replace a substantial amount of coal-fired capacity. While a 4.9MW solar farm is by no means enough to make up the shortfall created by an early closure of Hazelwood, Environment Victoria recently pointed out there is currently 3,000 megawatts of renewable energy projects approved in Victoria, along with thousands of megawatts of gas projects that could be constructed in two to four years.
How fast Victoria will be able to make the switch away from coal will be largely dependent on the political will to make it happen….
http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=1640
Acciona’s third wind farm in Australia, reve, july 20, 2011, The Gunning Wind Farm, 46,5 MW, is located in New South Wales and represents a 107 million € investment. Acciona’s Chairman, José Manuel Entrecanales, congratulates the Government of Australia for its initiatives to increase the development of renewable sources of energy.
The Gunning Wind Farm is a 46.5 MW wind power plant consisting of 31 Windpower AW-1500 wind turbines. The wind energy project represents an AUD $147 million investment (107 million euros)…..http://www.evwind.es/noticias.php?id_not=12528
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