Friday 1/12/2006 Page: 62
With fossil fuels out of favour, wind and solar power are increasing in popularity ascleaner, greener and more efficient forms of energy, writes Joanna Gerantidis.
The new millennium has seen the emergence of solar power and wind farms as serious contenders to help address rising concerns over greenhouse gas, which is just one of the environmentally unfriendly by-products of fossil-fuelled power stations.
Unchecked, climate change represents a serious challenge to human health, economies and environments, which is why an increasing number of countries around the globe are beginning to add more low-emission and emission-free energy into the overall energy mix.
Solar panels and wind farms are providing viable solutions to these issues as well as supplying electricity to homes and offices.
In October the South Australian Government announced legislation for a new `feed in' solar rebate. This is an Australian first that will see householders who install solar power in their homes rewarded for putting surplus solar power back into the main electricity grid.
The new rebate ties in with the Federal Government's $75.3 million `Solar Cities' initiative which has been implemented by the Department of the Environment and Heritage. The primary focus of the project is to demonstrate how solar power, smart meters, energy efficiency and new approaches to electricity pricing can combine to provide a sustainable energy future in urban locations across Australia.
The first `test' city is Adelaide which, with the aid of a $15 million government grant, will work together with Origin Energy, BP Solar, Big Switch Projects, the City of Salisbury, Mawson Lakes Development and the ANZ Banking Group to assist consumers, conmiunities, businesses and governments to be proactive in energy sustainability.
A key aim of the initiative is to install solar panels in more than 1700 homes in North Adelaide, as well as 7000 smart meters to help consumers save approximately $200 a year on their electricity bills.
The solar panels will be made in Australia by BP Solar at the company's Homebush plant in Sydney. The solar photovoltaic (PV) technology will come from Origin Energy's Adelaide plant.
According to Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) director Ric Brazzale, the $15 million government grant will aid in offering consumers discounted loans when they purchase solar panels for their homes. A comprehensive package of measures will double the current capacity of solar panels in South Australia, provide energy savings of $5 million per year, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30,000 tonnes per year.
"Consider a recent study by the Queensland Government which found that for every air conditioner installed in a home the electricity industry has to spend an extra $13,000 on additional poles, wires and substations to mange the extra load. Ultimately, to meet the needs of a few it is the consumers who have to pay," he says.
Ric says that a major benefit of solar PV power is that it is generated on site, where the energy is actually needed. This means that no electricity is lost in transmission, as is the case from coal-fired power plants, which lose 30% of their electricity in transmission.
"Because solar generation is at many sites on many roofs, instead of being concentrated in one big power plant, there are fewer blackouts.
Australia's peak power needs are rising rapidly with a staggering $24 billion already comnutted to electricity infrastructure over the next five years. Yet much of this peak demand will be required for just a few hours a day on a handful of days throughout the year," says Ric.
"By utilising the sorts of technologies and designs offered by Solar Cities, newer and more efficient ways of meeting demand will be demonstrated to be more sustainable and economically efficient. This is a great boost to the solar power industry and a large proportion ofAustralian households could support solar photovoltaic systems" After being named Queensland's first Solar City, Townsville joins Adelaide as one of the first cities set to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50,000 tonnes per year.
Like Adelaide, Townsville will invest part of its $15 million government grant in the installation of solar panels in 500 homes and businesses and the rollout of 2500 smart meters and 1700 inhouse energy display meters. Townsville's project partners are Ergon Energy, Townsville City Council, HIG Riverway, Delfin Townsville and the Queensland Government.
More solar cities are slated to be announced by the Federal Government at a later date. There is also growing interest to increase the number of wind farms in Australia.
Australia has world-class wind resources, particularly in southern Australia and Tasmania, which he in the path of the Roaring Forties - the prevailing westerly winds that circle the earth's high southern latitudes.
The Australian Wind Energy Association (Auswind) says there is potential for at least an additional 5000MW of wind power - an investment of some $20 billion. In 1996, there were only 20 wind turbines operating in Australia, with a total energy generating capacity of approximately 2.7MW. Today, there are around 505 wind turbines with a total capacity of about 817MW.
Wind energy has grown at around 28% per year worldwide thanks to policies that encourage clean energy production. Auswind chief executive Dominique La Fontaine, says that compared to the US, India and China, Australia has been relatively slow to adopt wind farms. The main objection has always been that a move to this renewable source would push up energy costs, but Dominique says that this mindset is beginning to change, particularly as a number of Australian companies have emerged as wind farm project specialists in site monitoring, design, installation and operation and maintenance. These firms include Pacific Power International, Pacific Hydro,Western Power Corporation and Hydro Tasmania.
"The latest figures show that Australians recognise that tackling climate change is far more important than a few dollars extra on an electricity bill.
"Australia has plenty of investors just waiting for the right signals from Canberra to show that Australia also welcomes wind energy. Schemes like the Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) have shown a potential for huge investment in wind energy and its potential to deliver clean electricity while providing a boost to regional economies," she says.
Recipe For Environmental Success
Victoria believes it has the recipe for an infinite supply of clean and affordable energy.
The Federal and State Governments have announced they will provide $125 million in grants towards a $420 million proposal by Melbourne-based company Solar Systems, to build the world's largest solar power station between Swan Hill and Mildura by 2013.
The power station will be built across a number of different sites and use highperformance solar cells originally developed to power satellites. Solar Systems technology will have the capacity to concentrate the sun by 500 times onto the solar cells for ultra-high power output.
The proposed funding will also go towards developing solar and wind technologies to create renewable energy sources. The power station will use technology known as Heliostat Concentrator Photovoltaic (HCPV) that will consist of fields of heliostats sun-tracking mirrors that focus sunlight onto receivers. The receivers will house PV modules, which consist of arrays of ultra high efficiency solar cells that convert sunlight directly into electricity.
Solar Systems' managing director Dave Holland says it's an exciting opportunity for the company, which has invested over $50 million since it began developing the technology 16 years ago.
"This plant is the first step in a strategic plan to roll out large scale solar technology across Australia and internationally. The plant will make a significant contribution towards reducing Victoria's environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 400,000 tonnes per year.
"The project is also important for Victoria's and Australia's economy. It is expected to create approximately 950 jobs at the peak of construction and be a catalyst for a new industry that will create more than 10,000 permanent jobs," Dave says.
Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy www.bcse.org.au
03 9349 3077
Australian Wind Energy Association www.auswind.org
03 9670 2033
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