Economist
Monday 23/6/2008 Page: 6
Wind power has come of age. But to make the most of it, electrical grids will have to be overhauled.
ON A ridge near Toledo in Castile-La Mancha stands a row of white windmills. Literary buffs, even if they have never been to Spain, will recognise them as the ferocious giants attacked by Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes's fictional 17th-century hero. These days, however, they are dwarfed by legions of modern wind turbines that grind out not flour but power, helping to make Spain one of the leading producers of wind-based electricity in Europe.
Does this amount to tilting at windmills? There is no doubt that Spain's wind turbines would not have been built without assistance from the highly visible hand of a government that wanted to prove its green credentials. But wind power is no illusion. World capacity is growing at 30% a year and will exceed 100 gigawatts this year. Victor Abate, General Electric's vice president of renewables, is so convinced that by 2012 half of the new generating capacity built in America will be wind powered that he is basing his business plan on that assumption.
Wind currently provides only about 1% of America's electricity, but by 2020 that figure may have risen to 15%. The one part of the United States that has something approximating a proper free market in electricity, Texas, is also keener than any other state on deploying the turbines. In May, T.
Boone Pickens, one of the state's most famous oil tycoons, announced a deal with GE to build a one-gigawatt wind farm-the world's largest-at a cost of $2 billion. What was once a greener-than-thou toy has thus become a real business (GE alone expects to sell $6 billion-worth of turbines this year)-and one with many advantages.
For example, as Lester Brown, the president of the Earth Policy Institute, a thinktank in Washington, DC, points out, a farmer in Iowa who gives up a tenth of a hectare (a quarter of an acre) of land to a turbine might earn $10,000 a year from it (about 3% of the value of the electricity it produces). Planted with maize, the same land would yield a mere $300-worth of bioethanol.
Moreover, wind farms can be built piecemeal, unlike most power stations. A half-finished coal-fired or nuclear energy plant is a useless waste of money, but a half-finished wind farm is simply a wind farm half the size originally intended-and one that has been providing revenue since the first turbine was completed. One consequence of this rapidly growing market is a virtuous circle of technological improvement that is pushing wind generated electricity closer and closer to solving Google's cheaper-than-coal equation.
The first turbines were cobbled together from components intended for ships. Now the engineers are borrowing from aircraft design, using sophisticated composite materials and equally sophisticated variable-geometry blades to make those blades as long as possible (bigger is better with turbine technology) and as smart as possible (a blade that can flex when the wind blows too strongly, and thus "spill" part of that wind, is able to turn when other, lesser turbines would have to be shut down for their own safety). The theoretical maximum efficiency of a turbine, worked out in the early 20th century by Albert Betz, is 59.3%. Modern turbines get surprisingly close to that, being about 50% efficient.
They are also more reliable than their predecessors. According to Mr Abate, when GE entered the turbine business in 2002 the average turbine was out of commission 15% of the time. Now its downtime is less than 3%. As a result, the cost of the energy cranked out by these turbines has come down to about 8 cents a kilowatt hour (kWh) and is still falling.
That makes wind power competitive with electricity generated by burning natural gas. Coal power is still cheaper, at about 5 cents a kWh. But according to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), that would rise to 8 cents if the CO2 from coal-fired power stations had to be captured and stored underground (see box on the next page)-or, for that matter, if a carbon tax of $3o a tonne were imposed.
The power companies that buy the turbines are also getting smarter. They employ teams of meteorologists to scour the world for the best places to put turbines. It is not just a question of when the wind blows, but also of how powerfully. A difference of as little as one or two kilometres (one mile) an hour in average wind speed can have a significant effect on electrical output. And another lot of meteorologists sit in the control centres, making detailed forecasts a day or two ahead to help a company manage its power load. For one problem with wind is that if it stops blowing, the turbines stop turning. After cutting costs, that is the second great challenge of the spread of wind power.
The third is that people do not necessarily live where the wind blows. Indeed, they often avoid living in such places. Solving these problems, though, is a task not for the mechanical engineers who build the turbines but for the electrical engineers who link them to places where power is wanted. That means electricity grids are about to become bigger and smarter.
Bigger means transcontinental, at least for people like Vinod Khosla. His analogy is America's interstate highway system, built after the second world war. The new grids would use direct, rather than alternating, current. AC was adopted as standard over a century ago, when the electrical world was rather different. But DC is better suited to transporting power over long distances. Less power is lost, even on land. And DC cables can also be laid on the seabed (the presence of all that water would dissipate an AC current very quickly). In the right geographical circumstances that eliminates the difficulty of obtaining wayleaves to cross private land and the not-in-my-backyard objections that power lines are ugly. Indeed, there is already a plan to use underwater cables to ship windpower from Maine to Boston in this way.
Rewiring the planet
As it happens, Europe already has the embryo of a DC grid. It links Scandinavia, northern Germany and the Netherlands, and there is talk of extending it across the North Sea to the British Isles. another notoriously windy part of Europe. By connecting distant points, this grid not only delivers power to market, it also allows the system some slack. It matters less that the wind does not blow all the time because it blows at different times in different places.
The grid also permits surplus power to be used to pump water uphill in Norwegian hydroelectric plants (a system known as pumped storage), ready for use when demand spikes. Smarter grids, however, would help to smooth out such spikes in the first place. The ability to accommodate inherently intermittent sources such as wind is only one of several reasons for wanting to do this, but it is an important one. A smart grid will constantly monitor its load and (this is the smart bit) take particular consumers offline, with their prior agreement and in exchange for a lower price, if that load surges beyond a preset level.
For this purpose, a consumer may not necessarily be the same as a customer. The grid's software would be able to identify particular circuits, or even particular appliances, in a home, office or factory. Their owners would decide in what circumstances they should shut down or boost up, and the smart grid's software would then do the job. Water heaters and air-conditioners might stock up on heat or cold in anticipation of such shutdowns. Fridges would know how long they could manage without power before they had to switch on again.
Reducing spikes in demand that way will cut the need for what are known in the industry as "peakers" - small power plants such as pumped-storage systems that exist solely to deal with such spikes. Parts of America's existing dumb and fragmentary electricity grid are so vulnerable to load variations that their owners think they may be able to cope with no more than about 2% of intermittent wind power. Clearly peaks will never be eliminated entirely.
However, Mr Abate reckons that a combination of smart grids and gas-fired peakers should push the potential for wind power up a long way. To prove the point, GE is collaborating with the government of Hawaii, a state which is served by a series of small, isolated grids highly vulnerable to disruption. The firm's engineers reckon that clever grid management will allow up to 30% of local power to come from wind without any blackouts. If that improvement can be translated to the grids on the mainland, winds future looks assured.
Friday, 27 June 2008
Thursday, 26 June 2008
Brumby planning to plug Victoria into the sun
Age
Tuesday 17/6/2008 Page: 5
FOUR solar plants capable of producing enough power to meet the annual needs of almost 200,000 homes could be built in Victoria over the next decade, under a plan for renewable energy outlined by Premier John Brumby. While work is under way on the development of a 154-megawatt solar power station in the state's north-west, Mr Brumby said he could "foresee another three or four plants of that potential size and scale over the next decade."
The $420 million solar plant near Mildura, a partnership between TRUEnergy and Melbourne-based company Solar Systems, is expected to provide enough green power for 45,000 homes by the time work is completed in 2013. Mr Brumby said Victoria had excellent prospects for solar power, particularly in the north and north-west, and large industrial users in the western suburbs could benefit from the technology.
"I really want to push this through, and we're seeing just great opportunities," he said, adding that he would like work to begin on another solar plant in Victoria within two years. Last month's state budget included a $72 million fund for large-scale, renewable energy projects. The Premier also told The Age he was considering a mandatory solar energy component within the state's renewable energy target, possibly at a quarter of the overall 10% target to be achieved by 2016.
"If we set the 2.5% target, that will lead to a very high degree of interest (from companies)... you'll see a rush of activity," he said. Mr Brumby made the comments as he and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh toured solar facilities in the US state of Nevada, which has a renewable energy target of 20% by 2015, of which 5% must be solar. They visited a new Las Vegas factory for Ausra - the solar thermal technology company founded by former Sydney University professor Dr David Mills - and a 75-megawatt solar thermal plant in Boulder City.
After taking part in a solar thermal business forum - in collaboration with the Clinton Foundation's climate initiative - the two premiers jointly announced a $680,000 project to develop a solar atlas for Victoria and Queensland that would help companies identify the best locations for solar investment.
The atlas, due for completion by the year-end, would consider not only the amount of solar radiation but factors such as the suitability of land and proximity to existing transmission cables. Clean Energy Council spokeswoman Irene Bukhshtaber said the prospect of additional solar plants in Victoria was "logical, do-able, necessary and affordable."
But she said the council, which represents clean-energy businesses, wanted an open market for renewable energy "so that the lowest-cost options win." Environment Victoria's campaigns director, Mark Wakeham, said the best thing the Government could do to was to broaden the reach of a new solar subsidy scheme. The scheme, restricted to households with solar panels producing up to two kilowatts, provides a premium rate for excess power that is fed back into the grid.
Tuesday 17/6/2008 Page: 5
FOUR solar plants capable of producing enough power to meet the annual needs of almost 200,000 homes could be built in Victoria over the next decade, under a plan for renewable energy outlined by Premier John Brumby. While work is under way on the development of a 154-megawatt solar power station in the state's north-west, Mr Brumby said he could "foresee another three or four plants of that potential size and scale over the next decade."The $420 million solar plant near Mildura, a partnership between TRUEnergy and Melbourne-based company Solar Systems, is expected to provide enough green power for 45,000 homes by the time work is completed in 2013. Mr Brumby said Victoria had excellent prospects for solar power, particularly in the north and north-west, and large industrial users in the western suburbs could benefit from the technology.
"I really want to push this through, and we're seeing just great opportunities," he said, adding that he would like work to begin on another solar plant in Victoria within two years. Last month's state budget included a $72 million fund for large-scale, renewable energy projects. The Premier also told The Age he was considering a mandatory solar energy component within the state's renewable energy target, possibly at a quarter of the overall 10% target to be achieved by 2016.
"If we set the 2.5% target, that will lead to a very high degree of interest (from companies)... you'll see a rush of activity," he said. Mr Brumby made the comments as he and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh toured solar facilities in the US state of Nevada, which has a renewable energy target of 20% by 2015, of which 5% must be solar. They visited a new Las Vegas factory for Ausra - the solar thermal technology company founded by former Sydney University professor Dr David Mills - and a 75-megawatt solar thermal plant in Boulder City.
After taking part in a solar thermal business forum - in collaboration with the Clinton Foundation's climate initiative - the two premiers jointly announced a $680,000 project to develop a solar atlas for Victoria and Queensland that would help companies identify the best locations for solar investment.
The atlas, due for completion by the year-end, would consider not only the amount of solar radiation but factors such as the suitability of land and proximity to existing transmission cables. Clean Energy Council spokeswoman Irene Bukhshtaber said the prospect of additional solar plants in Victoria was "logical, do-able, necessary and affordable."
But she said the council, which represents clean-energy businesses, wanted an open market for renewable energy "so that the lowest-cost options win." Environment Victoria's campaigns director, Mark Wakeham, said the best thing the Government could do to was to broaden the reach of a new solar subsidy scheme. The scheme, restricted to households with solar panels producing up to two kilowatts, provides a premium rate for excess power that is fed back into the grid.
Winds of change in the north
Adelaide Advertiser
Tuesday 17/6/2008 Page: 33
DUTCH company Suzlon Energy has established an office at Jamestown to service four wind-farm projects in the region. The office at Jamestown Industrial Park is expected to employ 27 people by 2012 to supply, construct and maintain wind farms in the Mid North and northern Yorke Peninsula. The company will build a regional centre, operations office and stores facilities in Jamestown at a cost of more than $2.5 million.
Suzlon has worked in partnership with AGL during the development of the Hallett wind-farm project. The first turbine and blades arrived in SA from Suzlon's manufacturing facility in India in late February and were then assembled on site at Hallett. The Hallett wind farm comprises 45 wind turbines that have a total capacity of 94.5 megawatts. Each tower is 80m high, with the blade tips reaching 124m.
Tuesday 17/6/2008 Page: 33
DUTCH company Suzlon Energy has established an office at Jamestown to service four wind-farm projects in the region. The office at Jamestown Industrial Park is expected to employ 27 people by 2012 to supply, construct and maintain wind farms in the Mid North and northern Yorke Peninsula. The company will build a regional centre, operations office and stores facilities in Jamestown at a cost of more than $2.5 million.
