News
Campaigners Power Renewable Energy Debate
Sustainable energy campaigners say now is the time to start switching Australia over to renewable power plants.
Perth Solar City Project
Perth is one of Australia's sunniest cities and is finally moving towards some solar PV installations. Although initially a little more expensive, these projects provide a great benefit to the enrironment and reduce peak electricity use.
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Sustainability
Clean Energy Council
The Clean Energy Council is the peak body representing Australia's clean energy sector
Beyond Zero Emissions
Beyond Zero Emissions facilitates the implementation of social changes and technologies needed to reduce the impacts of climate change and give our society and global ecosystems a chance of surviving into the future.
Sustainable Energy WA
Sustainable Energy Development Office of WA (SEDO) is the government contingent in WA looking at and funding sustainable energy initiatives.
Sustainable Energy VIC
The government contingent looking at sustainable energy in Victoria
Biomass
Biomass has its place in the sustainable energy mix. Often it is used for fringe of grid applications where the cost of transmitting energy to remote areas makes biomass cost competitive. Furthermore, the burning of wood mallee which is used to combat salinity issues in parts of Australia allows the subsidising of salinity programs with the added benefit of energy productions on the fringe of the grid. Biomass plants can be pretty much any size as they are essentially thermal power stations, however often they are no more than 5MW as this is the largest size unit that sits in a cost competitive price point. (At least in WA I am told)
Pictured on the right is a 1 MW biomass power plant I visited in Germany. This takes organic waste on the farm and converts it into electricity to be sold back into the grid. I believe in this location it is cost competitive, although Australia has very different tariff structures and grid feed in mechanisms.
Bio Fuels
The potential displacement of food crops makes the development of biofuels a risky business, and although it has its place in the renewable energy mix, I feel it is best to focus on other forms of energy for our large scale interests. Biofuels could have an important role in the aviation industry in years to come, as our world runs out of oil.