Perspective — Latest News — EcoGeneration — The magazine for Australia's clean energy industry

All · Bioenergy · Carbon trading · Climate Change · Co- and tri-generation · Editorial · Energy efficiency · Event · Geothermal · In conversation · Natural gas · Overseas news · Perspective · Policy · Project · Project profile · REEEP · Solar · Technology · Water · Watt the? · Wind

Subscribe to EcoGeneration RSS feed

Tilting at Windmills – Will they be built?

EcoGeneration — January/February 2010 The political consensus may have shifted to support the wind power industry, but construction of wind farms appears to have slowed down. What factors are contributing to the current lack of momentum? Peter Dreher lifts the fog on Australia’s wind project landscape.

Up close with Ian Porter

EcoGeneration — January/February 2010 For Ian Porter, Chief Executive Officer of the Alternative Technology Association, people and communities are central to the existence – and success – of the clean energy industry. He spoke with EcoGeneration about his passion for sustainability and his vision for the future.

Communicating Australia’s geothermal potential

EcoGeneration — January/February 2010 In the past two years, the number of geothermal companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange has doubled, as has financial investment in the industry. Belinda Willis, Jane Lowe, and Heidi Delaney answer some questions about the Australian Geothermal Energy Association’s strategy to convey the technical complexity of this burgeoning industry.

Developing geothermal power projects in Australia

EcoGeneration — January/February 2010 Drawing on a world class heat resource, geothermal companies in Australia are leading the world in addressing the challenges of providing renewable, base load geothermal power to the grid. Dr Stephen Hinchliffe and Mr Mark Miller outline the processes involved in developing a geothermal power project in Australia.

Surviving the storm – the impacts of the GFC on wind farm development

EcoGeneration — January/February 2010 Since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2007, the global economic landscape has undergone dramatic transformation. Despite its resilience relative to other industries, the wind farm industry has been unable to escape the economic challenges faced by economies and industries worldwide, writes Ian Kay.

Lessons from windy Scotland

EcoGeneration — January/February 2010 Australia has some of the best wind resources in the world, yet wind energy accounts for less than 0.4 per cent of electricity generated for public use. For Australia to increase its wind energy capacity as part of its Renewable Energy Target, it needs to be innovative and look to successful examples in other countries.

EcoGeneration looks forward to 2010

Fri, 1 January 2010 2009 has been an action packed year, and 2010 bears all the hallmarks of an equally eventful year, both for the industry and for EcoGeneration magazine.

Green, black and white

Wed, 18 November 2009 With the inclusion of a National White Certificate Scheme in the Coalition’s amendments to Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), we need to ask, what is it? And what is it good for?

Regional Australia looks to a smart energy future

EcoGeneration — November/December 2009 A regional energy conference held in Bendigo, Victoria, has urged regional Australia to join the smart grid, says La Trobe University Professor John Martin.

Australian policy in hot water

EcoGeneration — November/December 2009 While solar hot water heaters and heat pumps have an important role to play in reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, their inclusion in the Renewable Energy Target undermines the policy’s aim of delivering 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020, argues Dr Hugh Saddler. What’s more, high efficiency gas water heaters have been overlooked, further contributing to the incoherence of the country’s emissions abatement policy.

The winding road to Copenhagen

EcoGeneration — November/December 2009 With little time left for formal negotiations, can the world come together in Copenhagen and deliver a new climate change deal in December 2009? The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnerships South East Asia Regional Director Eva Oberender takes a look at the path to Copenhagen, and the work still to be done.

How accurate is your solar resource prediction?

EcoGeneration — November/December 2009 Resource prediction is an important consideration for every large-scale solar development. Nalini Blacker, wind and solar engineer with Garrad Hassan, answers the big questions about the necessity of measuring solar irradiation.

Innovation digs deep: The future of geothermal energy

EcoGeneration — November/December 2009 Pessimists marginalise geothermal energy’s potential with the claim that the operating environment at depth is too extreme. Yet, these conditions are far less challenging than the deep-sea and outer space environments, whose technical obstacles were overcome more than 50 years ago, writes Lawrence Molloy.

New kiosks feed the grid

EcoGeneration — May/June 2008 Melanie McKenzie from Econnect Communication reports on the kiosk substations being installed at the Hallett wind farm in South Australia that will minimise down time and increase performance.

Bigger is better - the development of turbines

EcoGeneration — May/June 2008 In the late 1970s, when the first commercial turbines were being developed, nobody imagined how the wind industry would grow to its current status. Garrad Hassan’s Warwick Elkins and Graham White discuss how far the technology has come.

Heat - the forgotten renewable energy

EcoGeneration — May/June 2008 Ken Guthrie and Christian Bertsch of Sustainability Victoria outline the developing role of solar thermal technologies to provide renewable heat in Europe and the lessons and opportunities of these developments for Australia.

Processing biomass for renewable energy

EcoGeneration — July/August 2008 A new report, Biomass Technology Review: Processing for Energy and Materials, prepared by Crucible Carbon for Sustainability Victoria aims to increase awareness about biomass processing options as a business opportunity. Matthew Warnken discusses the reports key findings and the challenges facing the bioenergy industry.

Realising the zero-emission home

EcoGeneration — September/October 2008 Energy efficient buildings will play a major role in reducing energy use and carbon emissions. Dr Peter Lyons of Peter Lyons & Associates looks at the importance of high-performance windows in improving Australia’s energy efficient buildings and realising the zero-emissions home.

VEET scheme targets energy efficiency

EcoGeneration — September/October 2008 2009 will usher in a new era of climate change initiatives in Victoria when the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme officially commences.

Past and future PV market development in Australia

EcoGeneration — September/October 2008 Long-standing member of the solar PV industry, Dr Muriel Watt, discussed the Australian PV industry’s place in the international PV market as well as the effective introduction of a national feed-in tariff. The following is a summary of her well-received ATRAA presentation.

Intergrating wind energy into the grid - a technical priority in Australia

EcoGeneration — September/October 2008 The Council of Australian Governments and the government’s Department of Climate Change are working hard toward a goal of a 20 per cent share for renewable energy in Australia’s electricity supply by 2020. Wind power will be a major contributor to achieving this goal, and it is not hard to see why.

The CDM under the CPRS

EcoGeneration — November/December 2008 How will the Federal Government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme impact upon Clean Development Mechanism projects for Australia’s clean energy industry? Chris Case and Louis Chiam from Mallesons Stephen Jaques discuss the potential impacts and outcome for the clean energy industry.

Geothermal energy - opportunities, options and strategies

EcoGeneration — November/December 2008 By moving beyond a technical focus and thinking differently about uncertainty, options and relationships, geothermal companies can advance their commercial interests and maximise the likelihood of success in an environment of high uncertainty and rapid change.

Energy use on the increase in Oz

Fri, 3 July 2009 Australia’s total energy use has increased by 15 per cent over the last six years, according to a report released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with increases in the supply of renewable energy products.

Stop treating renewables as a political football: CEC

Thu, 18 June 2009 Hundreds of employees in the emerging solar photovoltaic (PV) industry face immediate layoffs as a direct result of the decision by the Senate to defer the government’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) bill, according to the Clean Energy Council (CEC).