Tag Archives: sustainable energy

Feed In Tariff WA

What does the future hold for feed in tariffs in WA?  The Sustainable Energy Association of Australia has summarised the outcomes of a recent forum.  Please click on the image to download the full report and feedback from participants.

 

Feed In Tariff

Forum report Aug 2011

Ceasing the Feed in Tariff WA Will Negatively Impact the Entire Solar Industry

Amongst the key industry messages from the forum is the warning the cessation of the feed in Tariff WA will impact the solar PV industry negatively. The affected industries will be not only the wholesale, retail and installation companies but those supplying and servicing each of these sectors. When policy changes without well co-ordinated transition from one system to the next, entire industries can collapse. In NSW some companies have lost 75% o their staff and job losses in the sector are estimated to be over 3,700 people.

Resetting the Level of Feed In Tariff

The forum discussed setting a fair price and was clear that a level of $0.07 would be seen to benefit Synergy and unfairly impact the consumer. What  is a fair margin on the price of energy?  Back in 2007 APVA suggested a fair price to be between $0.13 and $0.16 per kWh for exported energy. Four years later a fair price for feed in tariff WA should be higher.

Investments Need Clear Policy Directives

Setting different rates for exported energy according to when an installation was made, is seen as unsatisfactory and inequitable to the consumer. To avoid boom and bust cycles the solar industry needs a degree of certainty in policy direction from government. This has not been the case with the policy decisions regarding feed in tariff  WA.

Action to Review the Ceasing of Feed In Tariff WA

Calls to action include an industry and consumer petition for a committee enquiry into renewable energy and feed in tariff WA. The Association would welcome a meeting with state governent officials to present the  view of the solar industry and offer solutions. In all an improved mechanism is called for and a demand that the voice of the consumer be heard on this matter.

The industry is seeking an extension to the feed in tariff WA cap until a longer-term solution can be achieved.

 

See the full report Feed In Tariff WA and review articles on related topics; solar industry budget cuts, solar energy rebates australia, carbon tax and passive solar homes.

 

SOLARDAY 2011

Solar-e.com endorses and commends the efforts of John Reed in establishing SOLARDAY 2011 across the United States of America and promoting its incorporation into the calendar of other countries throughout this amazing world that is our home.

SOLARDAY 2011

SOLARDAY 2011

This type of focus is just what we need to make the general public throughout the world more conscious of the need for a 21st century solar economy as fast as possible.

For Wise Earth P/L (our parent company) and its staff and management, every day is SOLARDAY!

Therefore, we take seriously this brilliant and visionary promotional idea.  The next 20 years (up to 2030) will be the most important time for human action on Climate Change, in adapting to it and abating it in the medium and long term.

Now is the time the planning for our sustainable energy future.  There really is no choice eventually.

We are absolutely convinced through our own research via our networks of imminent experts throughout the globe, that we need to go solar as fast as possible.

Instead of burning our cheap precious fossil fuels on ‘business as usual’ type developments and maintaining the ‘old fossil fuel economy ‘as long as possible, we really need to be using this cheap energy to produce as much solar energy utilization as possible and every other year from hereon, while it is still abundant.

It then can gain a critical mass and begin to replicate itself before our cheap fossil fuel is wasted.

Solarday 2011: How to get involved

To help get the message out there about SOLARDAY, the following is a personal invitation from John Reed to be involved and a media release for SOLARDAY 2011’s events.  Also here is a list of the contributors and participants of SOLARDAY 2010’s event.

We recommend that you personally, as a non-profit, commercial enterprises and government authorities get on board with this and look at practical and effective ways of networking with solar-e to achieve exactly what this day has already become, and representing a potent symbol of the type of society and economy we need to develop.

I think that all societies and associations should get involved with this initiative.  We need cooperation and collaboration and teamwork to pull off intelligent change.

This should not be a competition!  It is our kids and grand children’s future we are helping to create.

Let’s applaud John Reed’s initiative and get on with it!

 

Garry Baverstock AM

Solarday 2011 Letter from John Reed

Solarday 2011 Media Release

Solarday 2010 Participants

SolarDay 2011 letter from Doris Matsui from the U.S. Congress

AuSES Conference Best Papers: Wind Power

We have prepared list of solar-e.com’s own selection of ranked candidates for the best Wind Power papers presented at the

‘Solar 2010’ Conference: Policies and Strategies (including the Economics of solar energy, diversity of derived forms of solar energy, electricity grids and data collection)

The analysis and understanding the of more obscure fields of solar energy related technology and policy developments is obviously another critical step forward to applying more solar energy in our economy. this section will hopefully expand as more papers are delivered in the future.