Suzlon has worked in partnership with AGL during the development of the Hallett wind-farm project. The first turbine and blades arrived in SA from Suzlon's manufacturing facility in India in late February and were then assembled on site at Hallett. The Hallett wind farm comprises 45 wind turbines that have a total capacity of 94.5 megawatts. Each tower is 80m high, with the blade tips reaching 124m.
Australian breakthrough snapped up - by eager Americans
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday 16/6/2008 Page: 4
FORMER Sydney University professor Dr David Mills couldn't find funding for his giant solar power plants in Australia, but US investors had no qualms wagering at least $40 million on the idea. Dr Mills' first factory for the mass production of "solar parks" will open in Las Vegas later this month. It hosted a gaggle of interested Australian politicians last night in Nevada, including the NSW Environment Minister, Verity Firth.
The power plants, conceived in Dr Mills's Sydney University lab, will reflect sunlight with mirrors to boil water and use the steam to spin turbines, generating electricity for a price not much higher than that of a coal-burning power station. But, unlike some solar power systems, they can function when the sun isn't shining by storing heat in insulated chambers for a rainy day, and continue steadily feeding power into the grid.
The technology, some of which the company is keeping under wraps, is not complicated or particularly expensive, but it is being exploited in Nevada rather than NSW because that is where the financial backing is, Dr Mills said. "We're not really talking about government money or subsidies, we're trying to establish a level playing field for the technology," Dr Mills said.
"There is a big debate being held here [in the US], but I don't think that debate is being held as it should be in Australia." Dr Mills moved the headquarters of Ausra, the solar company he founded, to the US last year because he found that banks there were more willing to take risks on large-scale developments that feed directly into the power grid. "We've shown that the system will be competitive with coalfired electricity, especially when it has the extra cost of having Carbon Capture and Storage fitted," Dr Mills said.
'Added to that, we obviously have no fuel costs." There have been regular inquiries from potential investors in Australia, but so far none has been found to fund a project on a scale that could start seeing greenhouse gas-intensive coal power stations replaced. Ausra does have a pilot plant already functioning at Liddell Power Station near Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley's traditional coal country, supplementing the coalburning plant and preserving an estimated 4000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
The NSW Government would like to see more schemes like it, although it is offering no special incentives at this stage. Ms Firth said she hoped the introduction of the Federal Government's Emissions Trading Scheme and renewable energy target of 20 per cent by the year 2020, together with the state's own $40 million renewable energy fund, would encourage Dr Mills' company to persist with a large-scale solar plant in the state. "We'd obviously like to see this sort of industry in NSW, it's absolutely part of our longer term agenda," Ms Firth said.
Monday 16/6/2008 Page: 4
FORMER Sydney University professor Dr David Mills couldn't find funding for his giant solar power plants in Australia, but US investors had no qualms wagering at least $40 million on the idea. Dr Mills' first factory for the mass production of "solar parks" will open in Las Vegas later this month. It hosted a gaggle of interested Australian politicians last night in Nevada, including the NSW Environment Minister, Verity Firth.The power plants, conceived in Dr Mills's Sydney University lab, will reflect sunlight with mirrors to boil water and use the steam to spin turbines, generating electricity for a price not much higher than that of a coal-burning power station. But, unlike some solar power systems, they can function when the sun isn't shining by storing heat in insulated chambers for a rainy day, and continue steadily feeding power into the grid.
The technology, some of which the company is keeping under wraps, is not complicated or particularly expensive, but it is being exploited in Nevada rather than NSW because that is where the financial backing is, Dr Mills said. "We're not really talking about government money or subsidies, we're trying to establish a level playing field for the technology," Dr Mills said.
"There is a big debate being held here [in the US], but I don't think that debate is being held as it should be in Australia." Dr Mills moved the headquarters of Ausra, the solar company he founded, to the US last year because he found that banks there were more willing to take risks on large-scale developments that feed directly into the power grid. "We've shown that the system will be competitive with coalfired electricity, especially when it has the extra cost of having Carbon Capture and Storage fitted," Dr Mills said.
'Added to that, we obviously have no fuel costs." There have been regular inquiries from potential investors in Australia, but so far none has been found to fund a project on a scale that could start seeing greenhouse gas-intensive coal power stations replaced. Ausra does have a pilot plant already functioning at Liddell Power Station near Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley's traditional coal country, supplementing the coalburning plant and preserving an estimated 4000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
The NSW Government would like to see more schemes like it, although it is offering no special incentives at this stage. Ms Firth said she hoped the introduction of the Federal Government's Emissions Trading Scheme and renewable energy target of 20 per cent by the year 2020, together with the state's own $40 million renewable energy fund, would encourage Dr Mills' company to persist with a large-scale solar plant in the state. "We'd obviously like to see this sort of industry in NSW, it's absolutely part of our longer term agenda," Ms Firth said.
Solar industry supports Queensland plan for gross feed-in tariffs
Clean Energy Council
5 June 2005
QUEENSLAND: The Clean Energy Council today endorsed the Queensland Opposition's plan for a gross metering feed-in tariff for all solar photovoltaic (PV) generators in the state. The scheme involves a guaranteed premium payment for all the solar energy produced in the state, both domestic and commercial, including households, schools, shopping centres, sporting clubs, community halls and government buildings.
The Clean Energy Council, the peak industry body for clean energy including solar power, is seeking a nationally consistent gross metering feed-in tariff from 1 July 2009 - with a longterm price set high enough - to provide certainty for consumers and encourage growth of the solar industry.
"We would welcome Queensland becoming the ‘first mover' ahead of a national scheme," said Irena Bukhshtaber, GM – Communications, Clean Energy Council. "We believe that homes and businesses across the nation should be rewarded for all the clean energy they produce. A national gross feed-in tariff is an essential policy for both the growth of zero-emission solar energy and a viable, healthy solar industry in Australia," she said.
Stationary energy is responsible for 50% of Australia's emissions so any climate change solution must target the energy sector specifically. Clean energy like solar power provides electricity where and when it's needed without producing climate-changing greenhouse gases.
"With the recent introduction of means testing on solar rebates, a national gross feed-in tariff policy is vital to reduce financial barriers and maintain the incentive for all Australians to invest in climate change solutions" added Ms Bukhshtaber.
Feed-in tariffs have been proven in 46 countries where they stimulated rapid uptake of solar energy and reduced demand for high-emission, carbon intense power. Some countries are now looking at feed-in laws for large scale clean energy infrastructure as well. The Clean Energy Council is working with all Australian governments to deliver a suite of sustainable energy policies that will effectively cut greenhouse gas emissions at least cost to the economy.
5 June 2005
QUEENSLAND: The Clean Energy Council today endorsed the Queensland Opposition's plan for a gross metering feed-in tariff for all solar photovoltaic (PV) generators in the state. The scheme involves a guaranteed premium payment for all the solar energy produced in the state, both domestic and commercial, including households, schools, shopping centres, sporting clubs, community halls and government buildings.The Clean Energy Council, the peak industry body for clean energy including solar power, is seeking a nationally consistent gross metering feed-in tariff from 1 July 2009 - with a longterm price set high enough - to provide certainty for consumers and encourage growth of the solar industry.
"We would welcome Queensland becoming the ‘first mover' ahead of a national scheme," said Irena Bukhshtaber, GM – Communications, Clean Energy Council. "We believe that homes and businesses across the nation should be rewarded for all the clean energy they produce. A national gross feed-in tariff is an essential policy for both the growth of zero-emission solar energy and a viable, healthy solar industry in Australia," she said.
Stationary energy is responsible for 50% of Australia's emissions so any climate change solution must target the energy sector specifically. Clean energy like solar power provides electricity where and when it's needed without producing climate-changing greenhouse gases.
"With the recent introduction of means testing on solar rebates, a national gross feed-in tariff policy is vital to reduce financial barriers and maintain the incentive for all Australians to invest in climate change solutions" added Ms Bukhshtaber.
Feed-in tariffs have been proven in 46 countries where they stimulated rapid uptake of solar energy and reduced demand for high-emission, carbon intense power. Some countries are now looking at feed-in laws for large scale clean energy infrastructure as well. The Clean Energy Council is working with all Australian governments to deliver a suite of sustainable energy policies that will effectively cut greenhouse gas emissions at least cost to the economy.
Severn barrage ‘too expensive’ – report
www.environmental-finance.com/
London, 12 June:
A planned £15 billion ($29 billion) tidal-power barrage across the Severn Estuary is too expensive and the bill should not be footed by the UK taxpayer, according to a report commissioned by 10 environment groups. The 10-mile-long barrage would stretch between Wales and Somerset, and could generate 17 billion kilowatt hours of renewable power a year, providing up to 4.5% of likely electricity demand in the UK. But European consultancy Frontier Economics concluded that the same amount of renewable power could be generated using cheaper technologies.
The project was first proposed in 1981, by the Severn Tidal Power Group, a consortium which included Balfour Beatty. The plan never took off, and a report last year by the UK's Sustainable Development Commission said that the state should fund and run the barrage. However, Matthew Bell, author of the Frontier Economics report, said: "It is hard to think of reasons for the public sector to build or operate a barrage which would not be equally applicable to many other projects and assets that sit in the private sector.
"Not only is the private sector more than able to finance a scheme of this scale but, even using the most conservative estimates of costs, the barrage is one of the most expensive options for clean energy generation there is." Morgan Parry, head of WWF Cymru, added: "This report concludes quite clearly that government support for the Severn barrage is not justified.
Whereas we would welcome government intervention to improve the infrastructure of renewable energy supply, financial support for a redundant and highly damaging technology like a barrage is not the way to do it." Graham Wynne, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said: "There are good reasons for trying to harness the energy potential of the Severn estuary. But the estuary is truly exceptional for its ecological value."
London, 12 June:
A planned £15 billion ($29 billion) tidal-power barrage across the Severn Estuary is too expensive and the bill should not be footed by the UK taxpayer, according to a report commissioned by 10 environment groups. The 10-mile-long barrage would stretch between Wales and Somerset, and could generate 17 billion kilowatt hours of renewable power a year, providing up to 4.5% of likely electricity demand in the UK. But European consultancy Frontier Economics concluded that the same amount of renewable power could be generated using cheaper technologies.
The project was first proposed in 1981, by the Severn Tidal Power Group, a consortium which included Balfour Beatty. The plan never took off, and a report last year by the UK's Sustainable Development Commission said that the state should fund and run the barrage. However, Matthew Bell, author of the Frontier Economics report, said: "It is hard to think of reasons for the public sector to build or operate a barrage which would not be equally applicable to many other projects and assets that sit in the private sector.
"Not only is the private sector more than able to finance a scheme of this scale but, even using the most conservative estimates of costs, the barrage is one of the most expensive options for clean energy generation there is." Morgan Parry, head of WWF Cymru, added: "This report concludes quite clearly that government support for the Severn barrage is not justified.
Whereas we would welcome government intervention to improve the infrastructure of renewable energy supply, financial support for a redundant and highly damaging technology like a barrage is not the way to do it." Graham Wynne, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said: "There are good reasons for trying to harness the energy potential of the Severn estuary. But the estuary is truly exceptional for its ecological value."
AGL eyes expansion
Bendigo Advertiser
Saturday 14/6/2008 Page: 33
Melbourne - AGL Energy Ltd is investigating a stage five expansion to its Hallett wind farm in South Australia as the company aims to have almost half of its power generated from renewables by 2020.
Australia's largest power retailer yesterday officially opened its $236 million Hallett stage one wind farm 220 kilometres north of Adelaide, the first of four planned for the area.
AGL Energy is building on its renewable power generation ahead of the introduction of a national carbon trading system in 2010 and the federal government's target of having 20 per cent of the nation's power generated from renewable sources by 2020.
Saturday 14/6/2008 Page: 33
Melbourne - AGL Energy Ltd is investigating a stage five expansion to its Hallett wind farm in South Australia as the company aims to have almost half of its power generated from renewables by 2020.
Australia's largest power retailer yesterday officially opened its $236 million Hallett stage one wind farm 220 kilometres north of Adelaide, the first of four planned for the area.
AGL Energy is building on its renewable power generation ahead of the introduction of a national carbon trading system in 2010 and the federal government's target of having 20 per cent of the nation's power generated from renewable sources by 2020.
Elmore field days go green
Bendigo Advertiser
Saturday 14/6/2008 Page: 8
HOW alternative energy can be applied in farming will be a feature of this year's Elmore Field Days. The organising committee wants to showcase alternative energy solutions, suppliers and organisations under the theme Capitalising on a Climate of Change, and is calling on appropriate stall holders to register soon. The field days will run from October 7-9 and exhibits will feature all types of alternative energy - from biodiesel to solar - and all the technology that makes for practical solutions at the individual enterprise level.
