Canberra Times
25 August 2011, Page: 16
The sun doesn't shine at night, the wind doesn't always blow. So John Coochey (Letters, August 17) jumps to the obvious, but wrong conclusion that these sources of energy can't provide baseload electricity. In Europe and the United States, large-scale, solar thermal plants generate baseload electricity 24 hours a day, every day. Mirrors focus energy from the sun on to a vessel containing salt.
The salt is heated to 600° Celsius during the day and the molten salt stores the heat through the night. This heat is used to produce steam, which drives conventional turbines to produce electricity. The Melbourne-based research group, Beyond Zero Emissions, shows in a report (www.beyondzeroemissions.org) how this technology could form the basis of a new electricity-generating system to meet Australia's future needs. BZE's plan includes wind and biomass, and could be broadened to use tidal and geothermal sources.
New generating stations and transmission lines are expensive. But the days of cheap electricity from fossil fuels are over. Oil is already in short supply. When costs and risks associated with climate change are factored in, renewables are the safe and sensible solution. Worldwide, new investment in electrical power generation from renewables now exceeds that from fossil fuels, according to United Nations figures. With abundant renewable energy sources, Australia has an unparalleled opportunity to invest in technically proven and commercially available options as the basis of our future energy security.
David Teather, Reid
Monday, 5 September 2011
Uncertainty clouds solar company's future
Age
25 August 2011, Page: 2
A BRITISH solar power company says it will scrap plans to expand into four regional Victorian centres, creating up to 120 jobs, if the Baillieu government substantially cuts a household subsidy scheme for rooftop panels. Mark Group chief executive Rob Grant said a decision to open offices in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley had been put on hold until the announcement of changes to a program that pays households a premium rate for energy fed into the power grid.
A plan to hire about 100 electrical, installation and sales staff for his Melbourne office based in Tullamarine had also been delayed. Electricity companies in Victoria pay households 600 per kW generated, but the premium rate is limited to the first 100 MWs installed. That threshold has nearly been reached. The Baillieu government is yet to announce the scheme's future, but says it is considering "interim policy measures" to apply into next year while the Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission examines the situation.
Mr Grant said Mark Group opened its Australian operation in 2009 after being courted by government agencies, including the federal government's Austrade and Invest Victoria. He said attempts to build the business had been frustrated by uncertainty over whether renewable energy programs would survive. The company employs 25 people in Victoria.
"There is a burgeoning green-collar industry being created here and we want to invest and employ, but we need consistent policy for it to happen", he said. "I think anything below a tariff of 40¢ is probably going to be problematic. If the scheme is significantly changed, the regional operations will not go ahead and the growth in Melbourne will be significantly curtailed".
Opposition energy spokeswoman Lily D'Ambrosio accused the government of stifling investment and killing new jobs. "It is a sad day when one of the world's largest renewable energy companies looks set to abandon Victoria because of the Baillieu government's dithering on solar", she said. A government spokesman said it was aware businesses needed certainty. He said the commission inquiry would focus on ensuring future feed-in tariffs took a "sustainable and economically responsible approach".
The Mark Group warning comes amid a wider debate about solar feed-in-tariff schemes, which are usually paid for by all households through increases in electricity bills. Federal Climate Change Minister Greg Combet has said solar subsidies should be wound back once a carbon price was introduced as they were an inefficient and at times inequitable way to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The new New South Wales Coalition government closed what was widely considered an overly generous scheme that paid for all power generated, whether used at home or fed into the grid, triggering what the industry says has been a collapse in demand for panels. Western Australia recently ended its scheme once it reached its cap. In Victoria, the cost to household power bills of the premium scheme is capped at $10 a year. The Clean Energy Council has called for it to be continued for two years, possibly at 35¢-40¢.