Student Prizes – Wal Read Memorial Prizes
Post Graduates Prizes
BILBAO, Jose “PV-Thermal Water Systems as a Retrofit for Near Zero Energy Homes”
Winner   $1500 AUD
BAMBROOK, Shelley  ” Experimental PVT Air System for Dwellings”
Highly Commended $1000 AUD
LHENDUP, Tshewang  “Simulation of a Ground-coupled Heat Pump Combined with Solar Collectors”
Commended $250 AUD
ELLISTON, Ben  “Grid parity: A potential misleading concept?”
Commended $250 AUD

Undergraduates Prizes
BRAZIER, Thomas  “Dependence of installed cost of a 1.5 kW rooftop PV system on module efficiency”
Joint Winner $1,000 AUD
BOEREMA, Nicholas  “Economics of constraints on wind farms – SA”
Joint Winner $1,000 AUD
O’BRIEN, Paul “Exergetic analysis of a steam-flashing thermal storage system”
Joint Winner $1,000 AUD

Wind Power : Solar-e.com Director Garry Baverstock’s personal selection of the Best Papers

At the conference the papers were presented under a number of category headings such as Built Environment, Wind Power, Photovoltaics, Environmental Benefits, Solar Thermal and Economics. Following is our selection of the worthwhile papers and a ranking based on relevance to world situation on Climate Change, the impact on the increased use of solar energy and the quality of the research as presented in the paper.
The best papers, in our opinion, have been listed. This is our opinion, but we are interested in what the solar experts think and any comments are welcome. If we have overlooked a paper or you disagree with our assessment please feel free to offer your opinion. If bona fide it will be published.

WIND POWER

Image of windmills old and new

A comment by Garry Baverstock, A.M. follows each heading.

1. Impacts of Distributed Wind Generation on Distribution Networks

N. K. Roy, H. R. Pota, M. A. Mahmud, and M. J. Hossain

Comment: Wind power needs this technical analysis for it to find its rightful place in the renewable energy mix in Australia.

2. The Economics of Transmission Constraints on Wind Farms – some evidence from South Australia

Nicholas Boerema1, Iain MacGill2

Comment: Good feed back about the effectiveness of wind farms in South Australia

A message from AuSES
People who were not delegates at Solar 2010 (or AuSES members) who would like to access this resource they can apply for access for an annual fee of $140 (ex GST). Please go to AuSES website.

Solar-e.com invites you to leave comments at the end of this article.

Experts who disagree with our rating and choices we invite you to make comment and if enough substance is shown we will reserve the right to change the ranking at anytime or keep the ranking the same.

solar-e.com related links:

http://solar-e.com/knowledge/2009/11/30/green-economics
http://solar-e.com/knowledge/2009/11/24/ethical-investment
http://solar-e.com/knowledge/2009/11/30/employment-opportunities
http://solar-e.com/knowledge/2009/11/30/wave-power
http://www.solartec.iinet.net.au/solare/innovation/strategiesindevelopingproducts.htm

 

Energising South East Asia Conference | Renewable Energy Investments

The  Energising South East Asia Conference and Exhibition will  be the largest sustainable energy expo ever held in Western Australia and is shaping up to be the largest expo to showcase renewable energy and energy efficiency ever held in Australia.

Energising SEA | Renewable Energy Investments image

Energising SEA | Renewable Energy Investments

Around the world, growth in renewable energy investments are now greater than any other form of energy source.

Global renewable energy investments are around $US160 billion and this burgeoning of global effort in green energy is underwriting interest in the Energising South East Asia conference
Asia continues to be the fastest growing market in clean tech, with renewable energy investments now in excess of  $US40 billion. For example, China alone now has 42.3 GW of wind power, and has surpassed the US in terms of total installed capacity of wind.

Australia is lagging behind the world in both renewable energy investments and carbon pricing, as highlighted this week by Prof Ross Garnaut in his first update of the Garnaut Climate Change Review. But interest is strong – as it should be in the nation with the world’s best renewable energy resources.

Recent reports suggest Australia has the potential to produce some of the world’s cheapest renewable energy, and to meet all its energy demands by 2050.

Energising South East Asia Conference :   DETAILS

Prof Ray Wills
CEO
Sustainable Energy Association of Australia
ceo@seaaus.com.au
Mobile +61 (0)  430 365 607