In conjunction with La Trobe University Bendigo, the field days will specifically help farmers understand their energy consumption. Farmers will be able to calculate carbon emissions and review opportunities to create carbon trading opportunities and accrue carbon credits. Field days president Darren Trewick said there was a great lack of understanding among farmers and farm managers about carbon generation and emissions.
"Most farmers indicated they have little or no understanding of carbon trading," Mr Trewick said. "They did not know how they might benefit by supplying carbon credits, such as tree-planting or similar forestry initiatives, to assist industries that are substantial carbon generators. "The carbon issue will be an ongoing theme in agriculture, particularly over the next couple of years as the issue grows in significance.
"We expect to have survey groups working on the field days site to help farmers calculate their energy consumption, their carbon emissions footprint and how they may reduce their expenses and benefit from any credits in carbon trading.
"It is also a project that conforms with our objective of establishing the Elmore Field Days and the Elmore Events Centre site as a carbon-friendly event, which will make it unique." The Elmore Field Days committee welcomes interest from potential exhibitors of alternative energy solutions and suppliers, and community groups interested in the carbon aspects of agriculture.
Saturday 14/6/2008 Page: 8
HOW alternative energy can be applied in farming will be a feature of this year's Elmore Field Days. The organising committee wants to showcase alternative energy solutions, suppliers and organisations under the theme Capitalising on a Climate of Change, and is calling on appropriate stall holders to register soon. The field days will run from October 7-9 and exhibits will feature all types of alternative energy - from biodiesel to solar - and all the technology that makes for practical solutions at the individual enterprise level.
In conjunction with La Trobe University Bendigo, the field days will specifically help farmers understand their energy consumption. Farmers will be able to calculate carbon emissions and review opportunities to create carbon trading opportunities and accrue carbon credits. Field days president Darren Trewick said there was a great lack of understanding among farmers and farm managers about carbon generation and emissions.
"Most farmers indicated they have little or no understanding of carbon trading," Mr Trewick said. "They did not know how they might benefit by supplying carbon credits, such as tree-planting or similar forestry initiatives, to assist industries that are substantial carbon generators. "The carbon issue will be an ongoing theme in agriculture, particularly over the next couple of years as the issue grows in significance.
"We expect to have survey groups working on the field days site to help farmers calculate their energy consumption, their carbon emissions footprint and how they may reduce their expenses and benefit from any credits in carbon trading.
"It is also a project that conforms with our objective of establishing the Elmore Field Days and the Elmore Events Centre site as a carbon-friendly event, which will make it unique." The Elmore Field Days committee welcomes interest from potential exhibitors of alternative energy solutions and suppliers, and community groups interested in the carbon aspects of agriculture.
Cost to offset desal plant's carbon footprint hits $42m
Age
Monday 16/6/2008 Page: 5
OFFSETTING the Victorian desalination plant's contribution to climate change will add $42 million a year to its electricity bill, a new analysis shows. The report by Environment Victoria, the state's peak conservation lobby, says the size of the bill reflects the massive energy demands of the plant, to be built near Wonthaggi in west Gippsland.
If run on coal-fired electricity, the plant would pump out 1.048 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year - equivalent to pollution from about 250,000 family cars. The State Government has promised to buy green energy to offset its energy use. According to Environment Victoria's analysis, the plant would require the equivalent of five new wind farms to be "carbon neutral." It estimates this would more than double the electricity bill from about $36 million a year to about $78 million.
Environment Victoria campaigns director Mark Wakeham said the most transparent way to ensure the plant operators offset its greenhouse gas emissions in full would be to make them buy 100% green power. "It's a complex area and there is some ambiguity in what the Government is saying. It is vitally important that the Brumby Government clearly outlines how the Wonthaggi project will be offset by renewable energy," he said. The environmental lobby opposes the $3.1 billion desalination plant, arguing it is expensive and high-polluting. Water Minister Tim Holding responds the Government is acting swiftly to meet the state's needs.
Monday 16/6/2008 Page: 5
OFFSETTING the Victorian desalination plant's contribution to climate change will add $42 million a year to its electricity bill, a new analysis shows. The report by Environment Victoria, the state's peak conservation lobby, says the size of the bill reflects the massive energy demands of the plant, to be built near Wonthaggi in west Gippsland.
If run on coal-fired electricity, the plant would pump out 1.048 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year - equivalent to pollution from about 250,000 family cars. The State Government has promised to buy green energy to offset its energy use. According to Environment Victoria's analysis, the plant would require the equivalent of five new wind farms to be "carbon neutral." It estimates this would more than double the electricity bill from about $36 million a year to about $78 million.
Environment Victoria campaigns director Mark Wakeham said the most transparent way to ensure the plant operators offset its greenhouse gas emissions in full would be to make them buy 100% green power. "It's a complex area and there is some ambiguity in what the Government is saying. It is vitally important that the Brumby Government clearly outlines how the Wonthaggi project will be offset by renewable energy," he said. The environmental lobby opposes the $3.1 billion desalination plant, arguing it is expensive and high-polluting. Water Minister Tim Holding responds the Government is acting swiftly to meet the state's needs.
Wind cost to beat coal by 2030, report says Greenpeace
Age
Monday 16/6/2008 Page: 3
Australia has released new economic modelling revealing that wind power will be cheaper than coal by 2030. The claim is contained in an ambitious blueprint to cut greenhouse gas emissions, which says changing to renewable energy makes economic, not just environmental, sense. The blueprint - Australia's Energy (R)evolution - proposes cutting greenhouse emissions to 60% of 1990 levels by 2020 by generating 40% of electricity from renewable sources.
It says this would stabilise energy prices in the future, as long as it is combined with significant gains in energy efficiency. By contrast, it warns that electricity prices will nearly double by 2020 and almost triple by 2050 if Australia does not move away from fossil fuels, because of rising world prices and the increasing price of carbon permits under an Emissions Trading Scheme.
"Fossil fuels will continue to get more expensive, while the cost of wind will fall because of economies of scale," report coauthor Julien Vincent told The Age. "For the first time we can see how we are able to phase out the dirtiest fossil fuel in Australia and by 2030 have eliminated the biggest sources of greenhouse gas - coal." The report concentrates on the transport and energy sectors. It advocates improved insulation, more efficient electrical appliances, and replacing electrical heaters and hot water systems with solar collectors.
Monday 16/6/2008 Page: 3
Australia has released new economic modelling revealing that wind power will be cheaper than coal by 2030. The claim is contained in an ambitious blueprint to cut greenhouse gas emissions, which says changing to renewable energy makes economic, not just environmental, sense. The blueprint - Australia's Energy (R)evolution - proposes cutting greenhouse emissions to 60% of 1990 levels by 2020 by generating 40% of electricity from renewable sources.
It says this would stabilise energy prices in the future, as long as it is combined with significant gains in energy efficiency. By contrast, it warns that electricity prices will nearly double by 2020 and almost triple by 2050 if Australia does not move away from fossil fuels, because of rising world prices and the increasing price of carbon permits under an Emissions Trading Scheme.
"Fossil fuels will continue to get more expensive, while the cost of wind will fall because of economies of scale," report coauthor Julien Vincent told The Age. "For the first time we can see how we are able to phase out the dirtiest fossil fuel in Australia and by 2030 have eliminated the biggest sources of greenhouse gas - coal." The report concentrates on the transport and energy sectors. It advocates improved insulation, more efficient electrical appliances, and replacing electrical heaters and hot water systems with solar collectors.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
AGL Energy has big power generation plans in the wind
Weekend Gold Coast Bulletin
Saturday 14/6/2008 Page: 123
AGL Energy is investigating a stage five expansion to its Hallet wind farm in South Australia as the company aims to have almost half its power generated from renewables by 2020. Australia's largest power retailer yesterday officially opened its $236 million Hallet stage one wind farm, 220km north of Adelaide, the first of four planned for the area. AGL Energy is building its renewable power generation capacity before introduction of a national carbon trading system in 2010 and to help meet the federal government's target of having 20 per cent of the nation's power generated from renewable sources by 2020.
"We're looking potentially at a stage five at the Hallet wind farm, so there is potential for that," said AGL Energy managing director Michael Fraser. Hallet stage one has 45 wind turbines and will produce about 95 megawatts per year, enough to power about 54,000 homes. The second stage is in construction and two other additional stages under investment consideration. If all four projects proceed, AGL Energy could be operating more than 232 wind turbines and generating a combined capacity of more than 460 megawatts by 2011.
AGL Energy said just tinder a third of the company's current power generation was from renewable sources. It said it was aiming to increase that capacity to about 45 per cent by 2020. "I would expect, if we think out to 2020 where the government targets are, then probably we're going to end up somewhere in the order of 3000 to 4000 megawatts of renewable generation," said Mr Fraser.
"It would probably be tip in the 40 per cent plus range, 40 to 45 per cent of (total) generation capacity." AGL Energy said wind was the dominant technology in the renewable energy space, but the company was also looking at other options, including geothermal, wave technology and solar. The company provides gas and electricity to more than six million Australian customers.
Saturday 14/6/2008 Page: 123
AGL Energy is investigating a stage five expansion to its Hallet wind farm in South Australia as the company aims to have almost half its power generated from renewables by 2020. Australia's largest power retailer yesterday officially opened its $236 million Hallet stage one wind farm, 220km north of Adelaide, the first of four planned for the area. AGL Energy is building its renewable power generation capacity before introduction of a national carbon trading system in 2010 and to help meet the federal government's target of having 20 per cent of the nation's power generated from renewable sources by 2020."We're looking potentially at a stage five at the Hallet wind farm, so there is potential for that," said AGL Energy managing director Michael Fraser. Hallet stage one has 45 wind turbines and will produce about 95 megawatts per year, enough to power about 54,000 homes. The second stage is in construction and two other additional stages under investment consideration. If all four projects proceed, AGL Energy could be operating more than 232 wind turbines and generating a combined capacity of more than 460 megawatts by 2011.
AGL Energy said just tinder a third of the company's current power generation was from renewable sources. It said it was aiming to increase that capacity to about 45 per cent by 2020. "I would expect, if we think out to 2020 where the government targets are, then probably we're going to end up somewhere in the order of 3000 to 4000 megawatts of renewable generation," said Mr Fraser.
"It would probably be tip in the 40 per cent plus range, 40 to 45 per cent of (total) generation capacity." AGL Energy said wind was the dominant technology in the renewable energy space, but the company was also looking at other options, including geothermal, wave technology and solar. The company provides gas and electricity to more than six million Australian customers.
AGL expansion:
Launceston Examiner
Saturday 14/6/2008 Page: 26
AGL Energy Ltd is investigating a stage five expansion to its Hallet wind farm in South Australia as the company aims to have almost half of its power generated from renewables by 2020.
Australia's largest power retailer yesterday officially opened its $236 million Hallet stage one wind farm 220km north of Adelaide, the first of four planned for the area. AGL Energy is building on its renewable power generation ahead of the introduction of a national carbon trading system in 2010 and the Federal Government's target of having 20 per cent of the nation's power generated from renewable sources by 2020. The company provides gas and electricity to more than six million Australian customers.
Saturday 14/6/2008 Page: 26
AGL Energy Ltd is investigating a stage five expansion to its Hallet wind farm in South Australia as the company aims to have almost half of its power generated from renewables by 2020.
Australia's largest power retailer yesterday officially opened its $236 million Hallet stage one wind farm 220km north of Adelaide, the first of four planned for the area. AGL Energy is building on its renewable power generation ahead of the introduction of a national carbon trading system in 2010 and the Federal Government's target of having 20 per cent of the nation's power generated from renewable sources by 2020. The company provides gas and electricity to more than six million Australian customers.
Bald Hills gets a second wind
South Gippsland Sentinel Times
Wednesday 11/6/2008 Page: 3
THE 52-turbine Bald Hills Wind Farm project has been resurrected after a Japanese company announced on Friday it had bought the proposed farm from Wind Power. Mitsui and Co has acquired 100 per cent of the shares of Bald Hills Wind Farm, a special purpose company holding the development rights to the wind farm project. Construction of the 104 megawatt 1750 hectare wind farm was planned to begin this month, but Wind Power had seemingly gone cold on the project.
Former Federal environment minister Senator Ian Campbell controversially rejected the project in April 2006 because of fears it would threaten the endangered Orange-Bellied Parrot, but then overturned that decision in the following December. But now Mitsui is expecting it will have the wind farm in operation by 2011 and it is expected to generate renewable energy sufficient to power the equivalent of 62,000 average households and avoid up to 335,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum.
