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


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
Tags: , , ,
Categories: Energy
Post Information: Permalink | Comments (0) | Post RSSRSS comment feed

Distributed Energy

Historically energy grids have been highly centralised and in the case of energy in Western Australia the centre has consisted of coal powered electricity generating stations. With new DIY energy technologies becoming available the centre is yielding to the edge. The edge will include all homes and businesses that decide to invest in their own solar panels, wind turbines & wave energy generators.

As more distributed power generators come online, connections between these energy generators will grow, creating a robust, distributed and intelligent energy network. This new network will yield as yet unknown benefits beyond stability and price efficiencies.

The future is looking bright indeed.


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
Categories: Energy | Infrastructure
Post Information: Permalink | Comments (0) | Post RSSRSS comment feed

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
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
Tags: , , , ,
Categories: Energy
Post Information: Permalink | Comments (0) | Post RSSRSS comment feed

WA has launch of first commercial wave energy project in Australia

Built by Carnegie Wave Energy Limited, this commercial demonstration project will have a peak installed capacity of 5MW, generating sufficient power for around 3,500 households. The Project is forecast to create 30 jobs and save over 500,000 tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the project. The project will utilise Carnegie's $12.5 million LEED grant from the Western
Australian Government announced earlier this year. Detailed cost and design activities
associated with Stage 2 will be undertaken during 2010 with construction and
commissioning scheduled for 2011.

The primary aim of the project is to demonstrate the CETO technology in

Commercial operation for the first time however, it will also deliver Carnegie its first project based revenues from the sale of power.

This CETO (From the Greek word for sea monster) system distinguishes itself from other wave energy devices by operating out of sight and being anchored to the ocean floor. An array of submerged buoys is tethered to seabed pump units. The buoys move in harmony with the motion of the passing waves, driving the pumps which in turn pressurise water that is delivered ashore via a pipeline. High-pressure water is used to drive hydroelectric turbines, generating zero-emission electricity. The high-pressure water can also be used to supply a reverse osmosis desalination plant, replacing greenhouse gas emitting electrically driven pumps usually required for such plants.

CETO Technology characteristics include:

  •  CETO converts wave energy into zero-emission electricity and desalinated water
  •  CETO is environmentally friendly, has no visual impact and attracts marine life
  •  CETO is fully submerged in deep water away from popular surf breaks

image

Read more about the technology & watch videos at the company website.

Buy shares  ASX Code CWE


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
Tags:
Categories: Energy
Post Information: Permalink | Comments (0) | Post RSSRSS comment feed

Building the blueprint for powering Western Australia by a 100% carbon/energy neutral position by 2030

Western Australia needs to reinvent itself rapidly to survive & prosper in the future. We need to leverage our abundant natural resources into a low cost/long life energy infrastructure. A carbon neutral low cost energy infrastructure could be built in this state given its vast amounts of potential natural energy sources and raw material resources that can be traded to help finance the development of the infrastructure.

What does the most efficient carbon neutral energy infrastructure for Western Australia look like given the technology that we have available today & the political will?


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
Categories: Energy | Infrastructure
Post Information: Permalink | Comments (0) | Post RSSRSS comment feed

Fusion power due in the 2030's


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
Tags: , ,
Categories: Energy
Post Information: Permalink | Comments (0) | Post RSSRSS comment feed

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
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Categories: Energy
Post Information: Permalink | Comments (0) | Post RSSRSS comment feed

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
Tags: , ,
Categories: Energy
Post Information: Permalink | Comments (0) | Post RSSRSS comment feed

Redundancy - do we have it in Western Australia?

In an increasingly volatile world, we may want to consider our fate under various unpleasant scenarios -

  • Global weather patterns are severely disrupted by a 'tipping point'. Food shortages across the globe drive up prices significantly ....like 500%.
  • Chinese and Indian consumers cannot soak up the demand left by a burnt out, over weight Western baby boomer generation quickly enough. Global productive capacity is significantly excessive. Productive capacity is shut down rapidly, demand for our raw materials subsides significantly and mineral prices slump leading to the inevitable demise of our resource based economy.
  • A global full scale conflict erupts with multiple pressure points including the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Taiwan and the Korea?s. Global sea traffic is severely disrupted & demand for our raw materials slumps.

There are probably many more 'black swans' sitting out on the horizon or in the words of Donald Rumsfeld, 'unknown unknowns'.

Here are a range of redundancy strategies -

  • supporting certain less competitive industries on a small scale so that at least we had the option of rebuilding those industries in the event that we were struck by a 'black swan' event and could not rely on the produce of an external supplier
  • encouraging a range of agricultural product to be grown locally
  • protecting our environment from degradation and ensuring that fish and other natural resources are over harvested
  • developing smart, efficient energy and transport systems
  • educating on the benefit of minimising use of CO2 based resources and H2O resources

Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
Categories: Climate Change | Energy
Post Information: Permalink | Comments (0) | Post RSSRSS comment feed

Our energy future

If you read the newspapers you'll notice that there is almost a constant dialogue surrounding carbon trading and the politics of carbon trading. The reason for carbon trading being such a big news item is that the term is shorthand for 'more expensive energy in the future'.

At the same time that we get hit with some sort of carbon trading cost, we are also facing peak oil being that particular slice of history where incremental supplies of carbon fuels and products will be harder to tap from the earth's crust. Now there are new, cleaner greener sources of energy coming on stream including solar and there is evidence that global growth has decoupled from fossil fuel needs to some extent but the big question is, 'will clean tech come on fast enough to save the day'?

For a civilisation dependent on cheap reliable energy, we are rapidly entering that zone where a failure to bridge successfully to a 'post carbon world' may render us 'failed'.


Posted by: Andrew
Company: Noble & Associates
Phone: 61894007400
Posted On: 1/1/0001
Contact via email: andrew@nobleaccounting.com.au
Tags: , , ,
Categories: Energy
Post Information: Permalink | Comments (0) | Post RSSRSS comment feed