Report finds 100% renewable grid “reliable, robust and stable”
100% renewable grid not just feasible, but “reliable, robust and stable” http://reneweconomy.com.au/100-renewable-grid-not-just-feasible-reliable-robust-stable-12185/?utm_source=RE+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=dd172b60b8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_09&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_46a1943223-dd172b60b8-15634933 By Sophie Vorrath on 9 December 2016
The discussion paper, released on Friday by not-for-profit group the Alternative Technology Association, found that a fully renewable electricity grid would provide long-term economic and social benefits for Australia, while also playing an important part in its commitments to fight climate change.
The publication of the paper coincides with Friday’s meeting of COAG, to discuss the preliminary report of the Finkel Review into the security and stability of the national electricity market.
The ATA report, 100% Renewable Grid – Feasible?, reviewed evidence from recent developments in Australia and overseas, as well as previous studies including those by the Australian Energy Market Operator.
“We found all experts agree that a 100% renewable grid will be reliable and stable, as long as it uses an appropriate mix of renewable generation sources, energy storage and upgraded infrastructure,” said Andrew Reddaway, the paper’s author and ATA energy analyst.
During periods of calm, cloudy weather electricity could be sourced from sunny or windy parts of the country and supplemented with energy stores such as hydroelectric dams, molten salt heat storage, batteries, renewable gas and stockpiles of pelletised woody waste, the report found.
“This grid would be robust, with smarter renewable generators and batteries automatically injecting extra electricity when required for grid stability,” Reddaway said.
“Similarly, smart appliances would detect disturbances in the grid and independently adjust their power level to compensate.”
The ATA report also found that the cost of such a smart and diverse grid would be manageable, and compared it to a “21st century version of the Snowy Mountains Scheme.”
The Snowy hydro scheme, said Reddaway, cost the equivalent of 16 per cent of Australia’s Gross Domestic Product in its commencement year, but these costs were spread over the project’s duration, and were balanced by the creation of many local industry jobs.
“During the transition energy costs are likely to be slightly higher than ‘business as usual’, but in the longer term it would place downward pressure on electricity bills because renewable energy generation is cheap to run,” Reddaway said.
“Widespread energy efficiency measures would further offset costs.”
On the technical side of things, the report noted that there were “many possible solutions to maintain grid stability as levels of wind and solar generation increase.”
For example, to maintain inertia in the grid, the report recommends retaining the steam turbines of decommissioned fossil fuel power plants, keeping them connected to the grid, and allowing them to continue to rotate in synch with grid frequency, without burning fuel.
For wind farms, the report notes, when a slowdown in grid frequency is detected, the wind turbine’s controller could immediately increase its power output by temporarily sacrificing some blade speed – an app roach known as synthetic inertia that ATA says is already required in part of Canada.
As for rooftop solar, the report says this is already evolving to help keep the future grid stable.
“As of October 2016, all new grid-connected inverters must be capable of reducing their generation or export, in response to a signal from the grid operator,” it says.
“Known as Demand Response Mode (DRM), this feature allows solar generation to be curtailed when it exceeds overall demand – although this is not expected to be implemented for many years, the ATA notes, and requires and additional device known as a Demand Response Enabling Device (DRED) to be plugged into the inverter.
And, like other reports released recently on this subject, the ATA notes that battery storage will play a big role in future renewables-heavy grids.
“Batteries are especially well suited to support grid stability,” the report says, “as they can discharge electricity into the grid with zero start-up time.
“Large batteries have already been installed in the grid for such purposes overseas,” it says, adding that household batteries can also provide this service, while also delivering savings and other benefits to consumers.
Australian Capital Territory (ACT) – jobs growth with renewable energy
Renewable jobs grow as ACT drives down emissions from government operations by 17 per cent in three years, Canberra Times, Katie Burgess, 13 Dec 16, Jobs growth in the ACT renewable energy sector in the past six years was 12 times faster than the national average, a report into the territory government’s action on climate change has revealed.
The Minister’s Report into Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction also showed the rate of job growth in the ACT’s renewables sector was six times higher than any other state and territory, as the government invested $12 million into a renewable energy industry development strategy.
Ahead of the COAG Energy Council meeting on Wednesday, climate change minister Shane Rattenbury said he would push other states and territories to take up their own renewable energy targets.
“We must not allow the federal government’s inaction to limit what we can achieve at a state and territory level. The ACT is a great example of what subnational governments can achieve. We are on track to meet our 100 per cent renewable electricity target by 2020 and to become Australia’s first zero emission jurisdiction by 2050,” Mr Rattenbury said.