The Tarwin Valley Coastal Guardians have been campaigning against the project for six years and spokesman Tim Le Roy said he was disappointed that the group and the community had not been consulted by Mitsui prior to the takeover. "Were very disappointed they haven't given us a call," he said. "I will be formally pursuing the reasons why they haven't consulted with us and the community and I will be inviting them down.
"Hopefully Mitsui will be more reasonable than the landowners at Bald Hills and the former directors and shareholders at Wind Power. "In their press release they said there is widespread community support for their project, but I don t know who they've been talking to in the local area. Perhaps they've been misled. "The Australian Conservation Foundation, South Gippsland Shire Council and the Gippsland Coastal Board are all against it, so there's definitely been no support on the ground.
"There might be a lot of support from the greenies in Melbourne, but there isn't in the local area." "Victorian landscape should not be sacrificed for Japanese carbon traders. "If Japanese companies want to make electricity from wind they should do it on whichever mountain they choose in Japan. Don t do it down our way," he said. "Rural communities don't need these companies coming in here and exploiting our assets for their benefit.
"Ifs also interesting that the landowners there were told by Wind Power that they would always be dealing with them, and that they were always going to be developing the project themselves. "Now they've flogged it off to the Japanese. They did that up at Waubra where they flogged it off to the Spanish, and they flogged Wonthaggi to the union super funds. What else have they got to sell?" Mr Le Roy said Mitsui has many more hurdles to overcome before the wind farm is built.
"We've fought against this for six years and we knew that Wind Power were desperately trying to raise enough money to keep it going so we're not going to stop now," he said. Lindsay Marriott is a supporter of the project and if it goes ahead he will have seven wind turbines built on his 640-acre property.
Mr Marriott has welcomed the Mitsui takeover and said he "knew it was coming'. We have a good relationship with the company, and the company is a very honest and open company," he said. "I think this is a positive way forward for human beings and its something that we're going to have to do. "This project is about renewable energy and energy for Australia. "There are a few emerging issues coming out now and one is that Australia is going to be very short of energy, and clean energy in particular.
"This happens to be a very, very good wind farm site so I would be glad to see it go ahead." Mr Marriott was particularly scathing about some of the claims made by the Tarwin Valley Coastal Guardians. "I think you'll find that the Bald Hills Wind Farm has got much more support than what the Guardians would have you believe," Mr Marriott said.
"If you were to spend much time in Wonthaggi with the man on the street, you'd find that the Wonthaggi wind farm has been remarkably well accepted by the people there. "I truly believe that the majority of people living in this part of the world, let alone the rest of the world, are pretty tired of the nastiness and the misinformation that some of these anti-wind farm groups are promoting."
Wednesday 11/6/2008 Page: 3
THE 52-turbine Bald Hills Wind Farm project has been resurrected after a Japanese company announced on Friday it had bought the proposed farm from Wind Power. Mitsui and Co has acquired 100 per cent of the shares of Bald Hills Wind Farm, a special purpose company holding the development rights to the wind farm project. Construction of the 104 megawatt 1750 hectare wind farm was planned to begin this month, but Wind Power had seemingly gone cold on the project.
Former Federal environment minister Senator Ian Campbell controversially rejected the project in April 2006 because of fears it would threaten the endangered Orange-Bellied Parrot, but then overturned that decision in the following December. But now Mitsui is expecting it will have the wind farm in operation by 2011 and it is expected to generate renewable energy sufficient to power the equivalent of 62,000 average households and avoid up to 335,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum.
The Tarwin Valley Coastal Guardians have been campaigning against the project for six years and spokesman Tim Le Roy said he was disappointed that the group and the community had not been consulted by Mitsui prior to the takeover. "Were very disappointed they haven't given us a call," he said. "I will be formally pursuing the reasons why they haven't consulted with us and the community and I will be inviting them down.
"Hopefully Mitsui will be more reasonable than the landowners at Bald Hills and the former directors and shareholders at Wind Power. "In their press release they said there is widespread community support for their project, but I don t know who they've been talking to in the local area. Perhaps they've been misled. "The Australian Conservation Foundation, South Gippsland Shire Council and the Gippsland Coastal Board are all against it, so there's definitely been no support on the ground.
"There might be a lot of support from the greenies in Melbourne, but there isn't in the local area." "Victorian landscape should not be sacrificed for Japanese carbon traders. "If Japanese companies want to make electricity from wind they should do it on whichever mountain they choose in Japan. Don t do it down our way," he said. "Rural communities don't need these companies coming in here and exploiting our assets for their benefit.
"Ifs also interesting that the landowners there were told by Wind Power that they would always be dealing with them, and that they were always going to be developing the project themselves. "Now they've flogged it off to the Japanese. They did that up at Waubra where they flogged it off to the Spanish, and they flogged Wonthaggi to the union super funds. What else have they got to sell?" Mr Le Roy said Mitsui has many more hurdles to overcome before the wind farm is built.
"We've fought against this for six years and we knew that Wind Power were desperately trying to raise enough money to keep it going so we're not going to stop now," he said. Lindsay Marriott is a supporter of the project and if it goes ahead he will have seven wind turbines built on his 640-acre property.
Mr Marriott has welcomed the Mitsui takeover and said he "knew it was coming'. We have a good relationship with the company, and the company is a very honest and open company," he said. "I think this is a positive way forward for human beings and its something that we're going to have to do. "This project is about renewable energy and energy for Australia. "There are a few emerging issues coming out now and one is that Australia is going to be very short of energy, and clean energy in particular.
"This happens to be a very, very good wind farm site so I would be glad to see it go ahead." Mr Marriott was particularly scathing about some of the claims made by the Tarwin Valley Coastal Guardians. "I think you'll find that the Bald Hills Wind Farm has got much more support than what the Guardians would have you believe," Mr Marriott said.
"If you were to spend much time in Wonthaggi with the man on the street, you'd find that the Wonthaggi wind farm has been remarkably well accepted by the people there. "I truly believe that the majority of people living in this part of the world, let alone the rest of the world, are pretty tired of the nastiness and the misinformation that some of these anti-wind farm groups are promoting."
Wind farm opportunities explained: Businesses told to get ready
Barrier Daily Truth
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 1
Local businesses have been given a look at the opportunities that might be available to them through the proposed Silverton wind farm development. Representatives of Epuron, the company behind the project, were among a number of speakers at Tuesday night's launch of Business Broken Hill, formerly the Chamber of Commerce. About 100 people attended the launch at the Musicians' Club, according to president Robin Edgecumbe, who said the "over-riding feeling" was one of increased confidence in the city.
Mr Edgecumbe said that Epuron executive director, Andrew Durran, gave those present an "insight" into the sort of opportunities that would open up to local businesses as part of the $2 billion wind farm development, and how they could be "gearing up" now to take advantage of those opportunities.
Epuron wants to build up to 500 wind turbines on four properties near Silverton that would generate up to 1000 megawatts of power. Up to 700 jobs could be created during the two-year construction phase and another 120 full-time positions.
The company, which is still to secure all of the funds needed to proceed with the project, earlier this month announced that it had submitted an Environmental Assessment for the project to the NSW Department of Planning. Epuron has said the company would require just about every type of industry service by the time construction starts, as early as 2009. Mr Edgecumbe said Tuesday's launch also heard from State MP John Williams, City Council's General Manager Frank Zaknich, and the chairman of the Outback Development Forum, Kevin Taylor.
He said the feeling at the launch was one of a "much-heightened level of confidence in the business community." But he said those who spoke also stressed the importance of businesses, agencies and government working together. Meanwhile, those who attended heard about a number of new initiatives that have been developed as part of changes introduced by Business Broken Hill. Mr Edgecumbe said a soon-to-be-launched website would give investors in need of local services easier access to businesses, as well as provide training and other information to members.
The website, which will have links to other government and non-government agencies, will be online within two months, according to Mr Edgecumbe, who said it would be in a constant stage of development. Mr Edgecumbe said the name change and increase in services being offered had been six months in the making and was all about attracting new members. "We've still got a lot of work ahead of us but some of the fruits of our toil are now visible."
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 1
Local businesses have been given a look at the opportunities that might be available to them through the proposed Silverton wind farm development. Representatives of Epuron, the company behind the project, were among a number of speakers at Tuesday night's launch of Business Broken Hill, formerly the Chamber of Commerce. About 100 people attended the launch at the Musicians' Club, according to president Robin Edgecumbe, who said the "over-riding feeling" was one of increased confidence in the city.
Mr Edgecumbe said that Epuron executive director, Andrew Durran, gave those present an "insight" into the sort of opportunities that would open up to local businesses as part of the $2 billion wind farm development, and how they could be "gearing up" now to take advantage of those opportunities.
Epuron wants to build up to 500 wind turbines on four properties near Silverton that would generate up to 1000 megawatts of power. Up to 700 jobs could be created during the two-year construction phase and another 120 full-time positions.
The company, which is still to secure all of the funds needed to proceed with the project, earlier this month announced that it had submitted an Environmental Assessment for the project to the NSW Department of Planning. Epuron has said the company would require just about every type of industry service by the time construction starts, as early as 2009. Mr Edgecumbe said Tuesday's launch also heard from State MP John Williams, City Council's General Manager Frank Zaknich, and the chairman of the Outback Development Forum, Kevin Taylor.
He said the feeling at the launch was one of a "much-heightened level of confidence in the business community." But he said those who spoke also stressed the importance of businesses, agencies and government working together. Meanwhile, those who attended heard about a number of new initiatives that have been developed as part of changes introduced by Business Broken Hill. Mr Edgecumbe said a soon-to-be-launched website would give investors in need of local services easier access to businesses, as well as provide training and other information to members.
The website, which will have links to other government and non-government agencies, will be online within two months, according to Mr Edgecumbe, who said it would be in a constant stage of development. Mr Edgecumbe said the name change and increase in services being offered had been six months in the making and was all about attracting new members. "We've still got a lot of work ahead of us but some of the fruits of our toil are now visible."
Wind farm opportunities explained: Businesses told to get ready
Barrier Daily Truth
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 1
Local businesses have been given a look at the opportunities that might be available to them through the proposed Silverton wind farm development. Representatives of Epuron, the company behind the project, were among a number of speakers at Tuesday night's launch of Business Broken Hill, formerly the Chamber of Commerce. About 100 people attended the launch at the Musicians' Club, according to president Robin Edgecumbe, who said the "over-riding feeling" was one of increased confidence in the city.
Mr Edgecumbe said that Epuron executive director, Andrew Durran, gave those present an "insight" into the sort of opportunities that would open up to local businesses as part of the $2 billion wind farm development, and how they could be "gearing up" now to take advantage of those opportunities.
Epuron wants to build up to 500 wind turbines on four properties near Silverton that would generate up to 1000 megawatts of power. Up to 700 jobs could be created during the two-year construction phase and another 120 full-time positions.
The company, which is still to secure all of the funds needed to proceed with the project, earlier this month announced that it had submitted an Environmental Assessment for the project to the NSW Department of Planning. Epuron has said the company would require just about every type of industry service by the time construction starts, as early as 2009. Mr Edgecumbe said Tuesday's launch also heard from State MP John Williams, City Council's General Manager Frank Zaknich, and the chairman of the Outback Development Forum, Kevin Taylor.
He said the feeling at the launch was one of a "much-heightened level of confidence in the business community." But he said those who spoke also stressed the importance of businesses, agencies and government working together. Meanwhile, those who attended heard about a number of new initiatives that have been developed as part of changes introduced by Business Broken Hill. Mr Edgecumbe said a soon-to-be-launched website would give investors in need of local services easier access to businesses, as well as provide training and other information to members.
The website, which will have links to other government and non-government agencies, will be online within two months, according to Mr Edgecumbe, who said it would be in a constant stage of development. Mr Edgecumbe said the name change and increase in services being offered had been six months in the making and was all about attracting new members. "We've still got a lot of work ahead of us but some of the fruits of our toil are now visible."
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 1
Local businesses have been given a look at the opportunities that might be available to them through the proposed Silverton wind farm development. Representatives of Epuron, the company behind the project, were among a number of speakers at Tuesday night's launch of Business Broken Hill, formerly the Chamber of Commerce. About 100 people attended the launch at the Musicians' Club, according to president Robin Edgecumbe, who said the "over-riding feeling" was one of increased confidence in the city.
Mr Edgecumbe said that Epuron executive director, Andrew Durran, gave those present an "insight" into the sort of opportunities that would open up to local businesses as part of the $2 billion wind farm development, and how they could be "gearing up" now to take advantage of those opportunities.
