We have not been paying for our electricity so that is much more of an incentive for householders and industry to consume considerable amounts of electricity

Murdoch University business and development lecturer Peter McMahon warns West Australians will pay dearly through their hip pockets for living in one of the least-sustainable societies in the world.

His report, which examines the energy, transportation,environment, farming and mining sectors, covers WA sustainability from 1829 to 2020.“The energy-intensive WA economy faces huge challenges as carbon-control schemes and peak energy trends will raise energy costs dramatically,” Dr McMahon said.

“Rising living standards in WA have led to the state being the highest energy-user and the worst polluter and waste generator in the country.”

In his report, WA2020, Dr McMahon said the state needed to make significant policy changes in the next decade to avoid dramatic price increases and tackle drought, soil erosion and salinity problems.

Energy Minister Peter Collier said the state’s thirst for energy was because West Australians had been living in a “fool’s paradise” for too long.

“We have not been paying for our electricity so that is much more of an incentive for householders and industry to consume considerable amounts of electricity,” Mr Collier said.

“It has sent all the wrong messages to the community.
“We are moving towards a user-pays system with electricity and that has a two-fold effect.

Number one, it means that the State Government won’t continue to bail out Verve Energy to the tune of billions of dollars and number two, the community are much more aware of the fact that it costs to use electricity so it sends the right message.”

But he said the state was making progress, especially when it came to the switch to renewable energy. By 2012 WA would produce 8.9 per cent of its energy from green sources including wind, solar and wave generators, he said. So far 18,000 households have installed solar panels, which feed energy directly into the grid.The state pays householders 40c a kilowatt hour for excess power.

Environment Minister Donna Faragher did not respond to questions about Dr McMahon’s report. Dr McMahon claimed WA’s isolation, size and diverse landscape was delaying much-needed action. The report urged the Government to make urgent policy changes in areas such as energy, transportation and mining.

Original post: http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/special-features/west-australians-to-pay-for-dirty-living/story-e6frg19l-1225914730176

You’d think that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in the Persian Gulf would have nothing to do with alternative energy initiatives, right?  Since they have close to a quarter of the global petroleum reserves literally underfoot, you might assume that they’d try to prevent the development of alternatives, or at least not be interested in using them.  It turns out, however that even the oil rich Gulf is diversifying the energy sources beyond fossil fuels, both for business diversification and as a result of real need.

Selling off natural resources

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are facing increasing shortages in domestic energy supply, and their economies depend on selling petroleum to other countries rather then burning it  for their own needs.  Many of these countries face gas shortages, and they recognize that petroleum supplies are finite and need to be managed wisely and husbanded for the future.

One way of supplying this power is through renewable energy sources like sun and wind. Saudia Arabia, Oman, Dubai and Kuwait all have programs to promote and develop solar and wind power farms, solar powered desalination, more efficient use of oil through fuel cells, carbon sequestration, oil gasification, and green building.  The city of Masdar in Abu Dhabi aims to be the first carbon neutral area in the world through clean energy initiatives and cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Peter Barker-Homek, chief executive of Abu Dhabi’s National Energy Company (TAQA) described his available alternatives to oil and gas:

“. . . you start looking at clean coal, and nuclear power is also something that has to be in the global energy mix. In the countries that have run good nuclear programs, they are remarkably safe. We still don’t have a resolution as to what you do with the depleted uranium at the end of its life cycle.

Solar, thermal — perfect in the Gulf

“But in a world that is oil constrained, keeping that barrel of oil so you can get a refined product is extremely valuable.    Renewables will only account for 10% to 20% of any country’s energy mix, though solar or thermal power, if it’s going to be perfected anywhere, is going to be perfected in the Gulf. The amount of sunlight in a day makes it a perfect environment. ”

Alternative or renewable energy technologies are growing and present an opportunity for investors, but will become a real solution only when they become cost effective and widespread, according to Forbes.com.  Demand for petroleum is still increasing worldwide, especially in the developing world led by China and India, and they will not switch away from their use of oil unless the alternative is competitive.

Western economies can help this process along by making clean technologies more attractive for investment and innovation, first by reducing the subsidies for the oil companies, next by taxing “dirty” fossil fuels.  Finally they can also give carefully selected incentives to alternative technologies until they reach maturity in large scale applications and low cost.

And who knows?  Maybe the answer to GCC (Global Climate Change) will come from the GCC.

