Thermal storage gets more solar on the grid CSP and PV for all times and seasons ASI, CSIRO, UNSW and project partners Research tour de force Solar Smorgasbord Himin cooks up a solar banquet ISSN: 0729-6436
Autumn
05/12 The Official Journal of the Australian Solar Energy Society
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THE FUTURE OF SOLAR TECHNOLOGY
Bill Parker Editor
John Grimes Chief Executive, Australian Solar Energy Society The Australia China Solar Partnership In early April I returned from a 12 day trip to China, visiting 11 cities and meeting with more than 50 companies, travelling 4000 kilometres by rail and road. What became clear to me is that we have an outdated view of the Chinese economy, are ignorant of the connections that already exist between solar in Australia and China, and are oblivious to the opportunities that lie ahead. China has made a strategic investment in solar. China is now the solar superpower in manufacturing and will soon emerge as the largest solar market on the globe. Seven of the top ten solar PV manufacturers are now Chinese companies. This competition has helped drive down the cost of PV modules by more than 60 per cent over the past three years, sending PV closer to parity than ever before. In these top tier companies I saw brand new manufacturing lines, high quality panels and genuine competition between the various manufacturers. China forecasts that it will reach grid parity for industrial users by 2014; and for residential users by 2017. By this point, China is expecting to have more than 100 gigawatts of installed solar capacity. The dramatic change in the economics of solar is a game-changing outcome with profound implications for Australia. It may well be the driver that enables Australia to meet the International Energy Agency’s projection of five per cent of Australia’s electricity coming from solar by 2020. China’s solar story has an Australian heart. Everywhere I went in China, I met Aussies. In almost every company I visited, their Chinese leaders were trained in Australia.Not just in companies like Suntech, which claim to be Chinese-Australian companies, but also in Trina, JA Solar, Yingli, Sunergy, Hanwha, LDK, Jinko and many others. There is a fantastic basis of good will between our respective solar sectors, and we should be doing more to advance the interests of both countries in this important sector. But the Chinese remain puzzled to why Australia does not have a strong solar industry. I confessed I too was puzzled, but I am confident we are closer to solving that puzzle, and are beginning to meet our potential as the sunburnt country.
John Grimes 2 | AUTUMN 2012
A differential feed in tariff in WA’s outback In what is a first for Australian utilities, Horizon Power in Western Australia will introduce a differentiated feed in tariff for its 100,000 residential customers and 9000 businesses on July 1. The rates offered are dependant on the location and the local cost of electricity production; in Meekatharra (once famous for its solar thermal power station) the rate offered is 50cents/kWh. And in towns close to the Lake Argyle hydro station, the rate is 16cents/kWh. Horizon is providing an incentive to householders and businesses to invest in distributed generation. Clearly this approach is applicable across all of outback and remote Australia and offers more than just an offset for high demand for electricity during the day. At its basic level, capital costs are avoided, like they were at Magnetic Island in Queensland when a new undersea power cable was avoided by installing more PV for power supplies on the ‘solar city’ island. Energy policy in WA has driven a different approach. The ‘Uniform Tariff’ was intended to avoid disadvantaging rural people by setting one electricity tariff for all across the state. Time to reconsider. The other less obvious value (to the public) of Horizon’s innovation is the opportunity it creates for development of new engineering approaches to solar, and both Horizon and Western Power have engineers working on the integration of distributed energy. Start modestly and learn from the experience. Australia’s largest PV farm takes another step forward First Solar has under construction a 10MW solar farm south east of Geraldton at the northern tip of the WA’s integrated grid (covering the south west corner of the state). The plant will offset the demand of a desalination plant at Binningup, south of Perth. This, Australia’s first utility scale PV project, is watershed for the technology and the industry. Financed by the WA state government owned Verve Energy, GE finance, and money from the Royalties for Regions program, the project is debt free.
Bill Parker
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Contents
4
8
16
34
Solar society
Solar developments
Review of solar landscape by AuSES CEO and Solar Progress Editor 2 AuSES state branch reports 42 East Solar Expo and Conference 47 AuSES membership 48
Technical corner
Thermal storage on the grid, by NREL 8 Real world PV testing: ASI funded CSIRO research 11 Himin’s solar cooking tubes 24 High-performance, cost-effective cells: a high-level undertaking 26 Adelaide Solar City sets a shining example 38
Glen Morris explains grid voltages and inverter output 36
Special features
News and views Technical and political solar developments 4 Hot water at your service, by Giles Parkinson 29 The world of Distributed Energy according to Nigel Morris 32 Wayne Smith discusses Renewable Energy Targets 40
SOLAR PROGRESS Published by CommStrat for Australian Solar Energy Society Ltd.
12 46
Janis Birkeland examines building ratings 16 Solar plants and wind turbines – RE resources across Australia 20 Smart grids, smart move: SMA well positioned in the market 22 Affordable solar architecture, by Tobias Danielmeyer 34
Editor Dr Bill Parker, AuSES Phone: 0403 583 676 editor@auses.org.au Contributors: Janis Birkeland, Tobias Danielmeyer, Chao Lin, Glen Morris, Nigel Morris, Giles Parkinson, Bill Scanlon and Wayne Smith. Contributing editor Nicola Card National Sales Manager Brian Rault Phone: 03 8534 5014 brian.rault@commstrat.com.au
Design & production Annette Epifanidis CommStrat Melbourne Level 8, 574 St Kilda Rd MELBOURNE 3004 Phone: 03 8534 5000 Australian Solar Energy Society Ltd CEO John Grimes PO Box 148, Frenchs Forest NSW 1640 www.auses.org.au ABN 32 006 824 148 CommStrat ABN 31 008 434 802 www.commstrat.com.au
Front cover: ‘Sunny disposition’ Hope and joy radiate from young Pip’s face, but what sort of a clean energy future awaits his generation and those beyond? This issue of Solar Progress reviews a diverse and powerful range of solar energy developments that help lay the foundation for a cleaner, greener economy. Our thanks to Glen Morris for the image of his son amid sunflowers on the banks of Europe’s Blue Danube.
Solar Progress was first published in 1980. The magazine aims to provide readers with an in–depth review of technologies, policies and progress towards a society which sources energy from the sun rather than fossil fuels. Except where specifically stated, the opinions and material published in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher or AuSES. While every effort is made to check the authenticity and accuracy of articles, neither AuSES nor the editors are responsible for any inaccuracy. Solar Progress is published quarterly
Making news
Image caption:
Solar beauty emerges at Bridgewater
Go Aussie, go -
Silex Systems joins the ranks of big solar Operations are in full swing at the Solar Systems’ Bridgewater test facility, which is proudly touted as Australia’s largest concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) power station. Located in central Victoria, the 500 kilowatt grid-connected facility will be used for the demonstration and testing of Solar Systems’ proprietary ‘Dense Array’ CPV solar conversion system. Solar Systems is the wholly owned subsidiary of Silex Systems, whose CEO Dr Michael Goldsworthy was pleased to announce the successful commissioning of
the eight dish systems (pictured). He explained that the remaining eight dishes are to be brought online progressively and the special technology used at the facility “is expected to provide very low cost electricity from large utility-scale solar power stations”. The Bridgewater facility received financial support from the Federal Government and the Victorian State Government. In further ‘big picture’ developments, Solar Systems is constructing a larger CPV Solar Power Station in Mildura, Victoria’s north west, and is eyeing up opportunities
International business In March the three Australian based directors of the International Solar Energy Society, Monica Oliphant (ISES Immediate Past President), Steve Blume (Vice President Public Affairs) and John Grimes travelled to Freiburg in Germany and met with around 15 other global directors to help set the priorities for ISES for the coming year. 4 | AUTUMN 2012
AuSES believes ISES can play an extremely important role by becoming the global voice of solar. “Our vision for ISES is as a modern, responsive organisation, focused on member’s needs,” John Grimes said. “We will travel to Colorado in May and will again put the case strongly for a dynamic, responsive ISES.”
for additional large-scale solar power stations in key offshore markets, including the USA and the Middle East. On a related matter, Solar Systems has been awarded a $2 million ASI grant for the development of high efficiency MultiJunction Solar Cells on low cost large area silicon substrates. Goldsworthy says this has the potential to slash the cost of energy production from CPV technologies by as much as 20%. Silex Systems – definitely the one to watch.
Vale Warren Bonython Warren was a visionary and a great environmental activist. He was always interested in and supportive of solar energy and was instrumental in establishing the SA branch of the Australian Solar Energy Society in 1963. The society is greatly appreciative of his input.
Making news
Successful fund raiser Australian “clean-tech” company Dyesol Limited has raised $5 million through take-up by shareholders of the recent Share Purchase Plan (with approximately $3.9 million of proceeds) and a supplementary placement to sophisticated investors (1.1 million in shares at 18 cents per share). The total number of shares to be issued will be approximately 27.78 million. Dyesol Chairman Richard Caldwell (pictured) says the company looks forward to reporting “exciting developments in our world-class partner projects”. Dyesol is a global supplier of Dye Solar Cell (DSC) and supplies photovoltaic enabling technology and materials to manufacturers
seeking to value-add photovoltaic capability into their products, such as glass building façade or steel roofing products. DSC is a third generation photovoltaic technology enabling metal, glass and polymeric based products in the building, transport and electronics sectors to generate clean electricity and improve energy efficiency. DSC is a biomimetic nanotechnology which
Above: Dyesol Chairman Richard Caldwell Left: The world's biggest DSC mimics the natural process of photosynthesis to generate energy from sunlight. Special advantages of DSC technology are good performance in shade, haze/pollution, vertical installation, and at dawn and dusk, ie “real world” solar conditions.
Solar boosts Australia’s solar industry recently received a boost with $12 million channelled into The Australian Solar Institute (ASI) Round 3 funding to accelerate solar energy technology development. The funding was announced by Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson during a visit to Sydney’s Silanna Semiconductor Pty Ltd, which, as ASI Executive Director Mark Twidell explained, has used ASI funding matched with its own investment to demonstrate efficiency improvements to help reduce the cost of solar technology. “It is a great example of how ASI is able to assist Australian manufacturing companies to diversify and drive innovation in photovoltaic technology,” he said. “Silanna’s innovations, when commercialised, will be suitable for concentrating photovoltaic applications including power plants and spacecraft.” ASI Investment Director Olivia Coldrey explained that the ASI funding will cover an 6 | AUTUMN 2012
“exciting, diverse range of solar technologies, particularly concentrating solar power technologies [and] includes $1.6 million for CSIRO to develop solar hybrid fuels and almost $500,000 for BlueScope Steel Limited to collaborate with German researchers to develop thin-film solar cells which can be integrated into buildings.” All up $2.3 million has been committed to projects funded under the AustraliaGermany Collaborative Solar Research and Development Program in a bid to accelerate the commercialisation of solar technologies. The ASI is also announcing support for eleven PhD Scholars and seven Postdoctoral Fellows for the next three years, on top of eight early and mid career researchers already announced. ASI investments in solar technologies have a total leveraged portfolio value of almost $260 million. www.australiansolarinstitute.com.au
Coping with intermittency Intermittency is described as potentially one of the biggest hurdles to the successful adoption of large scale solar energy in Australia and the world. Now, CSIRO has partnered with Australian Energy Market Operator and Energy Networks Association to conduct a world first study on intermittency, and is one step closer to ensuring this is a “manageable variable rather than a daunting unknown”. Read more about this vital study in winter Solar Progress.