Epuron wants to build up to 500 wind turbines on four properties near Silverton that would generate up to 1000 megawatts of power. Up to 700 jobs could be created during the two-year construction phase and another 120 full-time positions.
The company, which is still to secure all of the funds needed to proceed with the project, earlier this month announced that it had submitted an Environmental Assessment for the project to the NSW Department of Planning. Epuron has said the company would require just about every type of industry service by the time construction starts, as early as 2009. Mr Edgecumbe said Tuesday's launch also heard from State MP John Williams, City Council's General Manager Frank Zaknich, and the chairman of the Outback Development Forum, Kevin Taylor.
He said the feeling at the launch was one of a "much-heightened level of confidence in the business community." But he said those who spoke also stressed the importance of businesses, agencies and government working together. Meanwhile, those who attended heard about a number of new initiatives that have been developed as part of changes introduced by Business Broken Hill. Mr Edgecumbe said a soon-to-be-launched website would give investors in need of local services easier access to businesses, as well as provide training and other information to members.
The website, which will have links to other government and non-government agencies, will be online within two months, according to Mr Edgecumbe, who said it would be in a constant stage of development. Mr Edgecumbe said the name change and increase in services being offered had been six months in the making and was all about attracting new members. "We've still got a lot of work ahead of us but some of the fruits of our toil are now visible."
$300 million wind nod
Warrnambool Standard
Friday 13/6/2008 Page: 3
A $300 MILLION wind farm can be built near Port Fairy after winning the support of the State Government. The Ryan Corner project comprises 68 wind turbines to be built on land adjoining the Hamilton-Port Fairy Road, about 12 kilometres north-west of the town. Planning Minister Justin Madden has written to the Moyne Shire to reveal that he intends to approve the project.
Proponent TME Australia claims the development will create about 60 full-time jobs during its construction, and a further eight once the wind farm is operating. The 121.5-metre-high turbines will be placed on an area about 3600 hectares, which is currently used for grazing. The company states the wind farm will have a low visual impact on the Princes Highway and surrounding towns like Port Fairy, Yambuk and Orford.
Moyne Shire Council approved the project last year. With its combination of wind and open space, the shire is a key target of wind farm developers, with nine projects at various stages of planning. Mayor Ken Gale told The Standard yesterday that he welcomed the Government's imminent backing of Ryan Corner. "I think it is good that we are willing to look at and support alternative sources of energy," Cr Gale said.
TME Australia is also planning a massive wind farm project at Darlington, near Mortlake. The 150-turbine wind farm would be the most powerful in Australia. It also has projects in the pipeline at Hawkesdale and Berrybank, near Lismore.
Friday 13/6/2008 Page: 3
A $300 MILLION wind farm can be built near Port Fairy after winning the support of the State Government. The Ryan Corner project comprises 68 wind turbines to be built on land adjoining the Hamilton-Port Fairy Road, about 12 kilometres north-west of the town. Planning Minister Justin Madden has written to the Moyne Shire to reveal that he intends to approve the project.
Proponent TME Australia claims the development will create about 60 full-time jobs during its construction, and a further eight once the wind farm is operating. The 121.5-metre-high turbines will be placed on an area about 3600 hectares, which is currently used for grazing. The company states the wind farm will have a low visual impact on the Princes Highway and surrounding towns like Port Fairy, Yambuk and Orford.
Moyne Shire Council approved the project last year. With its combination of wind and open space, the shire is a key target of wind farm developers, with nine projects at various stages of planning. Mayor Ken Gale told The Standard yesterday that he welcomed the Government's imminent backing of Ryan Corner. "I think it is good that we are willing to look at and support alternative sources of energy," Cr Gale said.
TME Australia is also planning a massive wind farm project at Darlington, near Mortlake. The 150-turbine wind farm would be the most powerful in Australia. It also has projects in the pipeline at Hawkesdale and Berrybank, near Lismore.
Plug and play - the car of the future
Daily Examiner
Friday 13/6/2008 Page: 15
MELBOURNE: A car of the future, which can be charged from a household power point, has been unveiled in Melbourne after being converted into a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle by an Australian university team. The green car, which can be charged directly from the domestic power grid, was shown off by green company Szencorp and Sydney University of Technology (UTS). The PHEV uses a converted Toyota Prius, fitted with extra batteries for greater storage and a power socket so it can be charged directly from the grid.
Chris Dunstan, UTS project director, said the PHEV could offer not only much lower fuel bills but also the flexibility of storing wind power and solar energy at times. "Plug-in hybrid cars have the potential to revolutionise not only how we drive but how we generate and use electricity in our homes and workplaces," Mr Dunstan said. "This car heralds a not-too-distant future where householders will charge up their cars from solar panels on their roof and then pump surplus power from their car back into the grid on days of high peak power demand.
"If charged up on renewable energy, the PHEV can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as it can run on electricity for over 30km, the average daily commute of many Australian motorists. "For longer trips, it simply switches back to normal hybrid operation," he said. The converted car combines attributes of electric cars that costs less to run than petrol vehicles, while using renewable energy, with the efficiency of hybrid vehicles that can travel up to 1000km without refuelling.
It can be charged from a normal household power point. Toyota this week announced it would start producing hybrid Camrys at its Melbourne plant, with the first cars due to roll off the production line in early 2010, while General Motors has also announced a plug-in electric car which it has not ruled out selling in Australia.
Friday 13/6/2008 Page: 15
MELBOURNE: A car of the future, which can be charged from a household power point, has been unveiled in Melbourne after being converted into a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle by an Australian university team. The green car, which can be charged directly from the domestic power grid, was shown off by green company Szencorp and Sydney University of Technology (UTS). The PHEV uses a converted Toyota Prius, fitted with extra batteries for greater storage and a power socket so it can be charged directly from the grid.
Chris Dunstan, UTS project director, said the PHEV could offer not only much lower fuel bills but also the flexibility of storing wind power and solar energy at times. "Plug-in hybrid cars have the potential to revolutionise not only how we drive but how we generate and use electricity in our homes and workplaces," Mr Dunstan said. "This car heralds a not-too-distant future where householders will charge up their cars from solar panels on their roof and then pump surplus power from their car back into the grid on days of high peak power demand.
"If charged up on renewable energy, the PHEV can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as it can run on electricity for over 30km, the average daily commute of many Australian motorists. "For longer trips, it simply switches back to normal hybrid operation," he said. The converted car combines attributes of electric cars that costs less to run than petrol vehicles, while using renewable energy, with the efficiency of hybrid vehicles that can travel up to 1000km without refuelling.
It can be charged from a normal household power point. Toyota this week announced it would start producing hybrid Camrys at its Melbourne plant, with the first cars due to roll off the production line in early 2010, while General Motors has also announced a plug-in electric car which it has not ruled out selling in Australia.
Sourcing power from the waves
Burnie Advocate
Friday 13/6/2008 Page: 17
THE west coast of King Island is set to become the site of a revolutionary new power source. Within the next month scientists will set up monitors on the ocean floor to look at wave climate and the possibility of harnessing the energy to use as power. Energy company Oceanlinx is hoping to have power generated within the next couple of years. Oceanlinx executive director and chief technology officer Tom Denniss said it was looking at a number of sites on the island to capture the energy.
"King Island has an excellent wave climate, particularly on the west coast," he said. But to do this Oceanlinx must first test possible locations for suitability. This will include placing small and benign pressure sensors on the seabeds for a couple of months to record wave heights and periods. " This will hopefully be in place within the next month or so," Dr Denniss said. Dr Denniss said he was unsure which sites would be used, but they would probably be on the west coast, close to grid interconnection points.
This means it will probably be near Currie, but there are other possibilities. Dr Denniss said wave power was a denser energy source than wind and solar. "It is more predictable, and is also less variable... we also expect it to eventually be the cheapest renewable energy option," he said. Oceanlinx has projects running in Portland, Victoria; Port Kembla, NSW; Cornwall, United Kingdom; Rhode Island, US; Namibia and Hawaii. King Island already has solar and wind power running.
Friday 13/6/2008 Page: 17
THE west coast of King Island is set to become the site of a revolutionary new power source. Within the next month scientists will set up monitors on the ocean floor to look at wave climate and the possibility of harnessing the energy to use as power. Energy company Oceanlinx is hoping to have power generated within the next couple of years. Oceanlinx executive director and chief technology officer Tom Denniss said it was looking at a number of sites on the island to capture the energy.
"King Island has an excellent wave climate, particularly on the west coast," he said. But to do this Oceanlinx must first test possible locations for suitability. This will include placing small and benign pressure sensors on the seabeds for a couple of months to record wave heights and periods. " This will hopefully be in place within the next month or so," Dr Denniss said. Dr Denniss said he was unsure which sites would be used, but they would probably be on the west coast, close to grid interconnection points.
This means it will probably be near Currie, but there are other possibilities. Dr Denniss said wave power was a denser energy source than wind and solar. "It is more predictable, and is also less variable... we also expect it to eventually be the cheapest renewable energy option," he said. Oceanlinx has projects running in Portland, Victoria; Port Kembla, NSW; Cornwall, United Kingdom; Rhode Island, US; Namibia and Hawaii. King Island already has solar and wind power running.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Power for the future Wind turbines bring green energy to 53,000 homes
Adelaide Advertiser
Friday 13/6/2008 Page: 13
EMISSION-FREE electricity generated on the windy hilltops of the state's Mid North is powering 53,000 homes. Energy retailer AGL and Premier Mike Rann will today officially launch the Hallett Wind Farm, 250km north of Adelaide, as the first of the turbines puts power into the electricity grid. The 45 turbines along the 14.5km ridge make up the first of five stages to be completed by AGL in the Hallett region.
Advertiser Newspapers, as part of its One Degree environmental initiative, has bought the first 100 renewable energy certificates generated by the wind farm, which will offset the company's emissions. Each certificate represents one megawatt hour of renewable energy fed into the electricity grid and prevents one tonne of greenhouse gas pollution from being generated. The amount of clean energy that will be used by the 53,000 households receiving electricity from the wind farm equals a saving of 392,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year.
AGL managing director Michael Fraser said the Mid North was highly suitable for wind developments. "With one wind farm now completed, one under construction and two more currently under investment consideration, the Mid North is confirmed as the hub of Australian wind farm investment," Mr Fraser said.
"Wind energy is the fastest growing global renewable energy source and AGL believes wind will be the most significant renewable technology able to provide the scale required to satisfy our country's renewable energy requirements for the next decade." The first stage of the wind farm took 18 months to build and has employed 100 people, many local farmers and tradespeople.
Some interstate workers, including lead installation technician Adrian Sliwa, 29, from Melbourne, have spent the past 18 months living in the region and have joined local sporting and community groups. Mr Sliwa said the community had been very welcoming of the project and its workers. "I've made a lot of good friends here and I think it has been good for the community," he said. "It's been great for the bakery, the hotel and other businesses in the town." Under stage one alone, six people will be permanently employed for the life of the project. South Australia generates almost 50 per cent of the nation's wind power.
Friday 13/6/2008 Page: 13
EMISSION-FREE electricity generated on the windy hilltops of the state's Mid North is powering 53,000 homes. Energy retailer AGL and Premier Mike Rann will today officially launch the Hallett Wind Farm, 250km north of Adelaide, as the first of the turbines puts power into the electricity grid. The 45 turbines along the 14.5km ridge make up the first of five stages to be completed by AGL in the Hallett region.Advertiser Newspapers, as part of its One Degree environmental initiative, has bought the first 100 renewable energy certificates generated by the wind farm, which will offset the company's emissions. Each certificate represents one megawatt hour of renewable energy fed into the electricity grid and prevents one tonne of greenhouse gas pollution from being generated. The amount of clean energy that will be used by the 53,000 households receiving electricity from the wind farm equals a saving of 392,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year.
AGL managing director Michael Fraser said the Mid North was highly suitable for wind developments. "With one wind farm now completed, one under construction and two more currently under investment consideration, the Mid North is confirmed as the hub of Australian wind farm investment," Mr Fraser said.
"Wind energy is the fastest growing global renewable energy source and AGL believes wind will be the most significant renewable technology able to provide the scale required to satisfy our country's renewable energy requirements for the next decade." The first stage of the wind farm took 18 months to build and has employed 100 people, many local farmers and tradespeople.
Some interstate workers, including lead installation technician Adrian Sliwa, 29, from Melbourne, have spent the past 18 months living in the region and have joined local sporting and community groups. Mr Sliwa said the community had been very welcoming of the project and its workers. "I've made a lot of good friends here and I think it has been good for the community," he said. "It's been great for the bakery, the hotel and other businesses in the town." Under stage one alone, six people will be permanently employed for the life of the project. South Australia generates almost 50 per cent of the nation's wind power.