Original post: www.greenprophet.com/2008/08/gulf-countries-renewable-energy/

Energy Minister Peter Collier has announced State Budget funding of $23million to introduce a residential net feed-in tariff scheme, providing a subsidy to householders with new and existing photovoltaic, wind and micro-hydro systems.

The scheme will open for applications from July 1, with payments to be made from August 1.

It will be available for residential installations where the system is owned by the home owner, including tenanted properties.

“The net feed-in tariff scheme has been set at 40 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) on electricity exported into both the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) and regional grids,” Mr Collier said.

“This is in addition to the price paid under the existing Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme, which will allow householders to receive a minimum of 47c/kWh.

“This provides a genuine incentive for home owners to install renewable energy systems, which not only has a positive impact on the environment but it will also help householders manage their electricity bills.”

A feasibility study is also being undertaken into the potential for a similar scheme for businesses.

The Minister said the scheme would help system owners recover the cost of installing solar photovoltaic systems, with recipients receiving the net feed-in tariff payments for 10 years.

“The scheme will not require any changes in metering for existing system owners,” he said.

“The State Government recognises the substantial interest within the community to install household renewable energy systems, and the introduction of a feed-in tariff will provide an on-going benefit to households and the solar industry in Western Australia.”

Current system size under retailer buyback schemes, up to 5kW for Synergy customers and up to 10kW per phase for Horizon Power customers, will apply.

Both electricity retailers will administer the net feed-in tariff scheme on the SWIS and regional networks respectively.

Original source:
www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/WACabinetMinistersSearch.aspx?ItemId=133582&minister=Collier&admin=Barnett

September 2010

Energy Farm this month made an agreement that will see more efficient high quality panels being imported into Perth in 250watt and 290watt sizes.  Designed in America and manufactured in India, the panels are of very high quality/efficiency and include longer warranties than many panels coming out of China.

Energy Farm sees this as a real step forward for the home owner who now has the option to put less panels on their roof due to these highly efficient modules and they make a great addition to our growing list of panel brands and options.  To top it off, they are a great looking module, the image pictured above is a closeup of a panel that is on one of our staffs roof!

State Energy Minister Peter Collier officially opened Kwinana’s 120-megawatt ‘Swift Power’ station, which is operated by the Ky Cao-led Perth Energy.

he gas-fired power station is said to have quick response capabilities, taking just five minutes to reach full capacity.

“This will assist with increasing Western Australia’s capacity to manage intermittent power on the grid from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar,” Mr Collier said.

“The station will also increase reliability of supply during high demand periods and add significant security during system emergencies through its capacity to quickly switch fuels from gas to diesel.”

The extra power capacity to WA will make it easier on the state’s grid system, particularly during hot days in summer when air conditioners can put pressure on the system.

The opening of the Perth Energy power station also follows the State Government’s cap on Verve Energy’s total capacity at 3000MW.

Perth Energy on its website said Verve is currently producing some 34000MW of power however that will decrease when some of the utility’s oldest plants retire in the next several years.

The plant will also help the grid accommodate more renewable energy generation, helping the government achieves its share of the national target of 20 per cent by 2020.

The Marble Bar-based Horizon Power’s Pippunyah power station was today opened by Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore.

Mr Moore said it was the first time a combination of technology – solar and diesel – was used in the world.

He said it ensured the plant had a very high level of solar energy penetration and a reliable supply of power to the town. Marble Bar, in the east Pilbara, is Australia’s hottest town.

“The station is powered by the biggest tracking solar farm in Australia,” he said.

“The 1350 panels – an award-winning design of SunPower – move on their axis to follow the path of the sun and produce a generating capacity of 1160kW.” Mr Moore said regional WA, particularly the Pilbara, was critical to the rest of the nation and the State Government was proud to support leading-edge technology that was efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly.

Pippunyah Solar Diesel Power Station was only one of many renewable energy projects under development by Horizon Power, including solar-diesel stations in the remote Aboriginal towns of Kalumburu and Yungngore (Noonkanbah).

The Marble Bar station started powering the town in May but its testing program was only finished at the end of July.

The station is named by the community’s Njamal people after the river that runs beneath it.

The same solar-diesel hybrid generation model has been used to develop and build a power station at Nullagine, 88km south of Marble Bar.

This station, powered by 900 single-axis tracking solar panels, is under construction and expected to start supplying the town in October.

Source: http://www.perthnow.com.au/business/news/private-kwinana-power-station-opens/story-e6frg2qu-1225907833659