Uni lab focus on renewable power

Hobart Mercury
Saturday 5/9/2009 Page: 28

HARNESSING the energy of the elements will be the focus of a new renewable energy lab at the University of Tasmania. The Minister Assisting the Premier on Climate Change, Lisa Singh, opened the world class laboratory yesterday, saying it would help cement Tasmania's place as a renewable energy leader.

Aurora Energy has contributed $50,000 for installing solar panels and storage systems to assist in the development of new power systems and there are plans to install wind turbines on the School of Engineering's roof. Engineering professor Chris Letchford said the new lab would develop systems to better integrate wind and solar energy into the power grid.

"solar energy is clearly a fabulous renewable energy source but it is intermittent and of variable output so managing that through storage and integrating with other energy sources will be important for electricity suppliers," Prof Letchford said. "We will be developing systems to better control the integration of wind and solar, turning it into a stable energy source. "You don't want the lights to flicker when you switch from one energy source to another."

He said existing integration systems limited the amount of wind and solar energy that could be used in the grid to about 10%, though Denmark achieved 30%. Aurora Energy chief executive Peter Davis said his company invested in the lab because it recognised the commercial potential of renewable energy. We have a long way to go and a lot more opportunities for renewables to be connected to the Aurora Energy grid," Mr Davis said.