A powerful partnership Trina Solar is proud to partner with the Advanced Solar Research Team at ANU’s Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, on the development of our next generation silicon cell technology. In a project supported by the Australian Solar Institute, the team in Canberra is using advanced nanotechnology for precise structuring of the solar cell surfaces to deliver significant increases in cell efficiency whilst cutting manufacturing cost. A powerful partnership. www.trinasolar.com.au
Solar developments
Thermal storage
gets more solar on the grid Here, Bill Scanlon from NREL in Colorado relates how two differing technologies can complement each other. A story from the USA but equally relevant in Australia.
It’s 4:45 on a sweltering summer afternoon, and the rooftop solar panels are starting to lose juice. The sun’s lower angles and that huge tree are interfering with the efficient photon-to-electricity transfer. What is an environmentally conscious — but air-conditioning-loving — homeowner to do? Peak demand for electricity in the United States typically hits between 4pm and 8pm, which doesn’t quite line up with the sun’s schedule. It’s fortunate that the sun is high in the sky during many of the hours when the air conditioning is in demand. But in summer, people tend to need air conditioning during the dinner hour and beyond, when kitchen appliances are whirring, lights are on, and TVs are blaring. To the rescue comes concentrating solar power (CSP), a technology being tested and deployed by utilities in America’s deserts and in southern Spain.
New analysis at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has found that CSP, with its greater grid flexibility and ability to store energy for as long as 15 hours, can enhance total solar power generation and actually give photovoltaic (PV) systems a greater presence on the grid. PV panels generate electricity — and are grabbing real estate on rooftops across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. CSP technologies use mirrors to convert thermal energy to drive turbines that produce electricity.
Thermal storage can even out the bumps Like Edison and Tesla or Dempsey and Tunney, the two major solar energy technologies never meant to play nice. Each had its niche — and its dreams of market share.
But that’s changing, said NREL analyst Paul Denholm, co-author with Mark Mehos of the study Enabling Greater Penetration of Solar Power via use of CSP with Thermal Energy Storage . Think of power from PV as a roller coaster of highs and lows, and power from CSP, via thermal energy storage, as a gently rolling train. PV panels and wind turbines contribute electricity to the grid, but without the ability to store that power, they cannot supply the grid after the sun sets, or after the wind dies. Even passing clouds can cause drops in the amount of solar energy that gets on the grid. Large fossil-fuelled power plants can’t be quickly stopped or started to accommodate variable energy sources. CSP can even out these ebbs and flows because it can store power and ramp up output when the amount of direct wind or solar power drops.
Crews work around the clock installing mirrored parabolic trough collectors — built on site — that will cover three square miles at Abengoa’s Solana Plant. When finished, the plant will generate 280 megawatts of clean, sustainable power. 8 | AUTUMN 2012
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Light is reflected in a 25-foot-wide, 500-foot-long, and 10-foot-high parabolic trough collector at Abengoa’s Solana Plant.
Grid flexibility is the key “It all gets down to grid flexibility,” Denholm said. “What sets of grid technologies do you deploy to make the grid respond faster and over a greater range to the input of variable energy such as solar and wind? “If you can’t respond quickly, you end up potentially throwing away wind and solar energy. We know that the more wind and solar you add to the grid, the harder it is to balance the grid and maintain reliability. “When a cloud passes over a PV panel, the drop in energy production is immediate. But because of the 10 or 15 minutes of thermal inertia, a cloud passing over a CSP tower doesn’t cause this immediate drop. Nor is there the immediate surge when sunlight returns. “The change is more gradual,” Denholm said. “That’s one reason CSP can bring a greater quality to the grid.” Still, the greater potential for CSP — and for CSP helping PV to expand its role on the grid — is its capacity to store the energy it captures from the sun for several hours, making it a source of reliable energy after the sun sets. “CSP can fill in that gap in the evening when there’s peak demand for electricity,” Denholm said. “Together, the solar resource can provide all that peak demand. And together they can reduce or eliminate the need to build new power plants for those peak periods.”
“The cost of PV has been plummeting, and it has a cost advantage over CSP. But CSP has the advantage of storage, and so teamed with PV can improve the benefits and bottom lines of both technologies.”
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Solar developments
The tanks that hold the molten salts at Abengoa’s Solana Plant are enormous. The salts can keep the solarheated fluids very hot for several hours, so they can be transferred to turbines to produce electricity even when the sun isn’t shining.
Molten salts a lowcost solution Thermal energy storage at CSP plants “is low-cost because it’s not exotic,” Denholm said. “It’s large tanks with salt to store energy before you use it to boil the water.” NREL’s Greg Glatzmaier believes the best medium for storage available today is molten salt. The salts are abundant and not very costly. They work well at the high temperature needed in a CSP plant — about 565°C. At a typical molten-salt CSP plant, the salts are stored in two tanks, one much hotter than the other. The molten salts used for storage are a mix of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate. Sodium nitrate is mined in Chile, in surroundings similar to the Utah salt flats. Potassium nitrate also occurs in nature and is mined in Chile, Ethiopia, and elsewhere.
Plants with storage in Spain, Nevada, Arizona and California Abengoa Solar is building a 250-megawatt CSP plant near Gila Bend in Arizona that will cover 1900 acres and use 900,000 mirrors to direct sunlight to heat a working fluid inside its tubes. The plant’s six hours of thermal storage mean it can deliver electricity after the sun sets to approximately 70,000 homes. The 19.9MW power tower run by Gemasolar in southern Spain is 10 | AUTUMN 2012
configured to store enough energy during the summer to provide solargenerated electricity 24 hours a day, Glatzmaier said. In the winter, when there’s less sunshine, electricity comes from more conventional sources a few hours each day. The system aims to power 25,000 homes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 30,000 tons a year. SolarReserve is building the 110-megawatt Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project near Tonopah, Nevada, which will use molten salt to store the sun’s energy as heat for several hours. It will include more than 17,000 mirrors to focus the sun’s light on a tower 640 feet high. BrightSource is building an even larger CSP project in the Mojave Desert at Ivanpah that will have storage for just a couple of hours a day — but this will be enough to serve more than 140,000 homes during peak hours. Company executives say the plant will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 400,000 tons per year. (Editor’s note: read more about Ivanpah in the Spring 2011 issue of Solar Progress.)
PV/CSP symbiosis makes economic sense The cost of PV has been plummeting, and it has a cost advantage over CSP. But CSP has the advantage of storage, and so teamed with PV can improve the benefits and bottom lines of both technologies.
Storage does raise the price of a CSP plant, but “if you’re running your turbine more hours in a day, you’re amortizing your turbine cost over more generation time, and there’s a real cost benefit there,” Glatzmaier explained. The bottom line: when storage is added to a CSP plant, it increases the value of its electricity — both its energy value and its capacity value. Other thermal storage technologies being investigated by researchers include phase-change or thermal-chemical storage. Denholm and Mehos caution that the preliminary analysis in their study will require more advanced grid simulations to verify the actual ability of CSP to help wind and PV gain a larger presence on the grid. An important next step, they say, would be more complete simulations using utility-grade software. That will answer questions on the realistic performance of the generation fleet, transmission constraints, and actual CSP operations. This abridged version is used with kind permission of NREL. The paper can be read in full at www.nrel.gov/news/features/ feature_detail.cfm/feature_id=1788 Bill Scanlon is a writer with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). All images courtesy of Dennis Schroeder
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Solar developments
Real world PV testing
A CSIRO research team is on a mission to boost knowledge of solar PV panel performance under real-world conditions, thanks to ASI funding. Among the many benefits delivered by a greater degree of certainty would be more and larger PV projects. As told to Nicola Card.
“The resulting reduction in risk will also help to attract large-scale investment, driving economies of scale and a flow-on reduction in costs. Through this process, widespread grid parity by mid-decade is a very high probability.”
Someone recently posed a question about the value of spending research money on understanding photovoltaic performance rather than devoting all efforts to improving that performance. The carefully worded response delivered by Dr Chris Fell, Research Group Leader, CSIRO, covered the limitations of PV certification conducted in laboratories (using the 25°C standard) in predicting actual output, with higher panel temperatures actually decreasing the efficiency of silicon cells. Other matters impact on the output of a PV system – and when multiplied over a large scale installation the uncertainty is magnified, with small errors putting large dents in potential earnings. The performance anomaly is a topic close to Dr Fell’s heart as he is currently leading a small team of researchers in the ASI funded project: Improving translation models for predicting the energy yield of PV power systems. This project that is part of the US-Australia Solar Energy Collaboration Foundation Project and part funded by the ASI, aims to reduce risk for large-scale PV plants by investigating the relationship between a manufacturer’s power rating for solar panels and the energy those panels generate over time. In short, deliver and drive benefits through greater certainty.
Variables in cell performance Dr Fell explained that the energy yield of a PV system extends beyond just the temperature response; variables include the intensity of the sunlight, angle of the sun’s rays to the PV cells, and the spectrum (colour mix) of the sunlight. “The yield of a PV system is also constrained by the characteristics of the array, such as panel mismatch, line losses and the efficiency of conversion to AC,” he said. No stone will be left unturned in the project. To optimise impact, the project will seek to study, compare and contrast the outdoor performance of all the major PV technologies on the market, including monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride and copper indium diselenide. “We hope to also provide comment on the outdoor performance of emerging technologies such as organic solar cells and dye-sensitised solar cells, placed in the context of the existing technologies,” Dr Fell said. The collaborative venture involves systematic laboratory measurements of the fundamental performance of different PV technology types to changes in irradiance, temperature and spectral composition. These experiments will be conducted at the NREL in the USA, involving a stateof-the-art spectrally selective solar simulator not available in Australia, allowing a true scientific study of the energy yield for the different technology types, and the impact of the device parameters measured at NREL.
