Clean Energy Australia Report 2010
The Clean Energy Council of Australia has released it’s report for 2010, an industry overview.
Australian Renewable Energy Snapshot
Percentage of electricity generation from renewables
The Australian electricity industry generated 251 terawatt hours of electricity in the past year to October. Renewable energy accounted for 8.67 per cent of electricity generated. This is a significant rise from previous years and was mostly due to the increased generation from hydro. Increased rainfall in key hydro catchments across the country provided a significant boost in hydro electricity. The increased capacity of wind power across the country also helped to boost generation. Although solar power still makes a relatively small contribution to the energy mix in Australia, the uptake of the technology has grown rapidly in 2010.
Clean Energy Australia 2010 5
Figure 1. Estimated annual electricity generation
Source: Clean Energy Council Renewable Energy Database, ABARE 2010, REC Registry, AEMO, IMO
Photovoltaic Solar Panels
There were over 187,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed at the beginning of October 2010, around 170,000 of which were installed during the last two years. The number of accredited solar installers and designers has almost tripled in 18 months to 2726.
Solar has become extremely popular with homeowners, who see it as an opportunity to take action on climate
change and protect themselves from rising electricity costs. A range of state and federal government incentives
has helped to make solar power more affordable for the average householder and the price of systems has fallen
by about half in the last three years. These costs are expected to continue to come down, with the full installation
price for solar power expected to decrease by up to 60 per cent by 2020.
Australia and the United States announced a research agreement in 2010 to try and make the cost of solar
competitive with fossil fuels within five years.
The state by state snapshots are inetersting.
Victoria
Installed capacity: 1417 MW
Percentage of nationwide renewable installed capacity: 12%
Number of projects: 73
Technologies: Solar PV, Bioenergy, Wind, Hydro
Feed-in tariff: Premium FiT for solar PV — 60 cents kWh (Net), F&R Tariff (Net) — at least 1:1 (FiT/Net)
Policy support for clean energy:*
• Victorian Climate Change White Paper
– Increase Victoria’s electricity supply from large-scale solar to 5% by 2020
– Introduce large-scale feed-in tariff
– Green Door – ‘one stop shop’ for energy projects
• $72 million Energy Technology Innovation Strategy to support the development of large-scale, precommercial
demonstrations of sustainable energy technologies
• Energy Saver Incentive – energy efficiency target scheme
* Victoria’s change in government may result in changes to the policies above
Western Australia
Installed capacity: 307 MW
Percentage of nationwide renewable installed capacity: 3%
Number of projects: 32
Technologies: Bioenergy, Wind, Hydro
Feed-in tariff: FiT: 40 cents kWh
Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme: 7 cents kWh (Synergy) – 18.94 cents kWh (Horizon)Queensland
Installed capacity: 1184 MW
Percentage of nationwide renewable installed capacity: 10%
Number of projects: 58
Technologies: Geothermal, Bioenergy, Wind, Hydro
Feed-in tariff: 44 cents kWh (Net)
Policy support for clean energy:
• State Government’s Renewable Energy Plan to increase deployment of renewable
energy initiatives and accelerate growth of this sector established in 2009
• $50 million Renewable Energy Fund
• $15 million Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence to drive
geothermal research and technology
• $50 million Smart Energy Savings Fund
South Australia
Installed capacity: 966 MW
Percentage of nationwide renewable installed capacity: 9%
Number of projects: 35
Technologies: Bioenergy, Wind, Hydro
Feed-in tariff: 44 cents kWh (Net)Australian Capital Territory
Installed capacity: 10 MW
Percentage of nationwide renewable installed capacity: 0.09%
Number of projects: 5
Technologies: Bioenergy, Hydro, Solar PV
Feed-in tariff: 45.7 cents kWh (Gross)
Policy support for clean energy:
• Target of zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2060
Developing Sustainable Energy Policy 2010–2020 to deliver this
• Home Energy Audit Program
• Expanded feed-in tariff scheme for household, medium and large-scale solar
• NSW Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme (GGAS) began operating on 1 January 2003
New South Wales
Installed capacity: 4,992 MW
Percentage of nationwide renewable installed capacity: 44%
Number of projects: 86
Technologies: Wave, Solar Thermal, Solar PV, Bioenergy, Wind, Hydro
Feed-in tariff: 20 cents kWh (Gross)
Policy support for clean energy:
• NSW Wind Renewable Energy Precincts
• State Government’s $700 million Climate Change Fund,
established in July 2007. Funds allocated in the following areas:
– $170 million Home Saver Rebates Program
– $30 million NSW Green Business Program
– $30 million Public Facilities program
– $40 million Renewable Energy Development Fund
– $20 million School Energy Efficiency Program
– $20 million Rainwater Tanks in Schools Program
– $150 million program under the Energy Efficiency Strategy
• Energy Savings Scheme – energy efficiency target schemeNorthern Territory
Installed capacity: 4 MW
Percentage of nationwide renewable installed capacity: 0.04%
Number of projects: 6
Technologies: Solar PV, Bioenergy
Feed-in tariff: N/A
Policy support for clean energy: Energy Smart Rebate Program
We’ll be giving this a good read!
