Large scale solar - some exciting news!

Last month saw a very positive piece of breaking news in the solar industry with the ACT Government passing legislation to introduce a feed in tariff (FiT) for medium scale solar in the ACT.

The gross FiT is now available for installations 30kW to 200kW in size, and specifically opens the market to larger commercial and industrial applications.

John Grimes, Chief Executive of the Australian Solar Energy Society said, "[t]his is an important move because it allows greater economies of scale in deployments, and also targets a part of the market where the electricity demand profile closely matches solar energy production."

The scheme start date and FiT rate have not yet been announced, but it is expected to start shortly with an initial rate of around 34c per kWh to be paid.

We're thrilled with this news which finally presents an incentive for larger scale solar installations - something we believe is very necessary to push clean energy progress forward. As touched upon in our previous blog, smaller scale solar installations can be less efficient and there is no logic in limiting solar generation in this way. We hope to see other states follow ACT's example.

Sydney's energy shortage: treat the cause, not the symptom

We've come across an interesting opinion piece from The Age's Christine Rau which discusses the predicament of finding an energy efficient way of regulating the temperature of your home, particularly in crowded neighbourhoods:

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/energy-smart/put-solar-panels-on-every-large-rooftop-20110209-1amed.html.

Whilst she makes some excellent points about the building quality issues that are prevalent in new suburban neighbourhoods, we believe that her proposed solution of getting the government to pay for solar panels to place on rooftops to cool these buildings can be improved upon.

The main concern we have with this idea is that because they are inefficient and require massive amounts of heating and cooling, we should address the symptom, not the cause. Even in these crowded neighbourhoods there is room for shading, for sun-sails and window-shades. Next time you drive past one of these neighbourhoods, have a look at the roofing - it is almost always dark or black. Paint the roof a light colour, stick in 30cm of insulation (the recommended level in Europe now) and watch that power bill fall through the floor as both heating and cooling requirements are diminished.

Another concern that we have is with the concept of getting the government to fund this. Why should the government fund the cooling of the building we have chosen to live in? If a taxpayer choses to purchase or rent a well-designed home, why should their tax dollars go towards putting solar panels on the roof of a poorly designed home or commercial building?

The next issue we have with the argument is that the power industry in NSW is privatised (rightly or wrongly), and hence it is not the responsibility for the NSW government to install generating capacity on people's roof tops.

Finally, if we need GigaWatts of solar power, why place it on roof tops at all? Not many residential roof tops are the perfect orientation for solar power, and there are inefficiencies involved in running many small solar installations. If the government is going to get into this game, it really should be in the form of solar farms that are installed on the ground or on the top of very large buildings and warehouses where the efficiencies of scale can be harnessed.

Cool down your house and save energy

The temperature is rising all over Australia and it seems the only option is to crank up the air conditioning as high as it'll go, but there are many other ways to cool your house down which use far less energy and won't leave you with a huge power bill.

Property journalist Caroline Boyd has come up with some excellent tips to cool down your house in what's shaping up to be a scorching hot summer: http://theage.domain.com.au/blogs/talking-property/tips-to-cool-down-the-house/20110201-1abbq.html.

You would also be wise to invest in a Current Cost EnviR from SmartNow. You'll be able to see how much energy you're using in real time, and what it's costing you, to ensure that you're not faced with a colossal energy bill at the end of the season.

Visit our online store and receive free shipping on orders over $50: http://www.smartnow.com.au/store.

Aussies do their bit as solar use surges. Will you invest in solar energy in 2011?

Before Christmas The Age reported that Australians installed more than 100,000 rooftop solar panels in 2010, more than in the entire previous decade.

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/energy-smart/aussies-do-their-bit-as-solar-panel-use-surges-20101221-193q3.html

The article highlights research from Clean Energy Australia which provides an interesting insight into how Australia uses renewable energy. This report showed that 8.67 per cent of Australia's electricity was provided by renewable resources in 2010. With electricity prices on the rise there has never been a better time to invest in clean energy.

If you are considering investing in a solar system in 2011, get yourself a Current Cost EnviR from SmartNow and hook it up to Google PowerMeter.

An EnviR will be particularly useful if you are on a Net feed-in tariff (where you are paid for every unused kWh which you push back to the grid) as it will allow you to monitor and reduce the amount of energy consumption in your home therefore maximising your payback and ensuring you make back the money on your investment faster!

For a detailed breakdown of how this can be achieved check out our previous blog: http://smartnowenvironmental.blogspot.com/2010/08/stop-read-this-before-you-buy-your.html

Visit SmartNow's webshop to view the Current Cost EnviR and our solar monitoring kits: http://www.smartnow.com.au/store/

Families' bills keep rising: monitor your family's energy consumption with the Current Cost EnviR

An article by Gemma Jones at the Daily Telegraph highlights the desperate situation many Australian families are finding themselves in when they have to switch off essential appliances in order to save money on ever rising electricity bills.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/no-heaters-but-power-bill-still-rose/story-fn6b3v4f-1225972428736

A report by IPART has found that households paid an average 24.4 per cent more for electricity, gas and water in the past two years. One in five low income families were spending 5 per cent of their income on electricity.

Ensure you are not paying more than you should be - monitor your energy usage with the Current Cost EnviR and Google PowerMeter, now available in Australia and New Zealand from www.smartnow.com.au and www.smartnow.co.nz. How much will you save?

New Zealand school installs EnviR and Google PowerMeter to go green and make savings!

A school in Khandallah, New Zealand has become the first school in the world to install Google PowerMeter to monitor energy use and save money.

Cashmere Avenue Primary School has already identified 2kW of energy use which can easily be cut, representing a saving of around $1500 a year. This is a valuable reinvestment opportunity at a time when schools’ budgets are stretched to the limit.

Read more here: http://katrinashanks.co.nz/index.php?/archives/383-Cashmere-Ave-Primary-School-Goes-Green-to-Help-out-Blue.html

At SmartNow we are currently developing our own not-for-profit venture: the SmartNow School Energy Education Program. To learn more about this project to increase energy efficiency and provoke interest in sustainability in schools click here: http://www.smartnow.com.au/schools.php

Ben from GeekZone reviews the Current Cost EnviR from SmartNow NZ

The Current Cost EnviR from SmartNow New Zealand has just been reviewed by Ben from GeekZone. Click the link to find out what he had to say: http://www.ben.geek.nz/2011/01/review-current-cost-envir-from-smartnow-nz/