Emissions from government operations have fallen 17 per cent since 2012-2013, the report also revealed. The ACT government is aiming to be carbon neutral in its own operations by 2020……http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/climate-change/renewable-jobs-grow-as-act-drives-down-emissions-from-government-operations-by-17-per-cent-in-three-years-20161213-gta1ha.html
Energy transition means Australia needs power grid upgrade
Aust needs energy grid overhaul: report
, Herald Sun, Melissa Meehan and Kaitlyn Offer, Australian Associated Press December 12, 2016 Australia’s power grid needs a multi-billion dollar upgrade to safeguard future energy supply amid the shift away from coal-fired power stations, the nation’s energy operator says.Growing food in a desert. #auspol
Sundrop Farms produces healthy, sustainable food in the middle of the Australian Desert, without using pesticides, fossil fuels or fresh water.
The scarcity of food resources in many parts of the world is one of the major population threats. Agricultural lands deplete continuously, as climate change and inappropriate agricultural practices cause intense soil degradation and nutrient deficiencies. Desperate farmers continue to add enormous amounts of fertilizers and pesticides, while wasting millions of gallons of fresh water for irrigation. Many even feel obliged to opt for growing genetically modified crops with questionable health benefits, but which are apparently resistant to certain factors and can result in high yields.
Sundrop Farms, a modern agricultural company, has set a task to show that healthy, organic food can be produced everywhere. Their aim is to bust the myth that genetically modified foods, toxic pesticides, and large sums of money are the only solution to…
View original post 320 more words
While Barnaby Joyce trashes South Australia’s renewables, his electorate gets multi-million dollar loan for wind farm
Windfarm in Barnaby Joyce’s NSW electorate gets $120m CEFC loan Clean Energy Finance Corporation loan comes three months after minister slammed SA’s over-reliance on wind power, Guardian, Gareth Hutchens, 12 Dec 16, The Clean Energy Finance Corporation has made a multi-million dollar loan for a new windfarm in Barnaby Joyce’s electorate.
General Electric in support of State-based renewable energy targets
US energy giant GE backs states going own way on renewables, The Age, Peter Hannam 11 Dec 16 Renewable energy can add resiliency to electricity grids and there’s no reason why individual states can’t set their own goals higher than a national target, says a US industry veteran.
Nick Miller, senior technology director of General Electric’s energy consultancy, said US states such as Texas now supplied as much as half their electricity from renewable sources.
“If Australia wants to try its own state by state [approach] that is not intrinsically a bad thing,” the 36-year GE veteran engineer told Fairfax Media during a visit.
“If some states want to move forward faster, they will reap the economic benefits first, and the states that stay behind — sort of embracing the past — are probably going to get left behind.”
Mr Miller’s comments will bolster the case made by governments in states such as Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, and the federal Opposition, all of which have set renewable energy targets beyond 2020 unlike the federal government.
They will also stoke debate over the best way to meet Australia’s climate goals. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last week drew widespread criticism for ruling out a price on carbon even before his government begins a year-long review from early 2017.
Mr Miller said both Republicans and Democrats had managed to find common ground on clean energy in the US.
“It’s not ideologically driven, it’s business driven,” he said. “There are huge amounts of wind going into Oklahoma and Kansas, and that’s as red [Republican] as you get.”
GE is a supplier to both the thermal and renewable energy sectors. It’s found that, contrary to may public views, wind power actually advances rather than undermines the resilience of the grid.
With modern electronic controls added, a wind plant is now “more tolerant of grid disturbances than the equivalent size synchronous [thermal] plant”, he said. “It is extremely agile, and finely and quickly controlled.”
While recent blackouts in South Australia show that state’s power sector to “very highly stressed”, the response should be to increase flexibility in the system by altering market rules and investment incentives……. http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/us-energy-giant-ge-backs-states-going-own-way-on-renewables-20161211-gt8jdl.htm
Carnegie Wave Energy to build its first commercial wave plant in ENGLAND
Windfarm in Barnaby Joyce’s NSW electorate gets $120m CEFC loan, Guardian, Gareth Hutchens, 11 Dec 16 “…..Australia’s chief scientist, Dr Alan Kinkel, warned last week that investment in the electricity sector had stalled because of “policy instability and uncertainty”.
Over the weekend, the Australian Financial Review reported the pioneering Australian wave-power company Carnegie Wave Energy was planning to build its first commercial wave plant in Cornwall, England, because the climate policy chaos in Australia was too much.