Federal government slammed over solar cash-back stall - Council steps in over energy rebate cap
Bendigo Weekly
Friday 6/6/2008 Page: 9
THE City of Greater Bendigo council has criticised the federal government for its planned $100,000 income cap on receiving solar energy rebates. Strathfieldsaye Ward councillor Keith Reynard led the attack, urging the council to write to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd expressing its disappointment at the plan unveiled in last month's budget.
"Given the urgency of tackling climate change... the consequences of failing to immediately act on climate change will lead to greater impacts and costs in the future," he said. "The (solar) rebate scheme is one of the tools the government has at hand to enable immediate action by individuals at a household level." Cr Reynard said the oversubscription of the rebate scheme was a measure of its success, not a reason to limit it.
"The rebate scheme has become so successful that the level of solar system installations around Australia is currently at 16 megawatts of installed capacity," he said. "Over 30 per cent of that growth has occurred in the past 12 months, being directly related to the rise in federal rebate from $4000 to $8000. "This is a very powerful demonstration that incentives not only work, but in this case work exceptionally well." Cr Reynard said the benefits of that level of solar cell installations were many.
"Firstly, environmentally it can be implemented by households immediately to reduce their individual greenhouse gas emissions," he said. "Secondly, each individual has an opportunity to actively participate rather than being locked into a centralised system they are remote from and feel they have no control over, except for one day ever, four years at the ballot box, and we cannot afford to wait that long.
"Thirdly, as the level of support for the renewable energy industry grows, it will be able to dedicate a larger focus and resources into research and development functions to improve the performance of the systems and stimulate greater commitment to local manufacturing of components." Cr Reynard said technical developments would also progress with a focus on research and development.
"I am aware of research occurring to construct photosynthetic film or paint that will be able to generate electricity even from low-intensity light," he said. ""This will be accelerated with widespread support for the renewable energy sector." Cr Reynard also pointed out the obvious economic benefits of a booming renewable energy sector. "This is particularly important in regional Australia where the abundant natural benefits are more available, and renewable energy generation will be a stimulus for many regional communities," lie said.
"Communities around Australia are taking the lead in this matter but cannot be expected to shoulder the entire responsibility for stimulating the renewable energy sector and reducing our national greenhouse gas emissions, especially when the coal industry receives so many government subsidies to keep operating in their current manner. "All the community asks is that state and federal governments view solutions to a warming planet as seriously as the people that elected them, and reverse the decision to means test and cap the rebate scheme."
Friday 6/6/2008 Page: 9
THE City of Greater Bendigo council has criticised the federal government for its planned $100,000 income cap on receiving solar energy rebates. Strathfieldsaye Ward councillor Keith Reynard led the attack, urging the council to write to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd expressing its disappointment at the plan unveiled in last month's budget.
"Given the urgency of tackling climate change... the consequences of failing to immediately act on climate change will lead to greater impacts and costs in the future," he said. "The (solar) rebate scheme is one of the tools the government has at hand to enable immediate action by individuals at a household level." Cr Reynard said the oversubscription of the rebate scheme was a measure of its success, not a reason to limit it.
"The rebate scheme has become so successful that the level of solar system installations around Australia is currently at 16 megawatts of installed capacity," he said. "Over 30 per cent of that growth has occurred in the past 12 months, being directly related to the rise in federal rebate from $4000 to $8000. "This is a very powerful demonstration that incentives not only work, but in this case work exceptionally well." Cr Reynard said the benefits of that level of solar cell installations were many.
"Firstly, environmentally it can be implemented by households immediately to reduce their individual greenhouse gas emissions," he said. "Secondly, each individual has an opportunity to actively participate rather than being locked into a centralised system they are remote from and feel they have no control over, except for one day ever, four years at the ballot box, and we cannot afford to wait that long.
"Thirdly, as the level of support for the renewable energy industry grows, it will be able to dedicate a larger focus and resources into research and development functions to improve the performance of the systems and stimulate greater commitment to local manufacturing of components." Cr Reynard said technical developments would also progress with a focus on research and development.
"I am aware of research occurring to construct photosynthetic film or paint that will be able to generate electricity even from low-intensity light," he said. ""This will be accelerated with widespread support for the renewable energy sector." Cr Reynard also pointed out the obvious economic benefits of a booming renewable energy sector. "This is particularly important in regional Australia where the abundant natural benefits are more available, and renewable energy generation will be a stimulus for many regional communities," lie said.
"Communities around Australia are taking the lead in this matter but cannot be expected to shoulder the entire responsibility for stimulating the renewable energy sector and reducing our national greenhouse gas emissions, especially when the coal industry receives so many government subsidies to keep operating in their current manner. "All the community asks is that state and federal governments view solutions to a warming planet as seriously as the people that elected them, and reverse the decision to means test and cap the rebate scheme."
Solar companies seek rescue plan
Hepburn Shire Advocate
Wednesday 11/6/2008 Page: 5
A Daylesford business has joined the call for urgent action to rescue the solar energy industry. Leading solar companies have urged the Federal Government to introduce measures to support the sector following the shock Budget announcement that solar rebates would be means tested. The solar rebate is now restricted to households that earn less than $100,000 a year.
EcoProperty managing director Catriona MacDiarmid said the means test was a big disincentive for consumers and her business would suffer from the decision. The Daylesford branch of EcoProperty helps people to buy, sell, design and build houses that promote sustainable living. Our business is about helping people make their homes reliant on solar energy so it's going to make it tough," Ms MacDiarmid said.
"From our point of view as a country we should be leading the way in providing alternative energy options and this is sending the wrong message." Ms MacDiarmid said it was too early to notice a drop in sales, but with less concessions home owners would avoid installing solar energy equipment.
"The people with solar power in this region aren't going to have to sell their houses tomorrow but we certainly will see the effect by the end of the year." International renewable energy company Conergy director Rodger Meads said a delegation of four companies met with Environment Minister Peter Garrett in Canberra last week and outlined the damage that the government's decision to means test the solar rebate was starting to have on more than 300 small businesses active in Australia's solar industry, including Daylesford EcoProperty franchise.
"Our delegation pointed out that this situation was urgent. A mass of cancellations kicked off immediately after the government's announcement and was now being followed by job losses and business closures looming," Mr Meads said. "The group urged the government to abolish the $100,000 means test and presented a way forward with measures that would achieve the government's objective of slowing down the uptake of this successful program. It would do this in a way that would maintain industry skills and capability and ensure an ongoing, consistent level of investment, jobs and industry development for the industry, he said.
Wednesday 11/6/2008 Page: 5
A Daylesford business has joined the call for urgent action to rescue the solar energy industry. Leading solar companies have urged the Federal Government to introduce measures to support the sector following the shock Budget announcement that solar rebates would be means tested. The solar rebate is now restricted to households that earn less than $100,000 a year.
EcoProperty managing director Catriona MacDiarmid said the means test was a big disincentive for consumers and her business would suffer from the decision. The Daylesford branch of EcoProperty helps people to buy, sell, design and build houses that promote sustainable living. Our business is about helping people make their homes reliant on solar energy so it's going to make it tough," Ms MacDiarmid said.
"From our point of view as a country we should be leading the way in providing alternative energy options and this is sending the wrong message." Ms MacDiarmid said it was too early to notice a drop in sales, but with less concessions home owners would avoid installing solar energy equipment.
"The people with solar power in this region aren't going to have to sell their houses tomorrow but we certainly will see the effect by the end of the year." International renewable energy company Conergy director Rodger Meads said a delegation of four companies met with Environment Minister Peter Garrett in Canberra last week and outlined the damage that the government's decision to means test the solar rebate was starting to have on more than 300 small businesses active in Australia's solar industry, including Daylesford EcoProperty franchise.
"Our delegation pointed out that this situation was urgent. A mass of cancellations kicked off immediately after the government's announcement and was now being followed by job losses and business closures looming," Mr Meads said. "The group urged the government to abolish the $100,000 means test and presented a way forward with measures that would achieve the government's objective of slowing down the uptake of this successful program. It would do this in a way that would maintain industry skills and capability and ensure an ongoing, consistent level of investment, jobs and industry development for the industry, he said.
Profit in being green
Stock & Land
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 25
SUSTAINABILITY is a core focus for the Taresch family. When they purchased Elgo - one of the three properties in their Strathbogie Ranges operation - erosion and rabbits were big problems. "But we've managed to undo all of that and not reduce stocking rates," said Grant Taresch, pictured with wife Suzanne. Sustainability is part of their branding and with the installation of a 150-kilowatt wind turbine, their attention to this is serious.
The turbine takes advantage of the windy ridges and generates enough energy to supply the winery's electricity needs and return excess to the grid. It saves about 500 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per annum and generates more power than the winery requires. Excess power returned to the grid provides the property with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) which can be traded at $50 each. For every megawatt hour of green energy the Taresches generate one REC.
The turbine has saved the business about $30,000 a year on power and last year returned $8000 worth of RECs. The winery is a closed loop for water use. Water is collected off the roof and after it has been used in the winery it is recycled through lagoon ponds before irrigating the vines. Organic matter is recycled, composted and again, returned to the vineyard. Land regeneration is an ongoing commitment, with wildlife corridors established and less productive land returned to natural woodlands.
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 25
SUSTAINABILITY is a core focus for the Taresch family. When they purchased Elgo - one of the three properties in their Strathbogie Ranges operation - erosion and rabbits were big problems. "But we've managed to undo all of that and not reduce stocking rates," said Grant Taresch, pictured with wife Suzanne. Sustainability is part of their branding and with the installation of a 150-kilowatt wind turbine, their attention to this is serious.
The turbine takes advantage of the windy ridges and generates enough energy to supply the winery's electricity needs and return excess to the grid. It saves about 500 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per annum and generates more power than the winery requires. Excess power returned to the grid provides the property with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) which can be traded at $50 each. For every megawatt hour of green energy the Taresches generate one REC.
The turbine has saved the business about $30,000 a year on power and last year returned $8000 worth of RECs. The winery is a closed loop for water use. Water is collected off the roof and after it has been used in the winery it is recycled through lagoon ponds before irrigating the vines. Organic matter is recycled, composted and again, returned to the vineyard. Land regeneration is an ongoing commitment, with wildlife corridors established and less productive land returned to natural woodlands.
N-reactor mooted for Tassie
Hobart Mercury
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 11
THE nation's nuclear chief Ziggy Switkowski, who headed the Howard government nuclear energy task force, says Tasmania is the right type of place to consider a nuclear reactor. "I think subsequent generations of smaller reactors designed for smaller populations, mining towns and industries like smelting, might find a market and a home in places like Tasmania," he told ABC Radio yesterday.
Dr Switkowski's trip to Hobart yesterday was to speak at the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Facing the Sustainability Challenge Seminar 2008. Australian Greens senator and climate change spokeswoman Christine Milne said the suggestion that Tasmania could have a nuclear reactor in 30-40 years could not be taken seriously. "It's a nonsense idea." she said. "Nobody in Tasmania will take him seriously." She said Tasmanians' views would not change in 40 years and they would not want nuclear energy.
"What would that do for Tasmania's clean, green image." she said. "There can be no logical explanation for Dr Switkowski coming to Tasmania and proposing a nuclear reactor when Tasmania has enormous resources of and potential for renewable energy from wind and ocean power and much more." TCCI chief executive Damon Thomas said the seminar was productive.
Dr Switkowski is the chairman of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, the country's nuclear research and development body and the centre of nuclear expertise. It has suggested up to 25 nuclear energy stations could be built along the east coast to help provide for the nation's growing energy requirements.
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 11
THE nation's nuclear chief Ziggy Switkowski, who headed the Howard government nuclear energy task force, says Tasmania is the right type of place to consider a nuclear reactor. "I think subsequent generations of smaller reactors designed for smaller populations, mining towns and industries like smelting, might find a market and a home in places like Tasmania," he told ABC Radio yesterday.
Dr Switkowski's trip to Hobart yesterday was to speak at the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Facing the Sustainability Challenge Seminar 2008. Australian Greens senator and climate change spokeswoman Christine Milne said the suggestion that Tasmania could have a nuclear reactor in 30-40 years could not be taken seriously. "It's a nonsense idea." she said. "Nobody in Tasmania will take him seriously." She said Tasmanians' views would not change in 40 years and they would not want nuclear energy.
"What would that do for Tasmania's clean, green image." she said. "There can be no logical explanation for Dr Switkowski coming to Tasmania and proposing a nuclear reactor when Tasmania has enormous resources of and potential for renewable energy from wind and ocean power and much more." TCCI chief executive Damon Thomas said the seminar was productive.