Left: Grounds for development 12 | AUTUMN 2012
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ASI/USASEC project Our thanks to Olaf Theden for this image
Central to the project is research under Australian conditions delivered via covariate analysis of data from 19 PV systems operating for the past five years at the Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre in Alice Springs. The analysis will incorporate a comparison of different software packages for predicting PV energy yield, and results will be compared with the output of commercial scale systems. Complementing this will be a purpose-built outdoor testing facility capable of currentvoltage sweeps of individual commercial-scale PV panels, which sidesteps the complexity of array-level performance.
Above: Making way for the future
Potential hiccups
Unique outdoor test facility
Given the variables delivered by
Commissioned at the half-way point (12 months), the facility will be constructed on land at the CSIRO Energy Centre in Newcastle, and will have the capacity for ongoing, automated testing of 120 commercial PV modules. Unlike other facilities around Australia, the panels at CSIRO will not be connected into arrays, but tested independently, which allows their performance to be linked to the fundamental properties of the technology used, without the complicating additional losses that are experienced when modules are connected into systems. These fundamental properties include the response of the solar panels to changes in temperature, as well as to changes in the irradiance (brightness) and spectrum (colour) of the sunlight, and also to whether the sunlight is direct or diffuse. “Our testing facility will provide rapid, automated I-V (current-voltage) testing of commercial scale modules, with concurrent monitoring of module temperature, plus very accurate monitoring of solar irradiance and spectrum,” Fell explained. “There is no other facility in Australia with this capability. “The large outdoor test facility will ultimately be a valuable asset to our development of new
the elements, one question that
14 | AUTUMN 2012
is sometimes levelled at Dr Fell relates to the impact of weather and soiling on cell performance outdoors. “Soiling is definitely a problem that we’ll need to manage”, he said. “Dust is the primary source of soiling on an inland system. Our partners at Desert Knowledge Australia will manage that. Salt in the air can also be a problem for systems very close to the ocean. If we don’t get enough rain we’ll manage it by rinsing the modules in our field, but at six kilometres from the
low-cost PV technologies, because it will enable controlled studies of the energy yield and the durability of the devices, in direct comparison with commercially available PV modules. “Hence the importance of our research: A good standard method for energy yield prediction will help consumers understand what they are buying, prevent manufacturers from making unrealistic claims about the performance of their panels, and help Government direct research funds to technologies that can bring the most benefit,” Fell said. “The resulting reduction in risk will also help to attract large-scale investment, driving economies of scale and a flow-on reduction in costs. Through this process, widespread grid parity by mid-decade is a very high probability.”
Spin offs One of the project’s aims is participation in development of Australian and international standards for in-field PV performance predictions. “We intend to engage with the working group that develops and maintains IEC60891, which is the international standard that underpins predictions of solar cell performance in the real world,” Dr Fell explained. “The result may be that we influence changes in the standard, or at the very least gain a better understanding of its strengths and weaknesses.” With this in mind - and the scope of the research - we can only conclude that the project outcomes will lend new meaning to the saying ‘knowledge is power’.
ocean I don’t anticipate this will be a significant issue. Birds are a problem everywhere. The only solution for a test facility like ours is regular inspection and remedial cleaning and running dust, nodust comparsions.”
Dr Chris Fell has been involved in Australian photovoltaics research for 12 years. Since 2006 he has led the Photovoltaics Team at CSIRO’s National Solar Energy Centre in Newcastle, focusing on the design and characterisation of new device architectures for low-cost solar cells.
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Special Feature
Biases in
Building Assessment Tools
In this second in a series of articles on building design and assessment tools for optimum build, Janis Birkeland examines the rating tools for ‘green’ buildings and concludes that a series of important features are excluded in the final count.
Rating tools and point systems have increased market demand for green buildings. However, to obtain acceptance of rating systems, green buildings merely had to do better than average. The strategy to ratchet standards up over time was sound. However, like building codes, these tools were based on unsustainable building conventions. Moreover, the costs of certification applied to green buildings, not ordinary ones. The tools therefore embed these and many other biases that may become enshrined in regulations.
The need for open systems thinking Assessment tools derived from those applied to primary industries, where net positive impacts are harder to imagine. The tools took typical unsustainable buildings as a given and looked to ways to mitigate impacts through reductionist ‘closed systems’ analyses. Closed engineering systems are good at many things, but not at dealing with the infinite value and potential total collapse of nature. Eco-positive design is about open systems thinking. It looks for ways to increase synergies, benefits, and nature. Many tools count an increase in water consumption as a ‘gain’ if a new building uses less water than typical ones. Even a savings of 50% can be a dramatic increase in total water consumption. The latent assumption that buildings 16 | AUTUMN 2012
can only be ecologically negative has meant ‘reductions in negatives’ are regarded as positive. If we deduct ‘reductions in negative impacts’ from negative impacts and then deduct that total from the positive impacts, eco-positive buildings would score higher than ‘green’ ones. Sustainability does not mean ‘downsizing to zero’ which is the essence of economic rationalism. Zero waste does not protect specific critical ecosystems or increase ecological carrying capacity, both of which are necessary for biophysical sustainability. Before ‘sustainability’ was converted into an economic framework, it meant increasing life quality ‘within ecological carrying capacity’. It is now too late for this weak approach. Development must increase the life support system just to support existing populations.
Innovation is not encouraged Single-function spaces and structures seemed ‘efficient’, from a reductionist viewpoint. But they often create a waste of space and materials in relation to total functions. Social and ecological functions can share space and support each other. Green roofs, for example, provide over two dozen benefits, but they usually only count as one. Some rating tools isolate ‘innovation’ in a separate category, or give credit for applying an old innovation to a new situation. They do not encourage innovation.
“Tools should value ‘ecological space’ and structures that produce clean energy, water, air, soil and food and other eco-services.”
Most development is ecologically irreversible and thus cuts off future options. Many assume that long-lasting buildings amortize their impacts over their life cycle, but this does not actually reduce impacts. Denser, more durable urban environments, may last a bit longer and reduce some impacts, like car usage, but they can create other externalities and reduce adaptability. A building that can be altered should rate better than a brittle building that is likely to be demolished to accommodate change. Tools tend to limit responsibility to things that are predictable. Emergencies are not avoided by risk-benefit analysis or climate
predictions. When survivors die after a flood, fire or earthquake, due to a lack of access to the means of survival, it is a result of development, not nature. Retrofitting cities for solar energy can also simultaneously reduce the risks of fire, flood, earthquake damage, and increase and distribute life support systems for emergencies as well as environmental amenity. Most life cycle assessments and rating tools award predictions, not performance. Consequently, it is easier to use products for which data are available. However, this data was derived from industrial sources to foster industrial growth, not ecological growth. In built environments, many toxic industrial
materials and systems can be avoided by using more ‘natural’ alternatives. Most passive systems are easily modified after construction. We cannot trace the extent of bioaccumulating impacts on myriad immune systems and genes in different species over generations. Thus, we exclude complexities by drawing system boundaries. Yet ironically, few assessment tools count natural elements, because the exact degree of positivity cannot be reduced to a number. Yet the positive effects of healthy plants upon immune systems need not be measured. Singapore simply exempts green roofs from floor area restrictions, which greatly reduces administrative costs.
SolarProgress | 17
Special Feature
The 60L building in Melbourne is an example of recycling (two old 1870s buildings re-used). The concept was developed by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) in the late 1990s; the ACF owns and occupies the present day building, along with several other related organisations.
“Units cannot capture the value of interconnected living beings, and thus subliminally equate nature with lifeless matter. Nature is seen as a resource to be optimised, not something to be increased. Human survival is threatened by biodiversity losses, yet few tools consider nature.”
60L key data: • • •
• • • •
Only 30% of typical energy consumption Only 20% of typical water consumption Structure had significant use of re-used, recycled and recyclable materials. Minimal output discharged to sewers PV system Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions. No onsite car parking, cycling and public transport usage encouraged.
More information can be found at www.acfonline.org.au/60L
Measuring the air and water
All images of 60L kindly supplied by the Australian Conservation Foundation
Further information about energy rating tools: Australian Building Codes Board: www.abcb.gov.au BASIX: www.basix.nsw.gov.au BERS Pro: www.solarlogic.co FirstRate: www.sustainability.vic.gov.au NatHERS: www.nathers.gov.au Windows Energy Rating Scheme www.wers.net
There are often alternative forms of measurement that do not fit into existing assessment methods and are thus forgotten, while the inability to measure things is used as an excuse. For example, we waited until there were accurate ways to predict sequestration in trees before counting them, when we could measure upwind and downwind CO2 levels across cities. We can also measure if the air and water comes out of a building healthier than it entered and, if not, require retrofits. Because tools were designed for owners and consultants, they do not provide incentives to address existing urban deficiencies. Developments often score better if on a brownfield site or near public transport. Such incidental (non-design) factors are often used to allow additional negative impacts, such as an increase in allowable floor area. Offsetting is not bad, but only unavoidable impacts should be offset, and they should only count as a ‘reduction in negative impacts’, not a positive gain. To facilitate measurement, living things are represented as inanimate elements and often reduced to one kind of unit, such as energy. Even eco-services are usually reduced to separate
units of money, energy or carbon. Units cannot capture the value of interconnected living beings, and thus subliminally equate nature with lifeless matter. Nature is seen as a resource to be optimised, not something to be increased. Human survival is threatened by biodiversity losses, yet few tools consider nature.
The alternative To encourage design that makes everyone better off and increases positive future options, tools should value ‘ecological space’ and structures that produce clean energy, water, air, soil and food and other eco-services. Dr Janis Birkeland is Professor of Sustainable Design at the School of Architecture and Planning, University of Auckland, New Zealand. The author welcomes critique and debate: Janis.birkeland@auckland.ac.nz Part three In the final part of this series the author will present alternative metrics to encourage eco-positive design.
Innovative Renewable Energy Systems
Blue Sun Group Pty Ltd is an Australian owned company with its head office in Brisbane, specialising in Renewable Energy Products. The photovoltaic modules, solar roof mounting systems and other renewable products are designed in Australia and manufactured by Blue Sun Group factories in China.