25 August 2011, Page: 2
A BRITISH solar power company says it will scrap plans to expand into four regional Victorian centres, creating up to 120 jobs, if the Baillieu government substantially cuts a household subsidy scheme for rooftop panels. Mark Group chief executive Rob Grant said a decision to open offices in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley had been put on hold until the announcement of changes to a program that pays households a premium rate for energy fed into the power grid.A plan to hire about 100 electrical, installation and sales staff for his Melbourne office based in Tullamarine had also been delayed. Electricity companies in Victoria pay households 600 per kW generated, but the premium rate is limited to the first 100 MWs installed. That threshold has nearly been reached. The Baillieu government is yet to announce the scheme's future, but says it is considering "interim policy measures" to apply into next year while the Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission examines the situation.
Mr Grant said Mark Group opened its Australian operation in 2009 after being courted by government agencies, including the federal government's Austrade and Invest Victoria. He said attempts to build the business had been frustrated by uncertainty over whether renewable energy programs would survive. The company employs 25 people in Victoria.
"There is a burgeoning green-collar industry being created here and we want to invest and employ, but we need consistent policy for it to happen", he said. "I think anything below a tariff of 40¢ is probably going to be problematic. If the scheme is significantly changed, the regional operations will not go ahead and the growth in Melbourne will be significantly curtailed".
Opposition energy spokeswoman Lily D'Ambrosio accused the government of stifling investment and killing new jobs. "It is a sad day when one of the world's largest renewable energy companies looks set to abandon Victoria because of the Baillieu government's dithering on solar", she said. A government spokesman said it was aware businesses needed certainty. He said the commission inquiry would focus on ensuring future feed-in tariffs took a "sustainable and economically responsible approach".
The Mark Group warning comes amid a wider debate about solar feed-in-tariff schemes, which are usually paid for by all households through increases in electricity bills. Federal Climate Change Minister Greg Combet has said solar subsidies should be wound back once a carbon price was introduced as they were an inefficient and at times inequitable way to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The new New South Wales Coalition government closed what was widely considered an overly generous scheme that paid for all power generated, whether used at home or fed into the grid, triggering what the industry says has been a collapse in demand for panels. Western Australia recently ended its scheme once it reached its cap. In Victoria, the cost to household power bills of the premium scheme is capped at $10 a year. The Clean Energy Council has called for it to be continued for two years, possibly at 35¢-40¢.
Chinese firm a turbo-charged leader in energy sector
Australian
24 August 2011, Page: 6
A COMPANY from the restive far-western Chinese province of Xinjiang, which has been the recipient of billions of dollars in central government funds in the past two years, is emerging as one of the leading suppliers of wind turbines to Australia. Xinjiang Goldwind Science and Technology is one of a burgeoning group of state-owned or sponsored companies from China that are keen to become leading suppliers of clean and green energy equipment.
As well as wind, this includes solar and nuclear although that industry's future is more clouded after the reactor disaster in Japan and there are mountains of subsidies available. The Chinese government is handing over billions of dollars in subsidies to green energy companies as it attempts to limit the growth of its carbon emissions.
Goldwind is in a sweet spot for government support in China: as well as being in a target growth sector, it is in a target growth region, as the Chinese government spends up big to develop its poorer central, western and northeastern provinces. Xinjiang was the scene of riots in July 2009 when almost 200 people were killed and has seen a number of violent attacks, one by police on protesters, this year. As such, it has been a particular target of government support in an attempt to create jobs and ease social pressures.
In April, Goldwind hit something of a jackpot, winning two new orders in the US of five 1.5 MW direct-drive permanent magnetic wind turbines to be installed in two wind farms in Ohio and on Rhode Island. "Goldwind has achieved marvellous results in tapping the world market since our American arm was established a year ago", Goldwind America chief Tom Rosenweig said at the time of the deal.
24 August 2011, Page: 6
A COMPANY from the restive far-western Chinese province of Xinjiang, which has been the recipient of billions of dollars in central government funds in the past two years, is emerging as one of the leading suppliers of wind turbines to Australia. Xinjiang Goldwind Science and Technology is one of a burgeoning group of state-owned or sponsored companies from China that are keen to become leading suppliers of clean and green energy equipment.As well as wind, this includes solar and nuclear although that industry's future is more clouded after the reactor disaster in Japan and there are mountains of subsidies available. The Chinese government is handing over billions of dollars in subsidies to green energy companies as it attempts to limit the growth of its carbon emissions.