Barwon Water and the City of Greater Geelong investigate solar array for landfill site
Geelong solar array capable of powering 1000 homes proposed for old Corio landfill site http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/geelong-solar-array-capable-of-powering-1000-homes-proposed-for-old-corio-landfill-site/news-story/6b6154708d9fa4a7383b44246a096143 DECEMBER 8, 2016 A LARGE solar energy project with the potential to power 1000 homes is being explored at an old Corio landfill site.
Barwon Water and the City of Greater Geelong are investigating the feasibility of building a three-megawatt solar PV system at the former tip, which is next to Limeburners Lagoon. Early research into the concept has proven positive, with the agencies to embark on a detailed feasibility study. The 3000-kilowatt capacity system would generate about four million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which is enough to power about 1000 homes.
The renewable energy would be shared by the two partners and fed through the grid to supply other locations.
Barwon Water has several power-intensive sites nearby, including the Northern Water Plant, Cowies Creek Sewer pump station and Lovely Banks water pump station. Strategy and planning general manager Carl Bicknell said Barwon Water was developing a program to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy use over the next 10 years. “Investing in locally sourced renewable energy would directly reduce Barwon Water’s use of fossil fuel-based grid electricity,” Mr Bicknell said. “A partnership approach makes good sense for the region. If feasible, the project would help both businesses make significant reductions in their emissions.”
The council’s city services acting general manager, Vicki Shelton, said the study, which is out to tender, would explore the project’s economic and environmental benefits. “Importantly it will examine how the City and Barwon Water can collaborate to secure a local renewable energy supply,” she said.
Barwon Water has recently tendered for a one-megawatt solar array at Black Rock, to feed renewable energy directly to the site’s water reclamation plant. It also hosts Victoria’s oldest wind turbine at Breamlea and jointly runs a mini-hydro generator at Lal Lal.
Australia’s gutless Minister for Environment and Energy – Josh Frydenberg
What an extraordinary, gutless capitulation by Josh Frydenberg Forget climate policy intricacies – through this pathetic retreat the government has again revealed its true nature, Guardian, Katharine Murphy, 9 Dec 16, What an extraordinary capitulation.
Just 24 hours of controversy from entirely predictable quarters and a carefully calibrated process to try to engineer a truce in Australia’s utterly wretched climate politics has been all but abandoned by its architects.
Josh Frydenberg has gone in the space of 24 hours from saying quite clearly the government would consider an emissions intensity trading scheme for the electricity sector to trying to pretend he said no such thing.
The retreat is, frankly, unseemly.
Actually, the retreat is more than unseemly, it’s pathetic – and the consequences of it stretch far beyond yet another apparent failure to do what needs to be done to ensure our economy makes an orderly transition to the carbon-constrained world that the Turnbull government willingly accepted when it signed Australia up to the Paris international climate agreement this time 12 months ago……
On climate policy the Coalition has backed itself into a tight corner of its own making – and it shows no sign of finding the courage, the steadiness or the integrity to try to manage its way out. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/dec/07/what-an-extraordinary-gutless-capitulation-by-josh-frydenberg
Finkel Report recommends emissions trading, warns on Australian govt’s climate policy chaos
Finkel review criticises climate policy chaos and points to need for emissions trading Report warns investment in electricity has stalled, and existing policies won’t allow Australia to meet its Paris target, Guardian Katharine Murphy, 8 Dec 16, Australia’s chief scientist, Alan Finkel, has said investment in the electricity sector has stalled because of “policy instability and uncertainty” – and he’s warned that current federal climate policy settings will not allow Australia to meet its emissions reduction targets under the Paris agreement.
In a 58-page report that has been circulated before Friday’s Council of Australian Governments meeting between the prime minister and the premiers, Finkel has also given implicit endorsement to an emissions intensity trading scheme for the electricity industry to help manage the transition to lower-emissions energy sources.
While there is no concrete recommendation to that effect, the report, obtained by Guardian Australia, references the evidence from energy regulators that such a scheme would integrate best “with the electricity market’s pricing and risk management framework” and “had the lowest economic costs and the lowest impact on electricity prices”.
Finkel also notes advice from the Climate Change Authority which says market mechanisms have the lowest average cost of abatement, and of the options modelled, an emissions intensity scheme “had the lowest impact on average residential electricity prices”.