» Australian Owned Production » Traceable Quality Control » Continuity of Supply » Factory Direct or Australian Supply » Australian Backed Warranty
With the aim of uncompromising quality and continuity of supply. Blue Sun Group designed its own photovoltaic modules and invested in the construction of a new photovoltaic factory in Shenzen China to produce the modules. The Blue Sun factory currently employs 170 people, including 120 factory workers, 50 office and R&D workers and 20 management staff. The automated production capacity of the factory for photovoltaic modules is 138,000 watts per shift which can be increased during peak load periods. The factory has extra capacity in manual production lines. The overall production capacity of the factory is 150MW per year. With Australian owned production lines the quality control measures are operated beyond Australian standards, with 100% traceability from raw materials to the end product. Orders can be produced within as few as four working days and leaving China within 10 days from order.
Blue Sun Group Photovoltaic Modules Monocrystalline Modules
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Smart technology
A sunny outlook for smart grids
SMA’s Stefan Tait says intelligent grids are crucial to securing an efficient and sustainable energy supply for future generations. The phenomenon is fast taking off. As told to Nicola Card
“Information flow is a key element in intelligent grids, allowing the increasing amount of intermittent energy sources (such as wind and PV) to replace base load capacity, which allows consumers to easily - and potentially automatically - adjust their consumption and save money.”
Making anything smarter sounds like a good idea – so how do you make poles, wires and electrons “smart”? Let’s travel to the near future – where the grid has moved to another level of intelligence. Autonomous, self-directed, flexible, self healing, efficient, reliable and fully featured. Sounds like a new iPhone App – well it may well have an App to tell you that you should be doing your washing today as tomorrow power prices will be trending up during the afternoon. Yes, Smart Grid is kind of like ‘Electricity 2.0’ – interoperative, flexible and more like a mobile phone plan crossed with Facebook - you may want to ‘friend’ your smartmeter.
Smart grids The term smart grid has been in use since at least 2005, and as Wiki tells us “A smart grid is a digitally enabled electrical grid that gathers, distributes, and acts on information about the behavior of all participants (suppliers and consumers) in order to improve the efficiency, importance, reliability, economics, and sustainability of electricity services.” A common element to most definitions is the application of digital processing and communications to the power grid, making data flow and information management central to the smart grid. In the household, digital meters that display real-time use enable customers to shut off devices (and save money) during times of peak demand. By 2014, the US smart grid industry is set to double its 2009 value of about $US21.4 billion to exceed $42.8 billion; and the world market is expected to surge from $69.3 billion in 2009 to $171.4 billion by 2014. Meanwhile, the European Commission has set the goal of 80% of smart meter coverage in Europe by 2020, which is an eightfold increase on today’s rate of 10% penetration. Italy – which boasts 12 GW of installed PV capacity – currently leads the show, with smart meters “installed almost everywhere”. During 2013 France plans to follow the lead by installing millions of LINKY smart meters. The take up of smart meters in Germany is somewhat patchy, “they are installed in some areas and there is no doubt that they will continue to be installed across the country … however, the process appears to be taking longer because there are several hundred utility providers across the country,” Stefan Tait of SMA Solar Technology AG told Solar Progress. That said, there is enormous scope for development as Germans have embraced renewable energy like none other. In 2011, 20% of German electricity was generated through renewable energy sources and solar power is playing a significant role. Germany today boasts an installed PV capacity of 25GW, and on a sunny day at noon the nation produces more power from solar sources than all active nuclear power plants.
The trigger for the German PV industry was the ‘1000 PV Rooftop Program’ which was introduced in line with a growing environmental movement after the 1989 ‘Fall of the Wall’. The 100,000 PV rooftop program which followed in the late ‘90s led to the feed-in incentives which further boosted the take-up of rooftop PV systems. Tait said “It became necessary to improve the requirements for grid connection to successfully integrate this large amount of PV, with significant amounts of wind energy also factored in … (and) a smart network intelligently and dynamically integrates energy generation and demand, and seeks the most efficient way to use the available energy. “Information flow is a key element in intelligent grids, allowing the increasing amount of intermittent energy sources (such as wind and PV) to replace base load capacity, which allows consumers to easily - and potentially automatically - adjust their consumption and save money,” he explained.
Power conditioners For a long time, inverters were seen as devices created simply for the conversion of DC power to AC power; “however they can do much more by providing major support for grid stability,” Tait says. “Inverters can provide reactive power to the grid and help to control the voltage; they can react to changes in grid
Smart move
frequency by adjusting the active output power, therefore
German based SMA Solar Technology AG anticipated the need for greater control and autonomy of consumption and developed the Sunny Home Manager. Described as “the ideal solution for simple plant monitoring and intelligent energy management” the smart energy manager uses location-specific weather forecasts that support the load management and provides information about electricity generation fed into and bought from the grid. It considers the current electricity price, the typical consumption profile of the household and the individually controllable appliances and displays recommended actions for controlling loads. A Sunny Backup system with batteries can further increase the amount of self-consumption. Tait says the Sunny Home Manager is “definitely a significant step towards the smarter behaviour of the loads in the grid [as] it can use forecasts of PV electricity production over the next one to two days and control devices according to those estimates.” The Sunny Home Manager will be available in Australia in 2013.
helping to maintain a stable frequency. Larger PV systems can communicate via a plant controller, with generation management features, meaning they can be tied into a monitoring and control system.” According to Tait the new grid codes, including Germany’s AR-N 4105 standard for low voltage connections or the BDEW (the German Association of Energy and Water Industries) guideline for medium voltage connections, help to define new, relevant and very useful features for inverters.
Stefan Tait is SMA’s International Product Manager for Australia/ Oceania and the UK.
PV Installers Test Equipment
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I-V Curve Analysers
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Find defects in panels before installation or carry out routine PV array performance testing. An open circuit voltage test may not indicate bad cells or cell deterioration over time. I-V curve analysis shows the entire curve with voltage and current measurements at numerous points, proving array performance. A complete range of I-V curve analysers from 120V/8A up to 1000V/100A with data download and professional reporting software.
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Perth
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EMONA SolarProgress | 21
Innovation on show
Fancy a tin-foiled sea cucumber in snow pear? Or some Chinese sweet golden steamed bread? They could be delivered to you on a platter direct from solar powered ovens. Chao Lin tells us all about China’s 21st century solar banquet.
Solar smorgasbord In China, the use of solar technology can be traced back by as much as one thousand years. As the records in some historical documents show, Chinese ancestors started to make use of solar energy in Western Zhou dynasty that ran from 1046 BC to 771 BC. This story, however, is very much about the twenty-first century. Under the leadership of Huang Ming, Himin Solar Co Ltd has developed several types of solar cookers, including a series of solar steaming, solar boiling, solar roasting, solar stewing, and solar barbecues. The aim was to develop a range of low-carbon products. The T-PV CLAS Combi-system is the representative of Himin solar cookers. (Where T: thermal, PV: photovoltaic, CLAS: “cook light”.)
Himin’s tech specs
Above:As the deputy to the people’s congress, Huang Ming (in green jacket) explains the system’s operation to journalists in Beijing during the 2012 National People’s Congress. Right: Solar barbecue—tin-foiled sea cucumber in snow pear 22 | AUTUMN 2012
The Himin system adopts a triple solar concentrating technology which collects the sunshine from all directions, using the combination of a trough reflector, a Himinpatented vacuum tube , and PV panels. Made of parabolic columnar aluminum, the trough reflector is a highly efficient solar concentrator. PV panels on both sides of the cooker ensure the supply of electrical power for sunlight tracking and cool lighting in the evening. The auto tracking system uses photosensitive resistance. The central control system, which integrates experimental data of solar cuisine, namely solar radiation, time, and food category, facilitates control of the barbecue.
Huang Ming, Board Chairman of Himin Solar Energy Group
Above: On a field trip to Beijing, John Grimes encountered the Himin solar cooker
“As well as having a solar barbecue in the open air, this system can be used for recharging cell phones, amplifiers, and laptop, if desired.” A panel of control settings enables the cooker to operate according to the food being prepared, whether it is toast, vegetables, fish or meat etc. And the design does more than one might expect.
Multi-tasking solar As well as having a solar barbecue in the open air, this system can be used for recharging cell phones, amplifiers, and laptop, if desired. The system incorporates Himin’s new 170mm vacuum tube, while the traditional one is about 45mm. The vacuum tube, made of high borosilicate glass, can reach a temperature of 200ºC with a factor of solar concentrating of ten. The automatic system can analyse the sun-earth relationship precisely for the location where the cooker is being used, ensuring a higher efficiency of solar energy usage.
In developing the cooker, the temperature required to cook different foods was the subject of many experiments, and overcooking food due to the high efficiency of the solar concentration was also a waste of energy. Finally, engineers added an extra baking oven on the top of the cooker as a secondary cooking space. Using a heat circulation system, extra heat produced by the first cooking space is reused by the oven on the top, which permits dual food preparation. Convenience and safety of operation are key important factors for designers. The PV sun tracking system and the protective grid outside the vacuum tube were added as a result of many trials to protect the user. Innovation is very important during the promotion of solar technologies. That the solar cooker can be operated by any adult in sunny weather will enhance the promotion of solar applications to the public.
Huang Ming believes that that nuclear ‘has to be stopped’ and that solar is the solution. With a goal to make solar systems for heating and cooling popular in China, he says China could become a low or even zero carbon society. He is well placed to effect major change. The multi-award winning Huang Ming established and runs the company Himin Solar in Dezhou City, aka ‘Solar Valley’ which is a national and global example for solar as a realistic alternative to fossil and nuclear energy and rising CO2 emissions. Himin produces all-glass vacuum tubes, PV lighting, solarthermal high-temperature power generation, solar architecture, and solar water heaters. Huang Ming also conducts research into biomass, and started producing and selling three-layer windows which provide better insulation. He also plans to begin offering comprehensive concepts for housing and offices (architecture, insulation, windows, hot water, electricity). Sometimes referred to as the pioneer of China’s clean energy industry, Huang proposed the Law on Renewable Energy, which came into effect on January 1, 2006. He now advocates the development of solar-powered bathing facilities in rural areas (and thus provide 100 million farmers with proper bathing facilities). Huang Ming is quoted as saying: “I have a dream, a common dream of the people devoting to renewable energy source around the world, that for the blue sky and white cloud of the later generations, qualified products are used to realize renewable energy substitution. I have a dream that one day throughout the whole world, renewable energy sources will take the dominant position. I have a dream that one day my entire country fellows, even the global citizens, know about solar energy and make full use of it. I have a dream that one day solar industry will be as advanced as IT industry, as mature as electric home appliances industry, and as largescaled and automatic as automobile industry. I have a dream that one day the sky will be much bluer, the water will be more limpid; our homeland will be full of sunshine, tranquil with no war.” Himin’s Aussie connections Back in 1991, Dr David Mills ran the research project with colleague Dr Zhang Q-C at the University of Sydney that developed the double cermet sputtered selective absorber coating now used widely on evacuated tubes throughout China for the production of solar hot water. Himin, the licensee in China, now sells more than three million solar water heating systems annually using 20 million tubes, but the technology may be the largest scale solar technology currently in use globally.