Goldwind is in a sweet spot for government support in China: as well as being in a target growth sector, it is in a target growth region, as the Chinese government spends up big to develop its poorer central, western and northeastern provinces. Xinjiang was the scene of riots in July 2009 when almost 200 people were killed and has seen a number of violent attacks, one by police on protesters, this year. As such, it has been a particular target of government support in an attempt to create jobs and ease social pressures.
In April, Goldwind hit something of a jackpot, winning two new orders in the US of five 1.5 MW direct-drive permanent magnetic wind turbines to be installed in two wind farms in Ohio and on Rhode Island. "Goldwind has achieved marvellous results in tapping the world market since our American arm was established a year ago", Goldwind America chief Tom Rosenweig said at the time of the deal.
Singapore embraces clean technologies
Weekend Australian
20 August 2011, Page: 8
WHILE Australia continues to haggle politically about how we intend to confront the issue of a cleaner energy future and whether we should lead or wait to follow, many of the world's largest corporations, such as GE and Schneider Electric, have decided to push on regardless. At the same time, Singapore has decided to lead and embrace clean technologies not just for its own future but to also position itself as a clean energy hub for business and innovation globally.
The Singapore government has heavily backed the clean technology industry in recent years with the goal of creating 18,000 jobs and generating $S3.4 billion (S2.7bn) towards the nation's GDP by 2015. According to the deputy CEO of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, Armin Aberle, this includes 7000 skilled jobs in the engineering sector within cleantech. German-born Aberle worked for more than a decade at the University of New South Wales in research and development before he was attracted to Singapore's strong emphasis on cleantech a couple of years ago.
He says the skilled jobs coming online in the clean energy sector which include solar power, fuel-cells, wind power, energy efficiency and carbon services offer excellent the opportunities for engineers and scientists. "Things are developing rapidly and the prospects of achieving the 2015 targets are good. Singapore is always interested in attracting and grooming global talent", Aberle says.
He says Southeast Asia is booming and poised to continue to do so for many years, largely as the result of an emerging well-off middle-class that drives demand for services and goods. "The fundamentals for manufacturing are also steadily improving in the region, and thus the prospects for continued growth are good. He says Singapore is a late starter in cleantech, but if the government sees the potential in an idea, things move quickly. "While four years ago the renewable energy sector in the country was almost non-existent, the cleantech sector is now a key pillar of the economic agenda.
Contact Singapore's executive director Ng Siew Kiang says that as "cleantech gains prominence and popularity on a global scale, we expect there will be more qualified professionals with the necessary skills who will not only fill these new jobs, but will also be catalysts who continue to drive the industry forward".
According to Aberle, SERIS is set up like a research company and needs to secure a large part of its annual budget from industry and via public R&D grants. As such, SERIS collaborates closely with industry and has been able to secure millions of dollars of research funding every year.
"We have attracted large contracts from industrial clients in Singapore, the Asia Pacific and Europe", he says. Collaborative work has included projects with the Norwegian company Renewable Energy Corporation, which operates a world-class integrated solar manufacturing plant in Singapore for the production of silicon wafers, solar cells and PV modules.
In one project, RECs set about further enhancing the efficiency of its silicon wafer solar cells with future-oriented processing technology and techniques together with the scientific support of SERIS. "As a result of the technical innovations from this R&D project, RECs also expects to achieve significant production cost reductions, which will help bring down solar module prices and speed up the development of solar markets", Aberle concludes.
20 August 2011, Page: 8
WHILE Australia continues to haggle politically about how we intend to confront the issue of a cleaner energy future and whether we should lead or wait to follow, many of the world's largest corporations, such as GE and Schneider Electric, have decided to push on regardless. At the same time, Singapore has decided to lead and embrace clean technologies not just for its own future but to also position itself as a clean energy hub for business and innovation globally.
The Singapore government has heavily backed the clean technology industry in recent years with the goal of creating 18,000 jobs and generating $S3.4 billion (S2.7bn) towards the nation's GDP by 2015. According to the deputy CEO of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, Armin Aberle, this includes 7000 skilled jobs in the engineering sector within cleantech. German-born Aberle worked for more than a decade at the University of New South Wales in research and development before he was attracted to Singapore's strong emphasis on cleantech a couple of years ago.
