Chairman’s Note
Great excitement! Finally, the solar PV panels are installed on the roof of the Neighbourhood Centre. We have encountered frustrating delays over the last couple of months as we waited for the meter to arrive and be installed by the appropriate authorities. Anyway, it is now done and the system is up and operating.
A huge thank you to the 8 couples who have provided finances for this project. Most of these are non-interest loans over 3 years to enable Energise Gloucester to design and install the system. EG is selling the electricity to the Bucketts Way Neighbourhood Group as a buy-back arrangement. They will own the system themselves at the end of 3 years. Thanks to John Edwards who is managing this project for us.
We will have an official launch of the system at the Neighbourhood Centre at a Public Meeting on 4 May at the Neighbourhood Centre. Put the date in your diary, more details about the launch will be sent out closer to the date.
Yours with energy,
David Marston
Chair
Project Updates
Energy Efficiency Audit.
We are still seeking funding for this project.
Bulk Buy
Energise Gloucester has been approached by Farming the Sun, a group that has been successful in organising events that has enabled people to purchase solar equipment at discount prices. The reduction is possible because Farming the Sun purchases large quantities of solar panels and batteries at reduced the prices, which they then pass on. We will keep you informed about the possibility of such an event in Gloucester.
Community Solar Energy Farm
EG has applied to the NSW Government for a grant to help undertake a Feasibility Study for the Community Generation project. This project will be to generate PV electricity through several 500kW systems in the district that feed it into the grid for local and regional use. It is proposed that community members will be able to invest money at a reasonable rate of interest. The Study will take about 6-9 months and then EG will make a decision on the viability of the project.
Biogas
Biogas (methane) generated by the decomposition of organic waste is used in many countries for cooking and heating. There are now biogas generating systems available commercially in Australia. Energise Gloucester is investigating this concept with a system developed in Queensland.
This is a very preliminary investigation by EG that could see methane gas being generated from organic waste from sources such as supermarkets, restaurants and sale yards.
Stay tuned!
Our Solar Story by Geoff Walton, Do We Expand or Not?
When Gaby and I decided to build a house in Gloucester in 2009 we were set on building a solar passive house as we had lived in one in Canberra years before. We found our ideal block off Bundook Road. It faced north - with a lovely view to boot. At the time it seemed logical to include some solar panels in the overall design to take advantage both of our northern exposure and of the substantial renewable energy subsidy available at the time. So, in addition to solar hot water, we added 2.5 KW solar panels on the roof.
After 7 years that system had paid for itself, so we were happy with the outcome. In the meantime, it was apparent that panels had come down in price, were more efficient and reliable. Not only that, we had a western roof begging to be used. That is what got us thinking to add more panels even though the power purchase agreement (PPA) prices had declined. The questions remained, however, whether to add a battery to the system. Discussions with a few suppliers convinced us that adding a battery now was the way to go because as retirees most of our power is consumed during sunlight hours, leaving a battery to perform a kind of back-up function in the case of a blackout and to power lights and TV at night. That was an important consideration because living in the country we depend on electricity for operating tank pumps and our waste water system At that stage of our thinking, we were ready to expand.
The question was, what to employ. We opted for a new, Australian-made system from Redback Technology (out of Brisbane) for several reasons:
- very price-competitive;
- they were reported to supply reliable back-office technical support;
- all parts and equipment are Australian made;
- perhaps most importantly, their hybrid system comes with an app that allows the user to control and monitor the system remotely.
With this additional feature, owner not only has the capacity to supply energy to the grid but to monitor household usage and change consumption accordingly.
For example, it is possible to monitor the amount of electricity consumed by an air-conditioner. It is also possible to direct the battery to discharge to avoid purchasing electricity from the grid at various times throughout the day. In brief, carbon emission is being reduced and we can try to be “smart” consumers, as the supplier likes to emphasize. To date, we are generating about 60-70 percent of our total energy needs with a total of 5.6Kwh capacity.
The diagram above shows an example of the information provided by the Redback app.
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