SolarProgress | 23
DARWIN
Prominent Solar & Wind Installations
Kalkarindji 402 kW
Bulman 56 kW
Lajamanu
720 kW in total Marble Bar 304 kW
Yuendumu
Carnavon (Fullerton) 120 kW Greenough River Solar Farm 10 MW
Denham 990 kW Kalbarri 1.6 MW
Ernaballa 350 kW
Walkaway (Greenough) 89 MW
Kalbarri tracking solar plant 20 kW Mumbida – Geraldton 55 MW
Coober Pedy Airport 600 kW
Emu Downs (Cervantes) 79.2 MW
Colgar (Merredin) 206 MW
PERTH SOLAR CITY
Denmark 1.6 MW
Solar Photovoltaics
Ti Tree 364 kW
A Crowne Plaza ALICE SPRINGS 305 kW Alice SOLAR CITY Springs Airpo Hermannsburg 305 kW Uterne (at Alice Springs) 1 MW Kings Canyon 225 kW Desert Knowledge Australia 201 kW
Nullagine 203 kW
Carnavon solar farm 290 kW
Alpurrulam 226 kW
Solar Thermal
Albany 21 MW Grasmere (Albany) 13.8 MW
Wind
Ten Mile Lagoon Esperance Nine Mile 2.03 MW Beach Esperance 3.6 MW
Solar City
Under Construction
Wilpena Pound 100 kW Wyalla CST Ha Snowtown 40 MW 99 MW 3 Clements Gap 56 MW Mount Millar ADELA 70 MW SOLAR Cathedral Rocks 66 MW Wattle Point Ade 91 MW Showg 1M Starfish Hill 56 MW Canunda Lake Bonney 46 MW (stage 1+2+3) 278.5 MW Oakland Hills 67.2 MW Portla 122 M Ballarat Solar Park 330 kW Bendigo So 300 kW Solar Related Ma 42
Disclaimer: This map is intended as a guide only to notable solar plants/installations and larger wind farms in Australia. Developments are constant and the publisher accepts no responsibility for any unintended inaccuracies.We welcome informed comment as the map will be updated on a regular basis for Solar Progress. Note: The nation’s largest wind farms only are included on this map; many more smaller wind farms exist or are under construction.
State-by-State Photovoltaics Windy Hill – Ravenshoe 12 MW
MAGNETIC ISLAND SOLAR CITY
NSW is estimated at 368 MW Queensland is estimated at 319 MW Victoria is estimated at 209 MW SA is estimated at 196 MW WA is estimated at 171 MW NT is estimated at 4 MW ACT is estimated at 25 MW
PVs across Australia total around 1301 MW
Cloncurry 2.1 MW
(Figures as of Dec 2011)
Alpurrulam 46 kW Fraser Coast Community
ort
396 kW
Windorah 300 kW
Solar Dawn – Chinchilla 250 MW
Kogan Creek CLFR 44 kW
White Cliffs 45 kW
Moree Solar Farm 150 MW
University of Queensland (St.Lucia Campus) 1.2 MW
Dandiiri Contact Centre 400 kW BRISBANE
Glen Innes 54 MW
Liddell 9 MW allet Farms Liddell CLFR total= Australian Silverton 350 MW Solar Institute Hampton Park 1.5 MW 1000 MW (Newcastle) 1.32 MW Waterloo Queenbeyan CSIRO Newcastle Lyneham Woodland 111 MW 50 kW Singleton 150 kW Mildura 146 kW Tarago AIDE 400 kW 150 MW Dubbo Blaney 50 MW CITY 50 kW 9.9 MW Sustainable Bridgewater Sydney Crookwell Waubra Solar Systems SYDNEY METRO AREA 4.8 MW elaide 192 MW 500 kW BLACKTOWN Newington 1.1 MW Cullerin grounds SOLAR CITY Ridge MW Challicum Olympic Park 175 kW 30 MW Capital Hills a Sydney Superdome 70 kW CENTRAL VIC Gunning (ACT) AuSES 52.5 MW W SOLAR CITY 46.5 MW Sydney Theatre Co. 384 kW 48.3 MW offices Bungendore (ACT) MORELAND Johnson and Johnson 200 kW 140 MW SOLAR CITY
and MW k
Toora (Wilsons Prom) 21 MW Wonthaggi 12 MW
Codrington (Port Fairy) 18.2 MW
olar Park W acarthur 20 MW
The Greening of Australia Solar
Woolnorth 140 MW Studland Bay 75 MW
Mount Mercer 131 MW King Island 2.45 MW
Musseloroe 168 MW
Biomass
Wind
Hydro
Renewable energy represents approximately 5.2% of total electricity supplied in Australia. Of that, hydro power dominates the scene at 63.4%, followed by wind power which stands at 22.9% and biomass at 11.5%. Solar comes in at 2.1%. Room for massive expansion. What will our map look like in ten years’ time? •Source: Wiki (2010)
Solar developments
At the
cutting edge Highlighted during a discussion with Professor Allen Barnett was the value of building powerful, collaborative alliances for optimum benefit. Over many decades the formula has proven powerful for the US PV specialist, who now brings his expertise to UNSW in leading research into new, high performance cost effective solar cells. As told to Nicola Card.
Packing punch into PV performance
Four of the team at the bench studying devices during the early stages of research into high performance solar cells. 26 | AUTUMN 2012
is the three-year undertaking for a group of savvy young researchers at UNSW overseen by a multi-award winning maestro of PV developments. Their mission: to develop technologies that will slash the cost of solar power by 30% and in turn align prices to parity or even less than those of more traditional sources, particularly rooftop solar power systems. In the bid to reach their goal, the team is combining three cutting edge technologies: a base silicon solar cell design that boasts world record efficiency, a novel high performance silicon–germanium solar cell, and a new high voltage gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) solar cell. All being well, they will boost efficiencies of high performance silicon solar cells by a mighty 40%. Finding the right formula is foremost on the agenda, as explained by project leader Allen Barnett, Professor of Advanced Photovoltaics at the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW. “There is a single metric that will tell us if our solution will work. That metric is voltage,” he said. “So we expect to demonstrate the achievement of voltages that will indicate if this approach will work. And that is my speciality – assessing what can be measured early in the process and focusing on the leveraging techniques that will provide quantitative indications of the potential of the design.”
Barnett’s research team of nine PhD students and other faculty members – “a great combination of people who specialise in high performance solar cells” – is working towards demonstrating voltages greater than 1.5 Volts with the semiconductor GaAsP grown on a SiGe solar cell which is in turn grown on a silicon substrate. At their disposal is highly sophisticated, world leading PV cell test equipment and talented researchers who are developing new diagnostic approaches. “Using very sophisticated tools and a fourkey-step process, we are making solar cells; we actually design and fabricate them along with our collaborators. Our contribution is in cell design and test analyses and that feeds back into the design,” he said. “We share our results and our understanding with our partners who then carry out some of the key crystal growth steps. “The strength of our work is the ability to design and develop analytical techniques that will predict the critical paths to successful design. A lot of time is spent in the lab analysing and developing predictive models; we develop predictive techniques. “I want to develop techniques to measure how we are doing every step of the way. For example there may be 27 steps to make a solar cell and you need to make sure each step is right; I get frustrated with people who progress to the next step without knowing if they are on the right track. I am all about predictive models and developing new approaches and techniques that will guide the design.” Barnett explained.
Bright young sparks
Above: PhD students Ken Schmieder and Martin Diaz holding and testing a GaAsP on Si wafer.
“I consult with others widely and have an open mind to all ideas; I gain my energy from sharing information and pursuing and leveraging new directions and opportunities working with others.”
Most of the researchers are aged between 22 and 28; a demographic that Barnett regards as “absolutely highly aware of the need for clean energy. Young people, this generation of young people, they get it – they absolutely get it,” he enthused. “Back in the late nineties it was less fun teaching students as the culture differed and they were more focused on financial gain, the goal was to get a degree and go out and make money. By contrast this generation is back to basics, namely education and what you can do with it; there are much higher levels of idealism.” A key player on the team, and newly arrived on Australian soil, is PhD student Ken Schmieder who caught Barnett’s attention back in Delaware when they were writing the project proposal. “Ken embraced the problem and began to analyse it, and so we began a very productive collaboration on solving this problem to that extent he was a major contributor to the development of the proposal,” Barnett said.
A lifetime of experience Not surprisingly, Barnett brings extensive experience to the equation. On graduation he was recruited by the General Electric Company. Ten years later he was invited to join the University of Delaware as the Director of their Institute of Energy Conversion. He subsequently became a full time faculty member in the Department of Electrical Engineering. For over 17 years he
SolarProgress | 27
Allen Barnett (in centre) leads a top team of researchers
“The strength of our work is in designing and developing quantitative analytical techniques that will predict the critical paths to successful design … a lot of time is spent analysing and developing rigorous predictive models.” Our thanks to Rob Largent at the UNSW SPREE program for all the team photos.
supervised 28 graduate theses. Enough to keep most fully occupied, but Barnett sought challenges of a higher order to fuel his relentless pursuit of more cost effective solar cells, and in 1983 he founded AstroPower for that very purpose. Speedy development and a ready market quickly led to exponential growth. “Initially AstroPower employed just 20 people and it was designed to be a small product development company. We evolved into the fourth largest manufacturer with 600 employees and a turnover of $93 million, AstroPower was very profitable due to its cost, market competitive products based on recycled silicon wafers.” Barnett told Solar Progress. In 2004 most of the company’s assets were snapped up by GE Energy, which coincidentally had employed Barnett on graduation in 1966 to work on and eventually lead a program on light emitting diode arrays. Within six short years he had developed multiple award-winning devices. “One product I developed at GE was a new green light emitting diode, which gained a lot of publicity and generated a lot of demand. Unfortunately it only lasted 1000 hours and I advised the company against manufacturing it. “I recognised back then that the tools I had were useful for predictions. I am focused on my field – I’m not so much an expert in energy but rather in photovoltaics and where it is headed. Perhaps because of my education – I had some enlightened teachers – I’ve developed a clear vision of the future in my field.” Today’s beneficiary is UNSW, facilitated through the USASEC collaborative program. However, Barnett revealed he had accepted the position at UNSW before the USASEC project was written. 28 | AUTUMN 2012
“Dr Richard Corkish, Head of School at SPREE, contacted me when the program announcement was made and the topics were listed. He encouraged me to write a proposal for the development of a high performance top cell on a silicon solar cell, which is why I lodged the expression of interest. “When originally asked, I did not think I had a solution, the question became whether a team could be assembled to develop a viable solution for this problem.” In other words, Barnett was the right man in the right place at the right time: a happy confluence of talent, availability and drive.
