Solar Energy Market damaged in Western Australia

The state and federal governments have damaged the growing solar energy sector with their indecisive moves in relation to the carbon debate and the feed in tarrifs.

This week the Barnett government pulled the plug on the renewable energy grid subsidy scheme. This was after the $127 million installation quota for solar panels was reached.

The solar tariff was originally set at 60 cents per kilowatt hour and now it has been moved down to 7 cents per kilowatt hour.

The incentive needs to be recalibrated. All the profits from Synergy could be used to fund alternative energy schemes.


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
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Categories: Energy
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The Carbon Debate

In Australia at least, it appears that we are about to get a carbon tax. The carbon tax is effectively a way of puting a price on carbon to influence personal and business behaviour in the Australian marketplace. The expectation is that the price on carbon will shift energy consumption away from fossil fuels toward clean energy alternatives such as solar and wind.

Unfortunately there is a significant amount of politics involved and we can be sure that the cost will not necessarily be borne by the fossil fuel industry. Already, there is talk of significant concessions to the fossil fuel industry and this will certainly skew the burden away from those who should be burdened and onto the man on the street.

Ultimately, carbon is not the culprit, carbon is merely a by product of human activity on the planet and it is that human activity that is directly responsible for global warming. There are probably a  miriad of other factors that are also driving global warming including deforestation, the building of cities and roads and even war and conflict.

From a positive perspective, Australia could lead the way in demonstrating that a carbon price is a great way to modify behaviour and incentivise the adoption of efficient, clean energy consumption. From a negative perspective, it is possible that pricing carbon creates a fantastic new product for the global trading merket to profit from.

As we become more aware of the impacts of our behaviours and adopt new, efficient lifestyles we should be able to overcome the negative impact that we've had on the environment to date.

 


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
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Diesel Generators needed to keep up with Perth Summer

Toward the end of our hot 2011 summer these generators had to be placed in strategic locations around the more affluent suburbs as the demand for cooling must have increased substantially on previous summers. Here is a diesel generator down the road from my house.

 


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
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Costly Carbon. Costly H2O

Carbon lifestyle requirements are costly and becoming increasingly so. Take account of what your costs are -

  • Heating & cooling
  • Housing
  • Food & Drink
  • Transport
  • Health

While -

Digital lifestyle requirements are falling in price

  • Telecommunications
  • Finance
  • Digital entertainment

There are serious financial benefits in transitioning to a digital lifestyle.


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Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
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A world beating Australian solar technology emerges

A new solar technology developed in Australia is set to bring down solar energy costs even further. Technique Solar based in Melbourne & run by Prof Ian Bates formally of RMIT University has developed solar panels that are claimed to be four times more efficient & three times cheaper than any comparable existing technology.

The panels are a hybrid of photovoltaic cells & acrylic lenses that are designed to track the sun as it moves across the sky. The design of the panels allows for the production of both heat energy & electricity.

With price per kw/hr expected to be anywhere from one third to one quarter that of existing technology, this recent advance in solar power generation is an initial indicator that the cost of solar power output will follow the price curve that other technologies exhibit which is down.

For more on Technique Solar visit their website


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Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
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Designing buildings for the hot West Australian climate

After one of the hottest summers on record it is worth consider how we might better adapt our building designs for houses, offices and factories to the fierce Western Australian heat. Termite mounds provide a great example of how insects engineer their living quarters to ensure survival in hot climates. giant-termite-mound

The typical termite mound must accommodate millions of inhabitants together with their fungus gardens. Termites cannot digest the cellulose from the wood that they collect so they use the wood as a food for fungus to grow on & then eat the fungus. These fungus gardens need a stable environment in which to grow and so constant humidity and temperature is a must.

Initially it was believed that termite mounds act as a giant chimney, filtering out the CO2 from the wasps & the fungus gardens. A typical mound needs to 'breathe' 1000 litres of fresh air per day. However, recent research has demonstrated that the real ventilation is driven through the walls of the termite mound which are porous. Termite mounds tap turbulence in the gusts of wind that hit them. A single breath of wind contains small eddies and currents that vary with speed & direction with different frequencies. As the range of frequencies changes from gust to gust, the boundary between the stale air in the nest and the fresh air from outside moves about within the mounds' walls, allowing the two bodies of air to be exchanged. In essence, the mound functions as a giant lung.

As termites do not need any electricity to run the heating, cooling and ventilation on their buildings, their designs are worth paying attention to, especially if we want to continue developing our civilization in Western Australia, one of the hottest driest spots on the planet.


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
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Categories: Climate Change
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Why Rooftop Solar is Set to Explode

Distributed generation of renewable energy is off to a rocky start, but it's finally making some headway.

The research side is looking good. The $28 billion request in the US president's FY 2011 budget for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy includes large increases for programs including wind, weatherisation, smart grid technologies, and solar — plus $58 million for National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) infrastructure and $50 million to stimulate clean energy education.

An additional $300 million would support the Advanced Research Project Agency — Energy (ARPA-E) initiative. Modeled after the DARPA program that resulted in the Internet, ARPA-E will fund the fundamental research to incubate the energy grid of the future, what Ethernet inventor Bob Metcalfe termed the Enernet.

Yes, this is about the US, but we live in their shadow & adopt their technologies. The Internet was invented there but we all benefit.


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
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Fusion power due in the 2030's


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Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
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Will you join us - A Chevron Initiative in relation with The Economist Group

You have the chance to power your own city. How will you do it?

Energyville is an online game that lets you choose from a wide range of energy sources to meet the demands of your very own city. Alternatives. Renewables. Oil. Gas. What should be developed? Is conservation the answer? See the effects your choices have, then share those results with others.

Energyville is a lot more than just a game. It's a chance to better understand & discuss the energy challenges we all face, then find the inspiration & know-how to solve them.

Put your ideas to work. Play now


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
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Home Brew - Personalised Electricity from Solar

The following quote from ACS Publications Inorganic Chemisty Journal is telling - The point here is that energy storage needed for solar Personalised Energy (PE) is currently within reach of the chemist with the design of catalysts that effectively promote eq  1 or 2 in the forward (solar storage) and reverse (fuel cell) directions.

Personalized energy (PE) is a transformative idea that provides a new modality for the planet’s energy future. By providing solar energy to the individual, an energy supply becomes secure and available to people of both legacy and nonlegacy worlds and minimally contributes to an increase in the anthropogenic level of carbon dioxide. Because PE will be possible only if solar energy is available 24 h a day, 7 days a week, the key enabler for solar PE is an inexpensive storage mechanism. HY (Y = halide or OH) splitting is a fuel-forming reaction of sufficient energy density for large-scale solar storage. Read the full article


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
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