Dr Switkowski is the chairman of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, the country's nuclear research and development body and the centre of nuclear expertise. It has suggested up to 25 nuclear energy stations could be built along the east coast to help provide for the nation's growing energy requirements.
The clever car that charges into buildings
Herald Sun
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 71
SOUTH Melbourne company Szencorp has not only skidded past the local motoring industry to win the race to develop an electric car, its marque can pump energy back into buildings. Federal Minister for Finance Lindsay Tanner will today unveil Australia's first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), created at Sydney's University of Technology (UTS) for Szencorp, a developer of energy and water efficient properties.
The car has been retrofitted with extra batteries so that it can store more electricity than a conventional hybrid, allowing it to bypass its petrol tank for at least 30km. "Unlike ordinary hybrids that derive all their electrical energy from petrol, the PHEV, a converted Toyota Prius can be charged up using renewable energy from a normal power point," Szencorp chairman Peter Szental said.
Asked if the PHEV will have as much grunt as a petrol driven car, Mr Szental told BNW: "You will be able to lose your licence just as easily in a PHEV." Szencorp and UTS have partnered with Stan Baker, from Green Auto Conversions,in the venture and are ready to take orders from motorists who want to retrofit their Priuses.
It is estimated that when the venture reaches production line scale, the cost of retrofitting will be between $4000 and $5000. Over time, savings will be made through reduced petrol and electricity costs as the vehicle will store energy that can be fed back into buildings. Capitalising on the car's unique "plug out" feature, Mr Szental plans to use it to supply power to his Albert Rd headquarters, which was Australia's first six-star energy efficient refurbished building.
An array of rooftop solar panels currently supply almost half of the building's electricity needs and will now also power the office car. "Szencorp has funded the PHEV project to demonstrate that cutting edge, low-emission technologies like these are viable and can literally plug in to our existing infrastructure." he said.
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 71
SOUTH Melbourne company Szencorp has not only skidded past the local motoring industry to win the race to develop an electric car, its marque can pump energy back into buildings. Federal Minister for Finance Lindsay Tanner will today unveil Australia's first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), created at Sydney's University of Technology (UTS) for Szencorp, a developer of energy and water efficient properties.
The car has been retrofitted with extra batteries so that it can store more electricity than a conventional hybrid, allowing it to bypass its petrol tank for at least 30km. "Unlike ordinary hybrids that derive all their electrical energy from petrol, the PHEV, a converted Toyota Prius can be charged up using renewable energy from a normal power point," Szencorp chairman Peter Szental said.
Asked if the PHEV will have as much grunt as a petrol driven car, Mr Szental told BNW: "You will be able to lose your licence just as easily in a PHEV." Szencorp and UTS have partnered with Stan Baker, from Green Auto Conversions,in the venture and are ready to take orders from motorists who want to retrofit their Priuses.
It is estimated that when the venture reaches production line scale, the cost of retrofitting will be between $4000 and $5000. Over time, savings will be made through reduced petrol and electricity costs as the vehicle will store energy that can be fed back into buildings. Capitalising on the car's unique "plug out" feature, Mr Szental plans to use it to supply power to his Albert Rd headquarters, which was Australia's first six-star energy efficient refurbished building.
An array of rooftop solar panels currently supply almost half of the building's electricity needs and will now also power the office car. "Szencorp has funded the PHEV project to demonstrate that cutting edge, low-emission technologies like these are viable and can literally plug in to our existing infrastructure." he said.
Monday, 23 June 2008
Biomass energy plant mooted for South East
Border Watch
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 3
A BIOMASS energy plant to convert forest residue into renewable energy has been mooted for development in the South East region. Such a plant could possibly provide power for 35,000 homes, by converting the residue created from the harvesting of the region's plantations forests, such as branches and twigs, into green energy. The potential for the plant has arisen after news of a partnership between plantation company Great Southern and energy company Pacific Energy.
The agreement, currently in place for a 12 month period, provides Pacific Energy with exclusive rights over the use of harvest residues from within Great Southern's national forest plantations, including those in the South East. During this time, they will assess the viability of creating biomass fuelled energy power stations in plantation locations across the country, including the South East.
Pacific Energy already owns and operates two hydroelectric power stations in Victoria and is currently developing a biomass fuelled power station in Perth, Western Australia, and New Jersey, USA. Pacific Energy managing director Adam Boyd said the current development of the WA based biomass plant would provided the company with practical information and experience, which could assist in the future possible development of a South East plant.
The company is hoping it will be viable to develop a 30 megawatt plant, which would provide enough energy to power 35,000 homes each year, based on average household consumption levels. He said the partnership with Great Southern would provide a significant source of forest residue, and other plantation owners may be invited to become involved with the project.
He said the coming six to nine months would be crucial in scoping out the viability of the South East project and gaining community and stakeholder support. The company has not yet gone into discussions with the region's councils, as details of where the project may be situated would not be known for some time. "It's too early, we've got to spend the next six months scoping the project, before we speak to councils," Mr Boyd said.
It is likely the project, if proved viable, would still be years from fruition. "We're probably a couple of years from making a decision," Mr Boyd said. "We have to get community and environmental approval... that takes a considerable period of time to evaluate everything." Community support for the project was vital, according to Mr Boyd, and would be a "big part of the success" of the venture.
"We have to put what is a piece of very significant infrastructure in place, that's aimed to benefit the community with jobs and opportunities, and also provide renewable energy, which the Federal Government is keen to have more of in the nation," Mr Boyd said. "But we have to put it somewhere that the people are going to be happy with. "We can't do this project without stakeholder interest and support." Great Southern managing director Cameron Rhodes said the company was excited about the partnership with Pacific Energy, which could provide benefits such as the creation of renewable energy and potentially additional income streams to investors.
"These developments further confirm the significant economic, social and environmental benefit to Australia of Great Southern's and the broader plantation industry's continuing investment in the development of timber plantation estates by the potential provision of a viable long term fuel source for renewable energy generation," Mr Rhodes said.
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 3
A BIOMASS energy plant to convert forest residue into renewable energy has been mooted for development in the South East region. Such a plant could possibly provide power for 35,000 homes, by converting the residue created from the harvesting of the region's plantations forests, such as branches and twigs, into green energy. The potential for the plant has arisen after news of a partnership between plantation company Great Southern and energy company Pacific Energy.The agreement, currently in place for a 12 month period, provides Pacific Energy with exclusive rights over the use of harvest residues from within Great Southern's national forest plantations, including those in the South East. During this time, they will assess the viability of creating biomass fuelled energy power stations in plantation locations across the country, including the South East.
Pacific Energy already owns and operates two hydroelectric power stations in Victoria and is currently developing a biomass fuelled power station in Perth, Western Australia, and New Jersey, USA. Pacific Energy managing director Adam Boyd said the current development of the WA based biomass plant would provided the company with practical information and experience, which could assist in the future possible development of a South East plant.
The company is hoping it will be viable to develop a 30 megawatt plant, which would provide enough energy to power 35,000 homes each year, based on average household consumption levels. He said the partnership with Great Southern would provide a significant source of forest residue, and other plantation owners may be invited to become involved with the project.
He said the coming six to nine months would be crucial in scoping out the viability of the South East project and gaining community and stakeholder support. The company has not yet gone into discussions with the region's councils, as details of where the project may be situated would not be known for some time. "It's too early, we've got to spend the next six months scoping the project, before we speak to councils," Mr Boyd said.
It is likely the project, if proved viable, would still be years from fruition. "We're probably a couple of years from making a decision," Mr Boyd said. "We have to get community and environmental approval... that takes a considerable period of time to evaluate everything." Community support for the project was vital, according to Mr Boyd, and would be a "big part of the success" of the venture.
"We have to put what is a piece of very significant infrastructure in place, that's aimed to benefit the community with jobs and opportunities, and also provide renewable energy, which the Federal Government is keen to have more of in the nation," Mr Boyd said. "But we have to put it somewhere that the people are going to be happy with. "We can't do this project without stakeholder interest and support." Great Southern managing director Cameron Rhodes said the company was excited about the partnership with Pacific Energy, which could provide benefits such as the creation of renewable energy and potentially additional income streams to investors.
"These developments further confirm the significant economic, social and environmental benefit to Australia of Great Southern's and the broader plantation industry's continuing investment in the development of timber plantation estates by the potential provision of a viable long term fuel source for renewable energy generation," Mr Rhodes said.
Sun's rays alone can power Aust 'by 2030'
Canberra Times
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 3
Australia could be totally reliant on solar energy by 2030 if the current obstacles of technical inertia, lack of political will and entrenched interests can be overcome, a leading CSIRO scientist says. "Australia should be building a solar backbone,'' atmospheric physicist Mike Raupach told a national climate change conference at the Australian National University yesterday. Pursuing large-scale geosequestration projects to reduce Australia's rising greenhouse emissions was not the answer and "is fighting against the way the Earth's systems want its to go", he said.
Dr Raupach, a contributing author to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, said Australia's greenhouse emissions were growing faster than in any other developed nation in the world, driven by increasing per capita wealth and the "aggressive consumption" of the average urban lifestyle.
"We need a cap on total emissions at around 500 billion tonnes of carbon, which means an 80 per cent reduction in emissions for developed countries, and perhaps a 90 per cent reduction for Australia." The climate-change threat was "somewhere between severe and extreme." A gap was emerging between "what the economists tells its is possible" and what scientists insisted was necessary to tackle the problem, Dr Rattpach said.
Significant reductions in Australia's greenhouse emissions were "technically achievable and affordable", with low-cost mitigation measures including improved refrigeration, lighting, heating and car fuel efficiencies, better building insulation and reduced travel, with carbon offsets invested in renewable energy rather than biosequestration or tree planting projects, he said. The director of the University of Adelaide's climate research institute, Professor Barry Brook, told the conference that "to have a reasonable chance" of avoiding a future increase of 2 degrees of global warming, developed nations must achieve "at least an 80 per cent reduction in emissions" by 2050 and begin levelling off emissions "by no later than 2015."
Professor Brook said a 2-degree increase in temperature would "wipe out" most of the world's coral reefs. Sea levels could rise by tip to 30m in some areas, Australia would experience more frequent, intensive droughts and between 20 and 30 per cent of global biodiversity "will be consigned to extinction." At 3 degrees the world would experience a "freshwater supply crisis" as the Himalayan glaciers and other snow-pack environments disappeared.
The Amazon basin would collapse from drought and desertification, tropical weather systems would expand polewards and widespread permafrost melt would exacerbate global warming by releasing tonnes of methane into the atmosphere. At 4 degrees, agriculture would collapse across Australia's midlatitudes.
"It is a damning indictment of our collective vacillation, inaction and deliberate stalling to date, that in facing tip to this problem - with Australia and the United States being two prominent curmudgeons - we are facing the stark choice between a bad situation, a catastrophic situation and a civilisation terminating situation," Professor Brook said.
Former Labor science minister Barry Jones told the conference that the Hawke government knew about the risks of climate change 25 years ago but ignored the issue. He claimed to have been the first Australian politician to raise the alarm, in 1984.
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 3
Australia could be totally reliant on solar energy by 2030 if the current obstacles of technical inertia, lack of political will and entrenched interests can be overcome, a leading CSIRO scientist says. "Australia should be building a solar backbone,'' atmospheric physicist Mike Raupach told a national climate change conference at the Australian National University yesterday. Pursuing large-scale geosequestration projects to reduce Australia's rising greenhouse emissions was not the answer and "is fighting against the way the Earth's systems want its to go", he said.
Dr Raupach, a contributing author to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, said Australia's greenhouse emissions were growing faster than in any other developed nation in the world, driven by increasing per capita wealth and the "aggressive consumption" of the average urban lifestyle.
"We need a cap on total emissions at around 500 billion tonnes of carbon, which means an 80 per cent reduction in emissions for developed countries, and perhaps a 90 per cent reduction for Australia." The climate-change threat was "somewhere between severe and extreme." A gap was emerging between "what the economists tells its is possible" and what scientists insisted was necessary to tackle the problem, Dr Rattpach said.
Significant reductions in Australia's greenhouse emissions were "technically achievable and affordable", with low-cost mitigation measures including improved refrigeration, lighting, heating and car fuel efficiencies, better building insulation and reduced travel, with carbon offsets invested in renewable energy rather than biosequestration or tree planting projects, he said. The director of the University of Adelaide's climate research institute, Professor Barry Brook, told the conference that "to have a reasonable chance" of avoiding a future increase of 2 degrees of global warming, developed nations must achieve "at least an 80 per cent reduction in emissions" by 2050 and begin levelling off emissions "by no later than 2015."