The power of collaboration Strong teamwork is clearly one of Barnett’s many strengths, and a vital asset for dealing with the raft of partners involved in the GaAsP project which in itself is symbolic of the strength of the USASEC program. A weekly planning and communications report is circulated to experts at the industrial partners Veeco and AmberWave and the University of Delaware. There is also active communication with the other partners, Yale University, Arizona State University and the Colorado based National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) who will help validate test findings relating to this new solar cell. Recognising the strength of involving industrial partners in effecting a solution, Barnett is harnessing the commercial skills of Veeco, specialist in process equipment technologies for manufacturers of high brightness LEDs and solar cells, and AmberWave which invented the critical SiGe solar cell and developed a process which enables the GaAsP growth over it.
With characteristic fervour Barnett expressed his delight in dealing with excellent groups with parallel pursuits. “I think that is what I do for a living …I am very collaborative, I have managed groups of 20, or organsisations of 200 or more people; I consult widely and have an open ear to all ideas; I gain my energy from sharing information and pursuing directions and opportunities with others. I’ve always worked that way.”
Marketing cells We queried the prospect of a GaAsP dual cell becoming mainstream. Setting the scene, Barnett cited last year’s industry that generated 37,000MW of power – roughly the equivalent output of nine nuclear plants – and $50 billion in solar module revenues. “So if this approach we are working on took a 10% market share it would be a $5 billion industry in today’s market. We do not need to be dominant to be important,” he said. “The natural market for solar power is rooftops because that is where the electricity is used. Once you decide to put a solar system on the roof your space is limited so you want as much power as you can get. So that is a natural market where high performance solar cell from this project has high value”. “When we complete the development by the middle or end of the second year we will be in the early stages of commercialisation, which is one of the reasons that we started with commercial partners. And it is a great relationship – all is well thus far. We will bring in additional manufacturing partners within a year. “We are heading right for the solar equivalent of the home run.”
Made in Australia: Bringing local solar technology home Giles Parkinson who earlier this year established online newsletter RenewEconomy ‘Tracking the next industrial revolution’ presents a good news piece on a groundbreaking project. At last, a potential good news story about Australian solar technology and its ability to be developed in its home country. The Australian Solar Institute is sponsoring a $9.6 million project to return an Australian-developed solar thermal technology to its birthplace and establish a manufacturing base for the product, which could deliver highly efficient combination of electricity, heating and cooling to industrial and commercial rooftops. The technology is a spin-off from the Compact Linear Fresnel Technology developed by the Australian founded Ausra, which eventually set up shop in California after being starved of opportunities in Australia and was ultimately sold to French nuclear giant Areva. That technology is now proposed for the $1.2 Solar Dawn project in Chinchilla in Queensland, and is being installed as part of a 44MW solar booster unit at the neighbouring Kogan Creek coal-fired power station. It is also being deployed at scale in India.
Innovation
“An integrated system comprising several MCT units can provide all the electricity, hot water, space heating, and solar cooling for conventional houses.” Left: Giles Parkinson relays good solar news
While the utility-scale technology is no longer in Australian hands, a rooftop version is owned by Chromasun, a company headed by one of the co-founders of Ausra, Peter Le Lievre, and the IP remains Australian owned. The chief engineer, Andrew Tanner is a University of Sydney graduate who was founding engineer at Ausra, and chief operating office Mikal Greaves is also Australian. The ASI project is designed to see if the technology can be returned to Australia, where a manufacturing base can be established for deployment for the domestic market and for export to Asia and the Middle East. “Chromasun is still majority Australian owned,” Le Lievre said. “We hope to keep as much in Australian hands as long as possible. But it is only in the last year or two that we have we seen Australia have the right policy settings and the right market to sustain a company like ours.” He specifically mentions initiatives such as the ASI funding, the carbon price and the Clean Energy Finance Corp. “This is very much a coming home – certainly on the manufacturing side.” Le Lievre says the technology is similar to the utility-scale units – it has just been “miniaturised and put in a box” with the help of researchers from the ANU. Light enters the glazing of the micro-concentrator (MCT), is reflected off Fresnel mirror strips and is then concentrated on the receiver. Le Lievre says it can deliver heat of up to 204ºC – considerably hotter than other solar thermal systems used for residential water – and is suitable for industrial and commercial rooftops. The ASI-sponsored project will be in several stages. In one of two initial pilot projects, its MCT units will be installed on the roof of Echuca Hospital in Victoria, where it will be coupled with a double-effect absorption chiller to provide air conditioning directly from sunlight. 30 | AUTUMN 2012
Another project – on the rooftop of the Little Creatures Brewery in WA – will combine the MCT unit with an ammonia chiller to simultaneously provide chilled water and heat for boiler feedwater. In the second phase of the project, MCT units will be hybridised with CPV units at pilot facilities at ANU in Canberra and the University of Queensland in Brisbane to provide both electricity and hot water. The first ever such hybrid unit was installed by the company in San Jose last December. Le Lievre said the technology is well established, and it was inevitable that it would develop into a hybrid product. “The technology is fairly straight forward and a natural extension of the utility scale (Ausra) technology,” he said.
RenewEconomy Established by Giles Parkinson in late January 2012, online newsletter RenewEconomy presents news and sound analysis on cleantech, carbon and climate issues that are “not found in the mainstream media”. Popularity is fast growing; according to Google Analytics, it took just 26 week days to reach the first 50,000 views, 17 days to reach the second 50,000, and just eight days to reach the third 50,000. In the four weeks to Easter, more than 35,000 people (unique viewers) in Australia and overseas visited the site. www.reneweconomy.com.au
Editor's Note: The Winter 2011 issue of Solar Progress also featured the MCT & CST developments at ANU
“It has the same functionality but in a rooftop product.” He says because the hybrid product combines electricity production with heating and cooling, it should work at around 75 per cent efficiency, compared with up to 20 per cent for the best rooftop PV panels. The ability to drive high efficiency chillers and heat for boiler feedwater could be useful for a range of industries such as food, beverages, and steam laundries, as well as energy-intensive facilities such as hospitals and sports centres. ANU's Dr Vernie Everett says he believes the MCT Hybrid project represents the best opportunity for establishing hybrid rooftop concentrators to provide greenhouse neutral energy independence, for homes as well as industrial facilities. “An integrated system comprising several MCT units can provide all the electricity, hot water, space heating, and solar cooling for conventional houses,” he says. Chromasun will be working with autoparts group Futuris to improve the design of the products and to use them as a contract manufacturer. Chromasun is currently running a small manufacturing facility with capacity of 10MW a year near San Jose in California, and it has an installation in a building in Abu Dhabi. Le Lievre said the commercial environment for the development of technologies such as his had been compromised by plunging gas prices in the US, and this provided an opportunity for Australia to develop and manufacture the product. “The cost of gas and electricity in Australia is rising to a point where renewable technologies can compete,” Le Lievre says. “If you are a hospital or an industrial facility with a big roof and a large energy load, we can become a very attractive proposition.” Our thanks to Giles Parkinson for allowing us to run this article which originally appeared in RenewEconomy.
Industry perspective
Shifting the
Mountain Nigel Morris offers some sanguine thoughts about managing change in electricity production and consumption
A friend recently asked how my PV work was going and we inevitably ended up at that old familiar question “Why isn’t solar scattered across every spare inch of our sun drenched continent?” “We’re getting ever closer” I said, “but it’s just going to take some time to reinvent the way electricity is generated and distributed in Australia.” After struggling to explain what this meant I resorted to analogies. “Imagine our electricity network is like your old shed. It serves a critical purpose and has been there for as long as you can remember. It leaks a bit, but you tolerate it. You’ve patched it up, added to it, even modernised it and for the most part it continues to do its job. But the day will come when you can’t keep patching it up and you need to start from scratch. Our electricity industry is a bit like that; we don’t need to knock it down, but we do need to get back to design basics to update it so it suits today’s needs.” “That is one hell of a mountain to shift; good luck,” he quipped. I pondered my friend’s comments and the enormous complexity of issues we are faced with in this challenge. The prospect of what needs to be achieved can be overwhelming but with a wry smile, the irony that the renewable industry seems to have been handed the responsibility for moving the metaphorical mountain struck me; Clive and Gina have got all the bulldozers, after all! 32 | AUTUMN 2012
The Energy White Paper and the Australian Energy Market Commissions March 2012 Review both describe the universal agreement that our entire electricity market needs to be modernised to cope with changing demand, changing generation and for improved performance. No one is debating the need to modernise or the benefits of reform. Interestingly, in both cases there were as many questions as there were answers; no one seems to understand the exact recipe for fixing the problem which made me feel much better about my own inability to see a concise solution. Having said all this, I always try to distil complex problems into bite sized chunks; so here is my perspective on the issues with a focus on the role that PV can play.
Vested interests The conventional energy sector in Australia is worth a staggering amount of money and has long and deep relationships to policy makers. When you consider that half of all the generators connected to the NEM are controlled
by governments you start to understand that State revenues are at risk if fewer kWh are sold. Until this changes or incentives are introduced to reward reduced generation, things are unlikely to change fast and confounding government policies will persist. Paul Guilding (the independent writer, advisor and advocate for action on climate change and sustainability) recently and eloquently described the renewable energy industry’s challenges when he said “The oil industry alone is a $3 trillion per year economic powerhouse, add on coal, cars and fossil fuelled power stations and it’s going to take more than a Steve Jobs design genius to get that amount of capital to move aside.” On the demand side we also have the persistent issue of split incentives. Around 50% of residential housing is rented and there is little if any incentive for landlords to make these homes energy efficient. A similar scale of problem exists in commercial property. The underlying issues of vested interest, appropriately aligned incentives and ownership need to be addressed to effect change.
The first round of the Solar Flagships program highlighted that we have some of President Obama’s “flat earth society” in Australia too. One of the simple – and almost entirely predictable – reasons Round One failed was because there was no competitive incentive whatsoever for utilities to offer a Power Purchase Agreement and the Government’s own polices had no leverage over them at all. Oops. Addressing the need to upgrade and recognise new and wider values for distributed generation requires leaders with foresight, accurate data and an objective view of the issues we face.