Read the full report here.
The Clean Energy Council Response to the Government’s Flood Plan
The flood levy plan from the Government includes cuts to tge current Solar Flagship scheme.
Spending cuts
The Government will make $2.8 billion in spending cuts, with the funding to go towards the recovery and reconstruction effort, including:
- Not proceeding with the Cleaner Car Rebate Scheme
- Abolishing the Green Car Innovation Fund
- Reducing and deferring spending on the Carbon Capture and Storage Flagships and Solar Flagships programs and the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute
- Abolishing the Capital Development Pool from 1 January 2012
- Discontinuing funding for the Australian Learning and Teaching Council
- Reducing the National Rent Affordability Scheme dwelling target
- Redirecting funds from the Priority Regional Infrastructure Program and Building Better Regional Cities Program
- Capping annual claims under the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Vehicle Scheme
- Capping funding for the Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme – Solar Hot Water Rebate
- Not proceeding with Round 2 of the Green Start Program
- Capping funding for the Solar Homes and Communities Plan
The clean energy council’s response to the flood levy plan from the Government.
Government’s flood plan a renewable energy wash-out
It makes no sense to fund the clean-up of the worst floods in Australia’s history by cutting investment in climate change solutions, according to the Clean Energy Council, the peak industry body for renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Matthew Warren said the Gillard Government was in danger of losing its way on delivering an effective climate change strategy for Australia by assuming a carbon price, currently under negotiation, will be the “silver bullet” to address the problem.
“The reality is that climatic events like the recent floods are likely to become more severe and frequent with the impacts of climate change,” Mr Warren said.
“Cutting funding for clean energy projects that will ultimately mitigate this impact is as bizarre as it is counterproductive.”
The cuts announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the National Press Club yesterday included reductions in funding to renewable energy initiatives such as the Solar Flagships Program, the Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme which supports solar hot water systems, and the Solar Homes and Communities Plan.
“Solar hot water systems are among the most efficient and effective ways for Australian households to reduce their power bills. Rebuilding in flood affected areas is a perfect opportunity to use more clean energy like this to reduce greenhouse emissions.
“Australia has the potential to be a world leader in developing affordable large scale solar energy. We need more investment in its development, not less. Yet Labor’s own Solar Flagships program to accelerate development of this technology has already been trimmed – twice – before the program has even started.”
Mr Warren said a comprehensive response to climate change requires a price on carbon, support for energy efficiency and investment into clean energy generation to deliver affordable clean energy at scale as quickly as possible.
“The Government has a choice – it can either build a cleaner economy, or it can continue to add carbon risk and investment uncertainty.”
Full Article: http://bit.ly/fdNlsE
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Potential for Solar to Power wheatbelt
This study from researchers at UWA confirmsthe potential for CSP in the wheatbelt and mining industries in the area.
Read More»A study by researchers from The University of Western Australia has confirmed the potential for Concentrated Solar Power to generate electricity for communities and mining interests across the Wheatbelt.
Assistant Professors Julian Clifton and Bryan Boruff of UWA’s School of Earth and Environment found that areas in the central and eastern Wheatbelt are ideal sites for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP).
CSP concentrates solar radiation which is then converted to steam to drive a turbine or engine for electricity generation. Unlike photovoltaic cells the heat may be stored to generate electricity outside of sunlight hours.
The Average American’s Annual Energy Consumption
Here’s a great infographic explaining on average, just how much energy our American friends use annually. Note that solar, wind and geothermal usage still sits on 3.7% and coal at 48.2%. We wonder how that’s going to change now with sweeping advancements in solar, wind and hydroelectric power generation.