The positive commentary from the chief scientist cuts directly across political arguments the Turnbull government has made since dumping its nascent attempt to use the review of the Direct Action policy to explore an intensity trading scheme for electricity – equating carbon pricing with higher power prices for consumers……… Continue reading
Australia’s electricity industry strongly calls for a carbon price, and switch to clean energy
Electricity industry pushes for carbon price to aid transition to clean energy system http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-08/electricity-industry-push-for-a-carbon-price/8104642 By political reporter Naomi Woodley Australia’s electricity industry has issued a strongly worded plea to federal and state governments to quickly decide on ways to transform Australia’s ageing energy grid.
In a joint statement released ahead of tomorrow’s Council of Australian Governments meeting, the groups representing generators, distributors and retailers say a national, market-based carbon price is the best option to make the transition to a cleaner energy system.
The Australian Energy Council and Energy Networks Australia said without change, customers face higher prices and an increasingly unstable electricity supply. Continue reading
EnergyAustralia to invest $1.5 billion in new wind and solar projects
EnergyAustralia’s $1.5bn for renewables
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/breaking-news/energyaustralia-puts-15bn-in-renewables/news-story/e1fbf5f408e5405adfc0adc7a263448cThe electricity provider has committed to buying 500 megawatts of power from wind and solar plants, more than doubling the amount of energy it can source from renewables.
It said on Wednesday it had bought the output from a planned 42.6 megawatt solar farm at Manildra in central west NSW, which will be able to power 14,000 homes per year when completed in 2018.
Managing director Catherine Tanna said EnergyAustralia was looking to lead the development of cleaner energy even though it owns two of the biggest coal power stations in the country. “These are the projects which will come to underpin energy supply in Australia as coal-fired power plants are retired,” she said in a statement. EnergyAustralia plans to ink a 13-year agreement with the Manildra farm by the end of December.
The company already has the rights to more than 450 megawatts of electricity from wind farms in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. EnergyAustralia’s pledge comes after Origin Energy inked a 15-year contract in March with the Moree Solar Farm in northern NSW, which can power 24,000 homes.
Sydney students pioneer a shared solar and battery system for apartment block
Stucco students install one of Australia’s first shared solar and battery systems for apartment block, 702 ABC Sydney ,By Amanda Hoh, 8 Dec 16, After 18 months of “bureaucracy” and jumping through regulatory hoops, the students of Sydney’s Stucco apartments have finally achieved their goal of spearheading a “solar revolution”.
The social housing apartment block in Newtown has become one of the first multi-dwelling buildings in Australia to install a shared solar and battery storage system.
Last week 30 kilowatts of solar panels were placed on the roofs and 36 batteries set up in the building totalling 42.3kW storage capacity. The solar system will now provide 80 per cent of the residents’ energy needs, with the remainder of electricity drawn from the grid. Each student is expected to save up to $35 a month on their electricity bill. “As poor uni students, that difference in a bill makes a huge difference,” Sarah King, Stucco committee president, resident and social work student, said.
“There’s also the great feeling of using green clean energy as opposed to dirty coal.
“As a cooperative, it’s quite empowering to have your own locally sourced power system, otherwise you’re quite vulnerable to what electricity companies are going to charge you. Stucco is a cooperative, not-for-profit housing complex for low-income students from Sydney University. There are 40 residents in the eight units who each pay about $90 in weekly rent. As a cooperative, the students self-manage the property, which is part-owned by the university and the Department of Housing.
How do students pay for solar? A software system was put in place to manage and analyse the energy output from each unit, meaning the Stucco committee now acts as its own energy retailer and issues electricity bills to the residents. For the energy consumption that is provided by solar, the students are charged a maximum of 10 cents during off-peak times and up to 40 cents during peak use.
They are currently in pricing talks with various commercial energy retailers for when the building draws from the grid.
The cost of the project totalled $130,000, with the solar technology costing $97,000……..The students received an $80,000 grant from the City of Sydney.
The remainder of the cost was made up from 25 years’ worth of sinking funds and “grassroots community efforts” of voluntary contributions and pro-bono work……The solar and battery system is expected to take about six to seven years to pay for itself, although Mr Janse Van Rensburg said the long-term gain and savings far outweighed the cost of the system…..The students have started a crowdfunding campaignto help rebuild the administration and sinking funds.
Calls for more solar as household tariffs dumped There are 1.6 million solar systems installed across the country; mainly in free-standing owner-occupied homes and in lower to medium income suburbs.
According to Claire O’Rourke from community-based organisation Solar Citizens, Stucco is “a pioneering project”, particularly as it was conceived by a housing cooperative.
“We’ve had a lot of anecdotal reports from apartment owners who have tried to get this [a multi-apartment dwelling solar and battery system] in place but have failed,” Ms O’Rourke said……..