The peak problem Although average demand has decreased recently, peak demand in Australia is skyrocketing, predominantly through the use of air conditioners. In Queensland for example, demand during peak hours is growing at 7% per annum, representing around 1% of total energy demand but is responsible for as much as 10% of the electricity distribution and network capacity cost. A multi-billion dollar opportunity exists to reduce network expenditure by managing peak demand better. Both the Garnaut Review, and the more recent AEMC review, highlighted that there are roles for all stakeholders to play; government in policy, retailers in getting information to consumers, networks in incentivising load reductions and energy consumers in changing behaviour. The huge legacy problem needs to be overcome with consumers who believe that low cost energy is a god given right, too. The recent spate of smart meter sabotage in Victoria and the quite bizarre “stopsmartmeter brigade” have their head as deeply in the sand as some of our policy makers. Access to electricity is a privilege that comes with living in a wealthy country; having it metered intelligently so that demand profiles are better understood and paying a value commensurate with network demand is simply the quid pro quo that we have avoided for far too long. Addressing the peak problem successfully requires a wide range of co-ordinated policy, technology and behaviour changes.
Upgrading the shed Referring to my earlier analogy we also need to face up the fact that many of the decision makers in our Government and electricity industry are simply out of touch with what’s going on in Australia and abroad. The Energy White paper for example, citing several models, forecast PV generation levels by 2020 which are likely to be reached by the end of 2013 and costs forecasts for PV by 2030 which we have already exceeded.
“A multi-billion dollar opportunity exists to reduce network expenditure by managing peak demand better.” All around the world, leading policy makers and utilities are realising they have a simple choice; you can either marvel at your legacy or get on with embracing the future and adapt to change. US Energy Secretary Chu recently stated publicly that the world’s three biggest energy users, China, the US and India, each believe that the cost of utility scale solar will be cheaper than fossil fuels by 2020 at the latest. Meanwhile, down-under, too many of our decision makers seem to be sitting on the back porch, beer in hand, looking at their beloved handiwork and yelling over their shoulder: “You’re bloody dreaming mate, that thing is as good as the day I built it – just look at it! It’s a bloody work of art.” It may well have been in 1950, but you can’t plug your Prius into a kerosene lantern, pop.
So what do we need? We need policy makers with a longer term view who are free from the mire of short-term voter preferences. We need corporate leaders who are willing to break the mould and build future business models instead of digging up our history. We need consumers who don’t take energy for granted, and are incentivised to save energy. And we need a rapid, integrated and holistic solution or the IP opportunity of a lifetime will join Ralph Sarich and so many other great innovators – offshore. Recently, I spoke to one of the world’s largest industrial companies which is now in PV and focused on Australia. “Why Australia?” I asked. “Simple.” they said. “Sunny. Spacious. High electricity cost. This will be one of the world’s first unsubsidised grid parity markets. We don’t understand your Government though.” Pretty well sum up the whole state of affairs don’t you think? The AEMC reports are available at: http://www.aemc.gov.au/market-reviews/ open/power-of-choice-update-page.html Nigel Morris is owner manager of solar energy consultancy SolarBusinessServices. His company was proud recipient of the 2011 Australian Solar Energy Society award for ‘Industry Advocacy and Leadership’. www.solarbusiness.com.au
SolarProgress | 33
Special feature
Affordable
solar architecture An architects' competition aimed at fostering talent and solar design innovation has evolved over the years. Guidelines now place emphasis on cost efficiencies in a bid to boost popularity, says Tobias Danielmeyer.
34 | AUTUMN 2012
A number of governments around the world have recently reduced or discontinued incentive programmes that supported the establishment of solar energy generation at both the household and industry levels. As a result, major players in the solar industry started to struggle. During previous decades, technology advances and increases in energy efficiency dictated trends in the field of renewable energies. Today, the affordability of systems and a constant and continuous decline in prices are the most significant drivers of change. The durability of systems is another significant factor in related marketing strategies; however, consumers’ buying decisions are based on cost comparisons between the initial investment and total energy generation over a set period of time. Although this constitutes an oversimplified snapshot of the situation at a global level, the effects of this situation currently redefine and reshape the industry.
Solar Decathlon’s ‘performance architecture’ The US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon aims to address the situation. The competition was established to educate the general public about the potential use of solar technologies, to encourage technology innovations and to train future generations of engineers, architects and planners. The inaugural event in 2002 required teams to design and build solar powered houses and cars; it provided a holistic perspective on how living and mobility might be managed sustainably at a domestic scale. Following a successful first event, the parameters of the 2005 competition changed slightly; participating institutions were now rewarded for innovation and originality. Participating schools and universities were glad to oblige and showcased cutting-edge, groundbreaking technology solutions directly from the lab.
“The competition was established to educate the general public about the potential use of solar technologies, to encourage technology innovations and to train future generations of engineers, architects and planners.”
This undoubtedly did justice to the focus on innovation – but unfortunately, the solutions were unavailable on the market. As a result, the general public was unlikely to benefit from that Solar Decathlon in the same way as the 2002 competition. Competition rules were again changed and the two subsequent events in 2007 and 2009 saw houses that, despite using components that were readily available on the market, were predominantly designed with increases in performance and energy generation in mind. At this time, potential sponsors recognised the marketing value of Solar Decathlons events. Product donation became more common and, in some cases, university teams even had to turn down sponsorship offers. The 2009 winning entrance from the Technical University Darmstadt was literally wrapped in solar panels; cost estimations valued the house at about US$800,000.
A comparison of the competition guidelines at the time and the architecture demonstrates how the design is tailored to perform well with regard to the energy generation aspect of the competition, resulting in ‘performance architecture’. The average house cost that year was US$485,000 and with the effects of the global economic crisis still lingering, the US Department of Energy modified the competition rules again, this time with a focus on affordability. While economic considerations are key component of every successful and sustainable design solution, preparing a decision making matrix that evaluates and ranks design decisions is highly complex. Questions that are significant in this consideration include (but are by no means limited to): Does a reduction in energy requirements justify additional costs for improving the building envelope and/ or installation of energy efficient appliances? How does thermal mass compare with smart technologies from a cost perspective? What are ideal window surface ratios that allow natural light and ventilation without creating significant heat gains, heat losses or glare? Is a heat recovering unit a smart investment? What temperatures do solar thermal units need to provide in order to warrant hot water during peak usage periods?
Cost–benefit thinking So how much effort and cost go into a Solar Decathlon house project? The New Zealand team used site specific weather data from the past 30 years to simulate and test as many configurations as possible with the timeframe. As a result of this intensive research, the team gained invaluable insights into active and passive technologies and their respective cost effectiveness. Furthermore, houses for the Solar Decathlon competition must be designed with the competition in mind. In addition to the substantial set of rules, ease of construction for student teams who assemble the houses
in only a couple of days must be taken into consideration. Additional requirements result from multiple modes of transport and lifting; this challenge is particularly prevalent for international teams from outside the country. Further challenges arise from the fact that the houses may not have any foundations, but are required to comply with building codes and disability guidelines for public buildings. Comfort zone levels must be kept between 21.7ºC and 24.4ºC and humidity levels must be below 60%. The overall cost estimate must include the costs for temporary rainwater solutions, as well as all appliances and technical devices. On the whole, teams managed to save costs compared to previous events and the average Solar Decathlon house price dropped to US$325,000. It needs to be noted, however, that the publication of these dollar figures may still be considered problematic by the organisers. The final construction costs are still perceived as expensive by the public - and as the majority of mass media appears to make no distinction between regular buildings and the competition houses, these homes are represented as being overly and overtly costly. Another factor that is not taken into consideration is that prices for such houses are likely to fall as soon as they are more established in the market. All competition houses have been subjected to hundreds of hours of performance modelling and cost analysis – this is neither feasible nor necessary in a regular design practice. Tobias Danielmeier who lectures at Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, is the project leader for the New Zealand entry “First Light” to the Solar Decathlon 2011. The First Light house has been awarded the First Prize in Engineering, First Prize equal in the Hot Water and Energy Balance, and second place in Architecture. SolarProgress | 35
Tech talk
Why the grid’s voltage affects my inverter output PV technology troubleshooter Glen Morris explains why inverters sometimes involuntarily and temporarily switch-off in the middle of a nice sunny day.
If you’ve ever had a grid-connected (GC) inverter system switch-off in the middle of the day when the sun is shinning – and then back on again a few minutes later – there’s a couple of reasons why this might happen. The most common reason relates to the “grid protection” feature of the inverter. All GC inverters in Australia must be tested to AS 4777.3 for grid protection. This requires that they disconnect from the grid when the voltage sensed at their output terminals is outside of 200-270V measured within a two second period. In practice most manufacturers of GC inverters set their high voltage disconnect in the 255-265V range. This would appear to be well above what our grid is supposed to be operating at. We have a nominal 230V grid in Eastern Australia which is considered to be within spec if between 217-253V (within a five minute window average). The problem is that GC inverters must disconnect within two seconds of an out-ofrange voltage and thus are easily “tripped off” by transient voltage spikes that last only fractions of a second. Fig 1 shows a graph of a typical voltage of a domestic dwelling in Canberra. The logging 36 | AUTUMN 2012
was at one second intervals and covered a one week period. Given that many inverters would disconnect at 260V this system would have been turning off hundreds of times over this one week period for up to a couple of minutes after each event. To makes things worse, as a GC inverter starts to export power it “pushes up” the output voltage (Ohm’s Law) in order to export power back to the grid. Depending on the size and length of the cable from the inverter to the main supply cables for the house, this will cause even more voltage rise and further exacerbate the problem.
Problem solving What can be done? Making sure that the inverter is as close as possible to the point of connection to the house, up sizing the AC output cable on the inverter, even upgrading the main supply cable from the street to the house may be required – particularly for systems with larger output power capacities (>5kW). The problem is made worse when more solar power systems are connected to your street, further pushing up the grid voltage during daylight hours.
This problem has led many electricity distributors to put strict limits on the maximum size of inverters connected to their network (typically 5-10kW) and even limit the number of installations in a particular street (as is already happening in Brisbane). Though this phenomena causes no harm to the customer’s equipment, it means that there is a reduction in the energy generated by their system and as the penetration of solar increases so will this problem. There are proposals to allow inverters to decrease their power output, rather than switch off, or even for the electricity distributor to control the power output level but these would require a change to AS 4777.3 and for manufacturers to incorporate these features. If you notice that your inverter is turning off regularly during the day then consult your system installer as there may be other strategies that could be used to address this problem. Glen Morris of SolarQuip is a specialist in solar technology and renewable energy solutions. www.solarquip.com.au
Log of Grid Voltage in one second samples over one week 16,500
Number of Events
230V
253V
260V
Grid Voltage Measured at Switchboard
Asia’s Largest PV Inverter Manufacturer Now available in Australia
service@sungrowpower.com.au | www.sungrowpower.com.au
Solar Cities
Here we continue the series on Solar Cities, showcasing their unique characteristics. Adelaide throws up a few novel elements, as explained by Dario De Bortoli of Origin to Nicola Card.
