Microgeneration

[nabraxas]

This has been mentioned before & Catalyst did a piece on it last night.

With Howerd announcing plans for umpteen new nuclear power stations (whose sites have already been chosen, but wont be released until after the election), i think it timely to bring the topic up again.

I think microgeneration could play a much bigger part in Australia's electricty generation (currently 15%), as it does in Europe, but as it doesn't create any big industry it's unlikely to get much support from government.

Here's some ov the transcript from the show:

Nick Rowley: Microgeneration is a means whereby we as individuals through our homes and in other ways can actually generate energy which we use but also potentially sell that energy back to energy providors.

Narration: It's a shift in thinking from the traditional model of big centralised power stations.

But it's being taken very seriously in the UK, where Nick Rowley was formerly climate change advisor to the prime minister.

Nick Rowley: They think in the next 20 years decentralised energy, of which microgeneration is a part, could form a third of the energy needs of a city the size of London

Narration: And by mid 2006, Dr Nott was raring to give it a go for himself.

First, he made his house energy efficient -.

then, power station, DIY.

Mathew Nott: Those panels are generating about 70% of our household needs. What we're hoping to do is install a wind turbine in the next 6 months which hopefully will fill in that gap.

Narration: And this is what it's all about - the moment when your power starts feeding back into the grid.

Mathew Nott: It's a terrific feeling to be providing your own electricity. You know the first thing I wanted to do after we'd boiled the kettle was to boil it again (laughs)

Narration: But that was the easy bit. To really make an impact, Dr Nott knew he somehow had to convince the whole community to join him.

Mathew Nott: Well, I got on the phone and I rang everyone I knew and a lot of people I didn't know.

3 weeks later, we had 3,000 people lined up on Tathra beach.

Mathew Nott: We've come up with a community target for tackling climate change and that's 5050 by 2020. What that means is a 50% reduction in the consumption of energy and a 50% production of energy by renewable sources by the year 2020.

Narration: That's when the local microgeneration revolution really started to take off.

First to fire up was the Tathra surf club - with solar panels and a mini wind turbine tastefully decorated in surf club colours

Mathew Nott: We've had calls from fire brigades ... the local schools ... the targets have been agreed to by the community of the Bega Valley shire and Eurobodalla.

Narration: If enough households and businesses sign on, eventually they could displace a small power plant.

And there's another big advantage to mass microgeneration. To understand it, let's meet the real power network in our lives.... the grid.

Brad Shone: The grid is basically a network of poles and wires which connect generation with the areas of electricity demand which are the cities and towns and industrial areas.

Narration: The trouble is, to avoid blackouts, we have to build our networks big enough to cope when electricity demand is at its peak.

And when is peak demand? Typically, hot summer afternoons when we all turn on our air conditioners.

As it happens, that's right when solar panels produce most power ... reducing the need to spend on an ever expanding grid.

Brad Shone: Australia is committed to spending 24 billion dollars over the next 5 years for poles and wires.

Its huge and it's the one thing that's hard to factor in to the equation at the moment because there's no way of capturing that benefit when you're trying to make the case for microgeneration. There's no financial way of capturing the avoided need for all this extra spending on infrastructure.

Narration: But if microgeneration is so wonderful, how come so few Australians have taken it up? Incredibly, just 4,000 homes are feeding into the grid.

Mathew Nott: the costs for installing solar PV's was about $17,000, and we got a $4,000 rebate to bring it down to $13,000.

That's fine for me, I'm in a privileged position where I can afford the cost of PV cells. But not everyone can.

Narration: At the moment, individuals bear the brunt of microgeneration costs, and it takes more than 20 years to return the investment.

So what would it take to spread the power from a community ... to a nation?

One option is to just pay for it.

The federal governments impressive new Solar Cities program will get around 6,000 more homes feeding to the grid. But to replace a power station, you need a million.

How do you get there?

Well, there is another way.

In Germany, the government has adopted what's known as a feed in tariff.

It works like this.

Jonica: In Germany, when I draw from the grid I pay say 10c. But when I feed back to the grid, I get paid 40c. It's a nice little earner - and it means my home power station pays for itself in under 10 years.

Narration: And the figures speak for themselves.

While Australian microgeneration is growing at a modest 15% per year, in Germany, it's a rocketing 50%.

Over 40 countries have now adopted feed in tariffs - and the South Australian government is just about to.

Meanwhile, Dr Nott isn't waiting around for a higher power - though he has just recruited one.

Mathew Nott: I've had a chat to a bishop. The bishops idea is to have every place of worship in the country to be set up with renewable energy. What a great statement that would be to get a solar panel onto every place of worship in the country.

Narration: Our species has an epic, archetypal task ahead to avoid dangerous climate destabilisation.

Microgeneration won't get us there by itself ... but then again, no single thing will.

Mathew Nott: I really feel like there is a sweeping change coming within the community and it's great to feel part of it.

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1913536.htm

[teonanacatl]

Yeah microgeneration is the key I think, killer for some big business though. They also buy the power back at a cheaper rate then they sell it in aus.

[Vertmorpheus]

I'm not a fan of many aspect of nuclear power, but, IF we have to go that route, I reckon that since we dig these massive fuckoff deep holes to get the uranium up to start with, we can then build the plants at the bottom of the pits with massive mounds of earth waiting patiently above, to be bulldozed in on top of whatever catastrophe eventuates.

Oh, that and we keep spent rods under parliament house and all the swankiest burbs in the nation. They're pretty safe eh, no worries there. Buggrit, they'erthat safe, let's just have a minireactor in EVERY BACKYARD... make it a family activity!

Onsite gen. and selling back to the grid is a whacky idea really. Not the onsite part, makes sense... but selling it back? why? if you run a surplus why not just transfer it to neighbours for free? use it to shove some water up a hill somewhere so tis stored potential energy. whats the grid gunna do with it, run MORE massive, pointless streetlights at 1am? as was said, the price they pay for it is so minimal as to make it really only worthwhile for true hairy folk who get off on saying things like "yeh man the rainbowdreamingturbine system makes so much juice we can sell it back to the grid, man".

Anyone for a Mcmaralinga Deluxe? You'll have to go the shops for us though, as my brain has formed otuside my skull.

Big business..... lol. Yep Australia and its thriving.... its thriving... what do we do here again?Sorry, just that mostof what I see in shops is from china, indonesia and thailand. Apparently we can't grow garlic here either, easier to ship it in from china? Bullshit.

I don't want to die in someone elses mistake,

GD