How do we Australians compare to this? Take a look at some of the energy usage for Australians from Australian Bureau of Statistics Although the data is a little behind:
| Thermal |  |
|
| Black coal |
1,379
|
56.4
|
| Brown coal |
671
|
27.4
|
| Oil |
25
|
1.0
|
| Gas |
284
|
11.6
|
| Total thermal |
2,360
|
96.4
|
|
|
|
| Renewables | |
|
| Hydro |
52
|
2.1
|
| Wind and solar photovoltaic |
23
|
0.9
|
| Biomass |
5
|
0.2
|
| Biogas |
7
|
0.3
|
| Total renewables |
87
|
3.6
|
This data is for household and industry usage over 2006-2007. In general it would seem we’re in a similar path, if not slightly ahead. We know that Perth / Western Australian solar industry has a large part to do with Australia’s overall renewable energy development.
Download the full statistics here.
Swan Energy is one of the leading providers of large scale, commercial solar and wind power stations for the Australian market. Our customers are proud to acknowledge that they have the most efficient and environmentally friendly energy systems in Australia.Apple Obtains Patent For Solar Powered Devices
TechCrunch reports Apple has got itself the patent for a solar powered device that it applied for in 2009.
This could mean multiple sources of power for mobile devices such as the iPad and iPhone. A solar powered device? Let’s hope so. 
Portable devices having multiple power interfaces are described herein. According to one embodiment of the invention, a portable electronic device includes, but is not limited to, a processor, a memory coupled to the processor for storing instructions, when executed from the memory, cause the processor to perform one or more functions, a battery coupled to provide power to the processor and the memory, and a battery charging manager coupled to charge the battery using power derived from a plurality of power sources including a solar power source. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.
Developments like this not only provide us better tools for remote locations, but spin off further technology advancements in the solar energy industry.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/13/apple-obtains-patent-for-solar-powered-devices/
Swan Energy is one of the leading providers of large scale, commercial solar and wind power stations for the Australian market. Our customers are proud to acknowledge that they have the most efficient and environmentally friendly energy systems in Australia. Read more about solar power here. Or about Solar Power Stations here.Swan Energy mentioned on International Mining Website
Swan Energy was mention on the International Mining site regarding our Galaxy solar tracker & wind turbine installation.
Read More»Galaxy Resources has placed an order with Swan Energy to install 15 large solar panels and two wind turbines generating a total 214 MWh/y of clean green energy at its lithium operation in Ravensthorpe. The company will be the first mine site in Australia to install the state-of-the-art solar generation tracking technology which will supplement its diesel power generation. Managing Director, Iggy Tan: “Our renewable energy installation will remove about 190 t/y of CO2 emissions from the mine site which is the equivalent of planting 19 ha of forest every year.
Solar Energy Trends in Australia
By taking a look at search trends on Google, we can get an overall picture of what people are looking for online when it comes to renewable energy. We sat down and looked at solar. Below are graphs of search results from Google since 2004.
Below is a state by state breakdown of who is searching for “solar energy” on Google.
And a run down of what the top search keywords and their percentage against each other. As you can see, the solar energy rebate is what’s peaking people’s interest as the moment.
Solar Owners Guide Snapshot – RET Renewable Energy Target
For those considering a solar system to reduce their energy usage, the Office of Renewable Energy Regulator has a handy guide for you to read through. We recommend giving it a read.
RET explained
The Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme has been established to encourage additional generation of electricity from renewable energy sources to meet the Government¡¦s commitment to achieving a 20% share of renewables in Australia¡¦s electricity supply by 2020. The RET legislation:
- places a legal liability on wholesale purchasers of electricity (liable parties) to proportionally contribute to an additional 45,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable energy per year by 2020.
- sets the framework for both the supply and demand of renewable energy certificates (RECs) via a REC market.
Who is eligible?
Renewable energy power stations, solar water heaters, heat pump water heaters and small generation units such as small-scale photovoltaic panels may be entitled to RECs if they fulfil accreditation and system eligibility requirements. For more information regarding eligibility requirements see the Solar Water Heater Owners Guide and Small Generation Unit Owners Guide.
RECs are sold and transferred via a market based online system called the REC Registry to liable and other parties in exchange for a financial benefit. This provides significant incentive for growth in renewables across Australia.
What’s the difference between solar photovoltaic panels, heat pumps and solar hot water systems?
Solar photovoltaic panels generate electricity whereas solar water heaters absorb energy from the sun to heat water. Heat pump hot water systems draw heat from the air to heat water.
What is a REC?
A renewable energy certificate (REC) is a commodity in the REC market. RECs are created by eligible parties (renewable energy power stations, solar water heaters, small generation units) and sold to liable parties (wholesale purchasers of electricity) and other parties via the REC Registry to meet their liability under the RET.