Professor Brook said a 2-degree increase in temperature would "wipe out" most of the world's coral reefs. Sea levels could rise by tip to 30m in some areas, Australia would experience more frequent, intensive droughts and between 20 and 30 per cent of global biodiversity "will be consigned to extinction." At 3 degrees the world would experience a "freshwater supply crisis" as the Himalayan glaciers and other snow-pack environments disappeared.
The Amazon basin would collapse from drought and desertification, tropical weather systems would expand polewards and widespread permafrost melt would exacerbate global warming by releasing tonnes of methane into the atmosphere. At 4 degrees, agriculture would collapse across Australia's midlatitudes.
"It is a damning indictment of our collective vacillation, inaction and deliberate stalling to date, that in facing tip to this problem - with Australia and the United States being two prominent curmudgeons - we are facing the stark choice between a bad situation, a catastrophic situation and a civilisation terminating situation," Professor Brook said.
Former Labor science minister Barry Jones told the conference that the Hawke government knew about the risks of climate change 25 years ago but ignored the issue. He claimed to have been the first Australian politician to raise the alarm, in 1984.
Wind farm protestors blow hard
Geelong Times
Wednesday 4/6/2008 Page: 3
Wind farm worries are on the agenda once more as a $100,000 wind monitoring tower at Mt Pollock was vandalised last month. With such drama surrounding the project it has been a constant vocal point. One often wonders are there really any benefits to wind farms as community opposition seems to be growing.
The proposed wind farm in question is a 700ha site bordering Gnarwarre Rd, Mt Pollock Rd and Peels Rd. The vandalised monitoring tower had been functioning for two years before its removal to allow assessment of wind in the area. Surf Coast Shire councillor, Lindsay Schroeter, is a supporter of the controversial venture and believes wind farms do have the support, regardless of many who strongly voice against them.
"The community is divided no doubt, and many are trying to make a lot of excuses, but they still haven't convinced me." "I will be supporting the project as a councillor, and I think a majority of the council will also. Regardless of the support the planning will have to go to VCAT for planning." Cr Schroeter said he cannot speak for all the council but feels the development will be very favourable. Even with the vandalism last week Cr Schroeder feels renewable energy needs to take a big step in the wind turbine direction.
"When I heard the tower had been pulled down that made me very unhappy because my opinion is the wind farms have the numbers, even though many are saying they're not environmentally friendly." "When the wind blows these turbines it then blows onto the next one, it is all renewable energy and something certainly needs to happen because we can't keep on with the pollution we are producing now."
Even some of the most vigilant protesters seem to agree something does need to change. Whether it is turning to solar power, wave power, or wind power, sustainable renewable energy sources are soon becoming the way of the future. Future Energy managing director, David Shapero, said the removal of its wind monitoring tower will not affect the roll out of wind turbines. With 14 turbines reaching 80 meters anticipated for the Mt Pollock site, it is still in the very early days of application.
"Even if it gets a permit it still won't be built until 2010 because there is such a high demand for wind turbines all over the world. We are a bit behind the ball in Australia," Mr Shapero said. "We support this and feel it's vital to have a renewable energy target as the energy produced from just this proposed wind farm will produce enough energy to support 15,000 homes."
Wednesday 4/6/2008 Page: 3
Wind farm worries are on the agenda once more as a $100,000 wind monitoring tower at Mt Pollock was vandalised last month. With such drama surrounding the project it has been a constant vocal point. One often wonders are there really any benefits to wind farms as community opposition seems to be growing.The proposed wind farm in question is a 700ha site bordering Gnarwarre Rd, Mt Pollock Rd and Peels Rd. The vandalised monitoring tower had been functioning for two years before its removal to allow assessment of wind in the area. Surf Coast Shire councillor, Lindsay Schroeter, is a supporter of the controversial venture and believes wind farms do have the support, regardless of many who strongly voice against them.
"The community is divided no doubt, and many are trying to make a lot of excuses, but they still haven't convinced me." "I will be supporting the project as a councillor, and I think a majority of the council will also. Regardless of the support the planning will have to go to VCAT for planning." Cr Schroeter said he cannot speak for all the council but feels the development will be very favourable. Even with the vandalism last week Cr Schroeder feels renewable energy needs to take a big step in the wind turbine direction.
"When I heard the tower had been pulled down that made me very unhappy because my opinion is the wind farms have the numbers, even though many are saying they're not environmentally friendly." "When the wind blows these turbines it then blows onto the next one, it is all renewable energy and something certainly needs to happen because we can't keep on with the pollution we are producing now."
Even some of the most vigilant protesters seem to agree something does need to change. Whether it is turning to solar power, wave power, or wind power, sustainable renewable energy sources are soon becoming the way of the future. Future Energy managing director, David Shapero, said the removal of its wind monitoring tower will not affect the roll out of wind turbines. With 14 turbines reaching 80 meters anticipated for the Mt Pollock site, it is still in the very early days of application.
"Even if it gets a permit it still won't be built until 2010 because there is such a high demand for wind turbines all over the world. We are a bit behind the ball in Australia," Mr Shapero said. "We support this and feel it's vital to have a renewable energy target as the energy produced from just this proposed wind farm will produce enough energy to support 15,000 homes."
Calls for state to secure energy supply
Business News
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 3
INDUSTRY has called on the state government to encourage further exploration and development of new energy sources, including coal, gas and uranium, following the second major incident involving a reduction in gas supply in less than six months.
The explosion at Apache Energy Ltd's Varanus Island gas facility last week, which resulted in a third of the state's gas supply being shut off, exposed the vulnerability of Western Australia's energy system and underlined the need for a comprehensive energy policy, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
CCIWA chief executive James Pearson said the state needed to diversify its energy mix and look at the feasible energy options, including re-opening the debate on nuclear energy. "We need to make sure we make use of our abundant gas resources, we have abundant coal, and renewable energy technologies which might contribute towards the answer. We also think its time we had a sensible discussion about nuclear," he said.
Mr Pearson said the state government had put up numerous barriers to the development of new energy sources, including too much red tape and 'green' tape. "It takes too long to move from finding new energy sources to developing them and getting them to customers," he said. While it was too early to say what the total impact of the gas shortages would be on the WA economy, Mr Pearson said his members were telling him it was costing millions of dollars a day to keep their doors open.
Liberal leader Troy Buswell has also called for the implementation of a state energy plan, saying the government has failed to take a strategic approach to securing the state's energy supply. The opposition has released its policy proposal for a state energy plan, which provides for a domestic gas reservation policy, the provision of infrastructure, and the diversification of the energy mix. Industries such as mining, construction, building services, food processing, hospitality, and health have all been significantly affected by the gas shortage.
Apache says it could take a couple of months before limited supply can be returned. This isn't the first time that the state's industry has been exposed to major energy disruption. In January, a fault at the North West Shelf venture's Karratha gas plant shut the plant down for two days, affecting about 20 per cent of WA's energy generators.
Additional energy was obtained from various sources, including wind power from the South West and generators in Kalgoorlie, to avoid rolling black-outs. Domgas Alliance chairman Stuart Hohnen said the incidents showed the extent to which the state was reliant on two sources of gas supply and how heavily WA relied on gas for its energy needs. "Gas supplies more than half the primary energy. Gas has a central position in the energy economy and it's very important to major industry," he said.
With WA's current consumption of gas roughly 1,000 terajoules a day, Mr Hohnen said demand projections showed an additional 650TJ a day could be required in the market in the next five to six years, and a further 250TJ a day on top required to replace existing contributions.
The WA Sustainable Energy Association said the government should aggressively invest in a variety of renewable generation spread across rural WA, including additional wind farms, biomass and biogas production, and fast-track the development of the state's wave and geothermal resources.
Thursday 12/6/2008 Page: 3
INDUSTRY has called on the state government to encourage further exploration and development of new energy sources, including coal, gas and uranium, following the second major incident involving a reduction in gas supply in less than six months.
The explosion at Apache Energy Ltd's Varanus Island gas facility last week, which resulted in a third of the state's gas supply being shut off, exposed the vulnerability of Western Australia's energy system and underlined the need for a comprehensive energy policy, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
CCIWA chief executive James Pearson said the state needed to diversify its energy mix and look at the feasible energy options, including re-opening the debate on nuclear energy. "We need to make sure we make use of our abundant gas resources, we have abundant coal, and renewable energy technologies which might contribute towards the answer. We also think its time we had a sensible discussion about nuclear," he said.
Mr Pearson said the state government had put up numerous barriers to the development of new energy sources, including too much red tape and 'green' tape. "It takes too long to move from finding new energy sources to developing them and getting them to customers," he said. While it was too early to say what the total impact of the gas shortages would be on the WA economy, Mr Pearson said his members were telling him it was costing millions of dollars a day to keep their doors open.
Liberal leader Troy Buswell has also called for the implementation of a state energy plan, saying the government has failed to take a strategic approach to securing the state's energy supply. The opposition has released its policy proposal for a state energy plan, which provides for a domestic gas reservation policy, the provision of infrastructure, and the diversification of the energy mix. Industries such as mining, construction, building services, food processing, hospitality, and health have all been significantly affected by the gas shortage.
Apache says it could take a couple of months before limited supply can be returned. This isn't the first time that the state's industry has been exposed to major energy disruption. In January, a fault at the North West Shelf venture's Karratha gas plant shut the plant down for two days, affecting about 20 per cent of WA's energy generators.
Additional energy was obtained from various sources, including wind power from the South West and generators in Kalgoorlie, to avoid rolling black-outs. Domgas Alliance chairman Stuart Hohnen said the incidents showed the extent to which the state was reliant on two sources of gas supply and how heavily WA relied on gas for its energy needs. "Gas supplies more than half the primary energy. Gas has a central position in the energy economy and it's very important to major industry," he said.
With WA's current consumption of gas roughly 1,000 terajoules a day, Mr Hohnen said demand projections showed an additional 650TJ a day could be required in the market in the next five to six years, and a further 250TJ a day on top required to replace existing contributions.
The WA Sustainable Energy Association said the government should aggressively invest in a variety of renewable generation spread across rural WA, including additional wind farms, biomass and biogas production, and fast-track the development of the state's wave and geothermal resources.
Means-testing solar panel rebate 'mean'
Bayside Leader
Tuesday 10/6/2008 Page: 7
THE means-testing of the solar panel rebate scheme has cost one Sandringham business operator $500,000 in orders. When the Federal Government capped the rebate at $100,000 gross income a household, Beyond Building boss Erik Zimmerman was shocked.
His Black Rock company had 350 orders for installations in and around Bayside, but luckily 250 of those already had the paperwork in progress so were exempt from the rebate change. Of the remaining 100, 65 per cent of customers cancelled their orders. He said customers had told him the $8000 Federal Government grant was what made installing solar panels viable. He lost more than $500,000 in orders overnight.
"There are a lot of really disappointed people out there that have had to cancel their solar panel plans." he said. "These people don't feel wealthy yet have been excluded from this scheme." Mr Zimmerman said because his company bought the panels in such large quantities, the average cost to supply and install was about $9250. The $1250 difference was made up over five years of $250 in electric savings.
But with many Baysiders not being under the $100,000 annual household income threshold, they can no longer afford solar panels. He said his six employees' jobs were safe, but a plan to hire three more installers had been shelved. Luckily, sales in regional Victoria were less affected by the scheme and his company would be able to stay afloat.
Tuesday 10/6/2008 Page: 7
THE means-testing of the solar panel rebate scheme has cost one Sandringham business operator $500,000 in orders. When the Federal Government capped the rebate at $100,000 gross income a household, Beyond Building boss Erik Zimmerman was shocked.
His Black Rock company had 350 orders for installations in and around Bayside, but luckily 250 of those already had the paperwork in progress so were exempt from the rebate change. Of the remaining 100, 65 per cent of customers cancelled their orders. He said customers had told him the $8000 Federal Government grant was what made installing solar panels viable. He lost more than $500,000 in orders overnight.
"There are a lot of really disappointed people out there that have had to cancel their solar panel plans." he said. "These people don't feel wealthy yet have been excluded from this scheme." Mr Zimmerman said because his company bought the panels in such large quantities, the average cost to supply and install was about $9250. The $1250 difference was made up over five years of $250 in electric savings.
But with many Baysiders not being under the $100,000 annual household income threshold, they can no longer afford solar panels. He said his six employees' jobs were safe, but a plan to hire three more installers had been shelved. Luckily, sales in regional Victoria were less affected by the scheme and his company would be able to stay afloat.
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