“The real opportunity is in cities where there are more apartments and renters…….
The Solar Bonus Scheme in New South Wales ends on December 31, which means solar households will no longer receive a feed-in tariff when they redirect energy back into the electricity network. Solar Citizens is lobbying the Government for a mandated minimum tariff to pay solar owners.”Going solar now is the best way to save for the long term, because solar panels will last 20 to 25 years, batteries will last for a decade,” Ms O’Rourke said.
“Landlords and renters everywhere should be inspired by this project [Stucco] and look at starting up similar projects that help them save money and spearhead that revolution we want to see.” http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-08/stucco-student-housing-installs-shared-solar-battery-system/8103298
New 116-turbine wind farm for the Wimmera, Victoria
Wind farm: 116-turbine farm gets tick of approval
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/wind-farm-116turbine-farm-gets-tick-of-approval/news-story/9748769c22c8e976b78e65e2c9907195 KATH SULLIVAN, The Weekly Times December 7, 2016 
ONE of Victoria’s most expensive wind farms will be built in the Wimmera, after the State Government approved its planning application.The $650 million, 116-turbine farm at Murra Warra, north of Horsham, was approved by Planning Minister Richard Wynne after no objections were received.
“We are paving the way for more investment and jobs in the wind sector and it’s great to see Murra Warra come online and deliver a boost to the region,” Mr Wynne said.
Project operator RES said the farm would create more than 600 jobs during construction, 15 ongoing jobs and remove more than one million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year from Victoria’s energy sector.
It is expected to generate enough energy to power 252,000 homes. RES is working with 18 families, across more than 4250ha, who are expected to receive lease payments for the turbines.
RES also manages a 75-turbine wind farm under construction at Ararat.
Australia can get to zero emissions, as rooftop solar booms
Households to power up to half Australia, zero emissions within reach: CSIRO, The Age, Adam Morton , 6 Dec 16
As the Coalition backs away from a pledge to consider a climate change policy that the energy industry says it needs, a new study is projecting a rapidly growing mass electricity generator for Australia in the decades ahead: the public.
Consumers using rooftop solar panels and batteries will produce between a third and half of Australia’s electricity by mid-century if the right policies are introduced, according to a roadmap from the CSIRO and power and gas transmission body Energy Networks Australia.
The two-year analysis also found an emissions intensity scheme for the electricity sector – a form of carbon trading that was to be considered by a government climate policy review until that plan was abandoned on Tuesday afternoon – would be the cheapest way to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
It suggests it could save customers $200 a year by 2030, while helping create a reliable electricity grid with zero emissions by 2050. Energy Networks chief John Bradley said a low-cost shift to zero emissions would depend on a national climate and energy plan with bipartisan support.
“By contrast, carbon policy which could change dramatically at every election, or differs in every state, is a recipe for a high-cost and less secure electricity service,” Mr Bradley said.
His call for the Coalition and Labor to come together on climate policy echoes that made by bodies representing energy generators and major industrial companies.
The Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap forecasts that up to 10 million households and small businesses would have solar panels, battery storage, smart homes and electric vehicles if pricing and incentives were changed to better reflect demand. This would “transform the grid into a platform more like the internet, where customers can trade and share energy”.
It recommends an emissions intensity scheme for power stations be introduced by 2020, following a similar call by the Climate Change Authority, now dominated by Coalition-appointed board members.
On Tuesday, Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg backed away from saying the government would consider this sort of scheme as part of a wide-ranging departmental review of climate policy next year. A handful of Coalition backbenchers, including Cory Bernardi and Craig Kelly, had called for any form of carbon pricing to be rejected…….
The report found thermal plants, including coal and gas fossil fuels, would be critical in balancing intermittent renewable energy in the years ahead, but would eventually be replaced by technologies using battery storage and biomass.
Getting there would present significant technical, economic and regulatory challenges. It would transform the system away from its original design – large centralised power stations – to a much more decentralised network.
It said a coordinated plan for 2050 could:
- Make average annual household bills $414 less than they otherwise would have been.
- Cut network costs to consumers by 30 per cent.
- Avoid $16 billion in spending on poles and wires.
- Lead to customers with solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicles earning $2.5 billion a year from network businesses.
The roadmap comes ahead of the Friday release of an interim report into electricity reliability led by chief scientist Alan Finkel, commissioned after South Australia suffered a statewide blackout in September. http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/households-to-power-up-to-half-australia-zero-emissions-within-reach-csiro-20161206-gt4ztf.html
1 This month
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity
Antinuclear 