EcoGeneration

May/June 2010

Unearthing the facts – geothermal energy and the environment

Jim Driscoll

Unconventional (non-volcanic) geothermal energy has been heralded by many as one of the cornerstones for Australia’s future low-emissions, base load power generation. Such a goal, no matter how appealing, will necessarily have some environmental impacts. On balance though, these costs should be vastly lower than the environmental price we currently pay for fossil fuel power generation, writes Jim Driscoll.

Australia’s energy resources laid bare

The Australian renewable energy industry is moving from strength to strength, according to the nation’s first comprehensive assessment of its energy resources.

Light at the end of the tunnel for LED industry

Candice Johnson

Replacing fluorescent lighting with LED technology stands to reduce Australia’s annual carbon emissions by approximately 5.4 million tonnes, so why is it not already installed in every commercial building, asks Candice Johnson.

Energy efficiency taken to task

Rachel Purchase

Nine industry and non-government sector experts will be part of the Federal Government’s Task Group for Energy Efficiency, a group charged with finding the most effective mechanisms to deliver major improvements in Australia’s energy efficiency. Rachel Purchase reports.

Green Star and NABERS join forces

In a bid to increase the energy efficiency of Australia’s buildings, which account for approximately 20 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, two of Australia’s leading environmental rating tools for businesses – Green Star and the National Australian Built Environment Rating System – have signed an agreement to create a more compatible approach to building rating.

Energy efficiency: the overlooked opportunity

Candice Johnson

As Australia tries to balance the need for a low emissions future with its economic reliance on high emissions industries, energy efficiency programs are an increasingly attractive option. Australian companies are already on the right track, but the research shows there is a long way to go. Candice Johnson reports.

Unlocking energy efficiency

Mark Lister

What Australia can learn from the rest of the world. Energy efficiency has enormous potential to cut damaging greenhouse gas emissions and save billions of dollars for all sectors of the economy, yet this potential remains largely untapped in Australia, writes Mark Lister.

Advances in wind technology

Steve Miller

Wind turbines are more than a set of linked systems. They must also interpret various environmental conditions and react accordingly to avoid the expensive process of diagnosing and repairing these systems when they fail. Model-Based Design throughout the turbine development process uses simulation to improve or reduce prototype testing, and to produce a turbine that operates at maximum efficiency, writes Steve Miller.

Winds of change

Emily Hollosy

The Renewable Energy Target has had a bumpy ride since being passed in August last year. Once plagued by phantom certificates and plummeting prices, proposed reforms present a brighter future, writes Emily Hollosy.

Keeping the blades turning

The renewable energy industry keeps a keen eye on the burgeoning development of wind farms, but it’s important to acknowledge those whose work continues after the fanfare of a wind project’s commissioning, ensuring the safety and functionality of wind turbines for years to come. EcoGeneration speaks with some of the companies in the business of wind turbine maintenance.

Transporting wind projects

Ben Cameron

Chain of responsibility legislation now places increased obligation on all parties involved within the supply chain, including the wind energy industry. With the greater investment in wind energy in Australia, meeting the requirements of transportation and associated functions is paramount, writes Ben Cameron.

Approving wind projects in Victoria

Candice Johnson

A parliamentary inquiry into the approval process for renewable projects in Victoria has raised a number of questions, in particular around wind farms, prompting renewable energy companies to call for an overhaul of the system, reports Candice Johnson.

Panax pursues the geothermal option

Lambertus de Graaf

More than 10,000 megawatts of conventional geothermal energy generation capacity is already installed around the world, equivalent to approximately 15 coal-fired power stations, and another 10,000 megawatts currently under development. Lambertus de Graaf gives an overview of Panax Geothermal’s Penola Project.

A fresh look at clean energy in WA

Hosted by the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association, the inaugural Energising WA National Conference tackled key issues in the clean energy and sustainability sectors with a fresh approach.

EcoGen 2010 – Wong, Hunt and Milne join line-up

EcoGen 2010 is delighted to announce the addition of three key politicians to the event’s already impressive speaker program as the starting date for the clean energy industry’s premier event approaches.

EcoGen 2010 exhibitors think big

EcoGeneration asked some of the EcoGen 2010 exhibitors to ‘think big’ about how they are or can contribute to Australia’s growing clean energy industry on the small and large scale.

Clean Energy Council National Conference 2010

With the clean energy industry set to enter a phenomenal period of growth, industry events and conferences are an essential platform for discussing policy issues, harnessing industry sentiment, and showcasing the benefits of renewable energy.

Constant daylight by DuraTech

Changing to low energy light bulbs can reduce energy consumption and simple timers can reduce some of this overhead. But such lighting is still often left on when rooms are empty, as illustrated by the night-time city skyline.

Up Close with Lindsay Hart

Since starting as an apprentice electronics tradesman at Selectronic in 1978, Lindsay Hart has devoted much of his career and personal life to inverters and energy efficiency.

Motufoua Secondary School solar project

Battery buffered, grid parallel PV solar system, the Island of Vaitupu,Tuvalu.

REC market update

Marco Stella, Environmental Broker, Next Generation Energy Solutions.

Australia’s Renewable Energy Market received a shake-up in late February as the Federal Government announced its plans to separate the existing scheme into a Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) and the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET). The Enhanced RET announcement was followed up with a Discussion Paper released in late March, which aims to provide additional information on the way the proposal would operate as well as to canvass views on a number of operational matters.