He says the skilled jobs coming online in the clean energy sector which include solar power, fuel-cells, wind power, energy efficiency and carbon services offer excellent the opportunities for engineers and scientists. "Things are developing rapidly and the prospects of achieving the 2015 targets are good. Singapore is always interested in attracting and grooming global talent", Aberle says.
He says Southeast Asia is booming and poised to continue to do so for many years, largely as the result of an emerging well-off middle-class that drives demand for services and goods. "The fundamentals for manufacturing are also steadily improving in the region, and thus the prospects for continued growth are good. He says Singapore is a late starter in cleantech, but if the government sees the potential in an idea, things move quickly. "While four years ago the renewable energy sector in the country was almost non-existent, the cleantech sector is now a key pillar of the economic agenda.
Contact Singapore's executive director Ng Siew Kiang says that as "cleantech gains prominence and popularity on a global scale, we expect there will be more qualified professionals with the necessary skills who will not only fill these new jobs, but will also be catalysts who continue to drive the industry forward".
According to Aberle, SERIS is set up like a research company and needs to secure a large part of its annual budget from industry and via public R&D grants. As such, SERIS collaborates closely with industry and has been able to secure millions of dollars of research funding every year.
"We have attracted large contracts from industrial clients in Singapore, the Asia Pacific and Europe", he says. Collaborative work has included projects with the Norwegian company Renewable Energy Corporation, which operates a world-class integrated solar manufacturing plant in Singapore for the production of silicon wafers, solar cells and PV modules.
In one project, RECs set about further enhancing the efficiency of its silicon wafer solar cells with future-oriented processing technology and techniques together with the scientific support of SERIS. "As a result of the technical innovations from this R&D project, RECs also expects to achieve significant production cost reductions, which will help bring down solar module prices and speed up the development of solar markets", Aberle concludes.
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Sustainable building system can cut carbon emissions
Weekend Australian
20 August 2011, Page: 1
CHRIS Bamett's claim that his homes have "twice the insulation of a normal house and can reduce heating and cooling needs by two-thirds" would be impressive enough, but when you learn he's talking about a two-thirds reduction on the existing five-star benchmark you really sit up and take notice. Habitech is a sustainable building system designed to create custom designed homes with an energy efficiency rating of 7.5 stars or more.
This is energy efficiency at the cutting edge of new house building design and building and its modelled on the modular housing innovations the US and Europe have been undertaking for a number of years (if you're a fan of the British TV series Grand Designs you'll have seen beautiful homes built using equivalent systems from Germany).
More than that though its also a glimpse at house construction systems that mean carbon tax cost pressures direct and indirect are simply a moot point because there's substantially less carbon emissions in its construction than conventional housing in this country and, if attached to photovoltaics generating its own solar power, a house built using such systems can sell electricity back to the grid.
The brainchild of architect-trained Barnett, Habitech Systems is a Melbourne-based venture that aims to make locally fabricated, environmentally sustainable, quick and easy-to-build homes that are modern and good value in the mid-market price range. Barnett says Habitech is the result of a two-year research and development process to create "better outcomes with current technology".
His demonstration building is an extension to a post-war cottage on the Mornington Peninsula, at Shoreham, east of Melbourne, and was built to the lock-up stage in 21/2 weeks. Much of the home was built in the factory and trucked in, but Barnett says this doesn't make it a "prefabricated building, our whole mentality is based on a component-based build". That is a system that allows homes to be custom-designed, rather than having to conform to a limited range of shapes and dimensions as many factory built options are, which can be factory built and assembled on site.
The technology builds houses that cut emissions by 70%, Barnett says, and have low embodied energy (minimal energy used in construction). As for the cost Barnett says, "our initial offer is three-quarters of the traditional architect-designed process". He adds that the company can "quantify the cost of the building fabric super accurately". This means no surprising cost blowouts in the structure of the building, although other costs, like how much you spend on the internal finishes, appliances, kitchen and bathrooms is up to the client.
Barnett quotes a figure of "about $2200 a m²" for the building cost. By comparison a mass-produced home now comes in at about $800-$900/m²; a draftsman designed master built home at $1500-$2500/m² and an average architect-designed home at $2500-$3500/m² (or more, depending on the quality of the materials, inclusions and finishing). "We're cheaper than architecture and our building fabric is much higher quality", says Barnett. "With volume we hope to drive the price down to $1800/m² in the future".
20 August 2011, Page: 1
This is energy efficiency at the cutting edge of new house building design and building and its modelled on the modular housing innovations the US and Europe have been undertaking for a number of years (if you're a fan of the British TV series Grand Designs you'll have seen beautiful homes built using equivalent systems from Germany).
More than that though its also a glimpse at house construction systems that mean carbon tax cost pressures direct and indirect are simply a moot point because there's substantially less carbon emissions in its construction than conventional housing in this country and, if attached to photovoltaics generating its own solar power, a house built using such systems can sell electricity back to the grid.
The brainchild of architect-trained Barnett, Habitech Systems is a Melbourne-based venture that aims to make locally fabricated, environmentally sustainable, quick and easy-to-build homes that are modern and good value in the mid-market price range. Barnett says Habitech is the result of a two-year research and development process to create "better outcomes with current technology".
His demonstration building is an extension to a post-war cottage on the Mornington Peninsula, at Shoreham, east of Melbourne, and was built to the lock-up stage in 21/2 weeks. Much of the home was built in the factory and trucked in, but Barnett says this doesn't make it a "prefabricated building, our whole mentality is based on a component-based build". That is a system that allows homes to be custom-designed, rather than having to conform to a limited range of shapes and dimensions as many factory built options are, which can be factory built and assembled on site.
The technology builds houses that cut emissions by 70%, Barnett says, and have low embodied energy (minimal energy used in construction). As for the cost Barnett says, "our initial offer is three-quarters of the traditional architect-designed process". He adds that the company can "quantify the cost of the building fabric super accurately". This means no surprising cost blowouts in the structure of the building, although other costs, like how much you spend on the internal finishes, appliances, kitchen and bathrooms is up to the client.
Barnett quotes a figure of "about $2200 a m²" for the building cost. By comparison a mass-produced home now comes in at about $800-$900/m²; a draftsman designed master built home at $1500-$2500/m² and an average architect-designed home at $2500-$3500/m² (or more, depending on the quality of the materials, inclusions and finishing). "We're cheaper than architecture and our building fabric is much higher quality", says Barnett. "With volume we hope to drive the price down to $1800/m² in the future".
Put Victoria first
The Saturday Age
20 August 2011, Page: 23
Ted Baillieu has shown himself to be a Liberal politician first, Victorian Premier second. Bizarrely, the Deloitte "research" he presented didn't include the generous compensation for consumers or for Victoria's brown coal-fired power sector. It was a textbook example of the way the Coalition will misuse information to get the headlines it wants. Instead of jumping on Tony Abbott's bandwagon, Baillieu should be facing up to the fact that Victoria has one of the dirtiest power generation sectors in the developed world.
As emissions begin to be priced around the world, the financial burden of running stations like Hazelwood power station and Yallourn W power station will only increase. Having reneged on his commitment to reduce Victoria's emissions by 20% by 2020, and with his stymieing of wind farms, Baillieu no longer has a strategy to deal with climate change.
Andrew Bray, Ballarat
Ted Baillieu has shown himself to be a Liberal politician first, Victorian Premier second. Bizarrely, the Deloitte "research" he presented didn't include the generous compensation for consumers or for Victoria's brown coal-fired power sector. It was a textbook example of the way the Coalition will misuse information to get the headlines it wants. Instead of jumping on Tony Abbott's bandwagon, Baillieu should be facing up to the fact that Victoria has one of the dirtiest power generation sectors in the developed world.
As emissions begin to be priced around the world, the financial burden of running stations like Hazelwood power station and Yallourn W power station will only increase. Having reneged on his commitment to reduce Victoria's emissions by 20% by 2020, and with his stymieing of wind farms, Baillieu no longer has a strategy to deal with climate change.
Andrew Bray, Ballarat
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)