Adelaide Solar City sets a shining example With a tagline: “Let’s set a shining example for the rest of the world” Adelaide Solar City reckons it has had some measure of success. Is their pride justified? You be the judge. It is five years since the city and its surrounds – Salisbury, Tea Tree Gully and Playford – was selected as one of Australia’s seven Solar Cities. Part of the reason was the stress on power supplies particularly during the peak hours. “Becoming a solar city would help reduce electricity supply problems,” said Dario De Bortoli who is with Origin and Program Manager of Solar Cities. “The sunny temperate climate is ideal, and the Department of Climate Change wanted to develop and trial different business models; Adelaide differs from other solar cities as
Tindo travels 200 kilometers daily, delivering people as well as the allimportant message about solar power.
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it is led by an energy retailer rather than a distributor.” Established in 2007, the Consortium which is led by Origin and includes Big Switch Projects, BP Solar, ANZ, Delfin Lend Lease and the four city councils has rolled out commercial and residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, pricing, smart metering technology, energy efficiency products, low income energy assistance programs and community engagement initiatives. Supporting the aspiration for every citizen of Adelaide to be aware that they live in a solar city, the consortium’s key challenge has been to select locations or buildings “where the solar panels can be incorporated or designed in an innovative and engaging way”, De Bortoli said.
Among the most visible is Rundle Lantern Solar Project, a 50 kilowatt solar PV system on the rooftop of Adelaide’s ‘U-Park’ building. And nearby Central Markets that were established back in 1900 now boasts 288 rooftop panels that help demonstrate the sensitive integration of new energy technologies. Meantime the 50 kilowatt PV system atop Adelaide Central Bus Station generates enough solar energy to power the popular Tindo bus. Monitors that display solar energy product and greenhouse gas emission savings are located at three key sites: The Watershed, Golden Grove Recreation and Arts Centre (which boasts a 4 kilowatt PV system), and the Playford Aquadome (15 kilowatt PV system).
From left: Rundle Lantern U-Park lights up and turns heads after dark; Plans for Victoria Square are “on the drawing board”; The market’s rooftop PV array helps power the market
The 50 kilowatt solar PV system installed at Keylink Industrial Estate is the project’s first foray into a commercial zone. “To me iconic solar sights are so powerful,” De Bortoli said. “People want examples of a visual nature, like the luminous Rundle Lantern that wraps around a multi-storey car park. It is a great example of the use of solar energy, people can relate to it and can see the panels. It is an exciting concept that serves as a role model; it shows what can be done.” A winner in the popularity stakes is Adelaide’s attention-grabbing 27-seater bus ‘Tindo’ that each day clocks up 200 kilometers along city streets.
Tindo bus: solar power on wheels Proudly promoted as the world’s first electric solar powered bus, Tindo (Kaurna for ‘sun’) sports bright green livery with swirly orange emblems that evoke the sun’s ongoing output … all-in-all a rather smart mobile solar billboard. The bus battery is recharged for five hours each night from solar power captured on the rooftop array, as demonstrated on youtube. “We needed a celebrity in the Solar City project and Tindo is proving very popular. It provides a powerful link between the use of solar energy and its practical function in transportation,” De Bortoli explained. People treat Tindo differently, as something special, they respect it for example it attracts no graffiti.” Tindo has, however, attracted overseas interest and featured prominently in a Chinese documentary on Solar City characteristics viewed by seven million people. Delegates from China, South Korea and several other nations have taken an interest in the bus and the range of notable PV installations in Adelaide Solar City. One more major project is taking shape.
Victoria Square makeover On the drawing board are plans to install 1500 solar panels over 500 metres of walkways in Victoria Square. Origin will progress the project once funding is approved. “The question is how to make iconic solar PV installations more meaningful and engaging,” De Bortoli said. “The proposed $100 million
development of Victoria Square is innovative; we plan to create aisles of street level PV solar panels that are multi-purpose in that they generate renewable energy, provide shelter and walkways with open-air archways, and feature an eye-catching artistic design.” All the better given that each day up to 200,000 visitors will be exposed to the concept of solar power.
Community consultation In common with other Solar Cities, local community engagement is vital. Road-shows and presentations that address objectives and strategies have helped engage the community and new migrants are informed about power use and costs.
Solar number crunching To date 3500 people have purchased energy saving products and earned themselves the moniker of ‘solar citizen’. • 879 home energy audits have been conducted • 101 ceiling insulation packages have been installed • 2564 homes boast smart meters • 190 households have received assistance in managing energy bills • 350 PV systems have been installed on rooftops • 1963 homes are participating in cost effective pricing trials • 464 households are trialing cutting-edge technology with In-Home Displays • 19 Business Energy Efficiency Programs have been conducted • 231 households are taking part in a Control Group • There are 21,745 GreenPower households within the trial area, and • 20,980 energy efficiency packs have been provided to households. A key program initiative is the demand management trial run by Origin which aims to reduce demand during peak hours by encouraging households to change their timing for non-essential electricity use. “Nearly 2000 people have participated in the trial that combines innovative electricity pricing products, smart metering interactive
communication technology and touch screen Inhome displays that show usage and greenhouse gas emissions in 30 minute intervals,” De Bortoli said. “There is a lot of interest in this part of the program and people appear receptive to modifying behaviour, for example they will go to the movies sometime between the peak cost period of 2pm and 8pm. “These high-end website communication technology links facilitate awareness about time and use, for example we can alert consumers about upcoming rises in energy costs. It is all about analysis and lessons learnt, for example 50kWh saves 70 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The intent is to make people feel they are related to something specific.” A reduction on the stress placed on infrastructure was part of the original plan, and an audit revealed a not-insignificant 7 percent reduction in energy use. Complementing this is the decent amount of green power participants which enables accurate and valuable interpretations about household energy use. At the core of the Solar Cities Program is data collection, reporting and analysis by participant project managers, who will gather in Brisbane in October to compare and contrast experiences. “Government is keen to disseminate information and bases its funding decisions on what appears the most effective,” De Bortoli explained. “We will be comparing and contrasting issues arising in regional and metropolitan solar cities. It is all about dissemination and analysis and then releasing results.” Solar cities throughout Australia have the common end date of June 30, 2013 and over the next 12 months more solar hot water systems will be installed and energy packs distributed across Adelaide. Which gets us back to the tagline “setting an example” – has Adelaide Solar City succeeded in this quest? Given the apparent level of local and international interest and the changing patterns of energy consumption, the response must surely be in the affirmative. For his part, De Bortoli commented “we are getting there progressively.” www.adelaidesolarcity.com.au SolarProgress | 39
Political perspective
Review of the
Renewable Energy Target With several lobby groups angling for removal or restructure of the Renewable Energy Target under a carbon price environment, Wayne Smith forecasts cloudy skies for the solar industry.
One of the most significant policy challenges facing the solar industry over the next 12 months will be the review of the Renewable Energy Target (RET). The commitment to generate 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity from renewable energy sources is enshrined in law and supported by all of Australia’s major political parties, and yet there seem to be storm clouds over the future of the scheme. Of course, storm clouds are bad news for solar. A number of loud voices – the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the NSW Government, among others – are calling for the RET to be abolished or significantly restructured following the introduction of a carbon price. These calls fly in the face of its tripartisan support, and the RET’s conservative foundations and misunderstand the purpose of the RET. The Mandatory Renewable Energy Target was introduced by the Howard Government in 2001 as a means of increasing the proportion of Australia’s electricity from renewable energy sources. The target of 9500 gigawatt hours of renewable energy was the Howard
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Government’s greatest policy achievement in supporting clean energy, and one Coalition parties should rightly honour as the first step in putting Australia on the path to a cleaner energy economy. The Rudd Government was elected in 2007 on a promise to increase the renewable energy target to 20 per cent by 2020 – a five-fold increase. The RET was always designed to complement a price on carbon. As Mr Rudd noted on 30 October 2007, “While the introduction of emissions trading will help bring renewable technologies into the market over time, an interim renewable energy target will accelerate their use, driving cost reductions with economies of scale – and achieving overall emission reductions at lower cost.” The absence of a price on carbon has made the Renewable Energy Target even more important in accelerating the uptake of clean energy. Without the Renewable Energy Target, Australia would not have a solar industry, and without the RET in the future, Australia will not have a strong solar industry. The RET has arguably been the primary driver for investment in household solar panels and solar hot water systems, with the
upfront discount provided by the generation of Renewable Energy Certificates providing a strong financial incentive. The Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme has helped deliver solar hot water and solar panels to more than 1.3 million Australian households. Solar has not played a role to date in the Large-Scale Renewable Energy Target, but that is about to change with the dramatic reduction in the cost of utility-scale PV and difficulties in establishing large wind projects. It is not unreasonable to expect solar could provide 5 per cent of Australia’s electricity by 2020, but that will depend, in part, on the regulatory framework underpinning clean energy, with uncertainty around carbon pricing, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Renewable Energy Target. Importantly, the legislation underpinning the RET requires a review of the RET to be conducted “as soon as practicable after 30 June 2012 and every two years after that date”. The Review is broad-ranging and must consider: • the operation of the RET scheme, and the legislation that underpins it; and
“The solar industry will need to actively engage in the review of the Renewable Energy Target to ensure it provides the right incentives for the growth of the residential, commercial and large-scale solar industry.” The REC Agents Association The REC Agents Association (RAA) has been established to represent and self-regulate the activities of businesses creating and trading RECs, the trading system that underpins Australia’s Renewable Energy Target and facilitates the installation of solar panels and solar hot water systems. The RAA will work closely with the Government and the new Clean Energy Regulator to monitor and improve compliance by agents with relevant Acts, and provide advice to the statutory review of the RET. The RAA will be a strong, public advocate for the Renewable Energy Target and other market based schemes. It will also address some of the misinformation around the cost and effectiveness of these schemes, in particular that the RET is a major driver of rising electricity prices. (The Australian Energy Market Commission has shown renewable energy schemes are only responsible for 3% of the likely rise in power prices over the next few years.) www.recagents.org.au
“Without the Renewable Energy Target, Australia would not have a solar industry, and without the RET in the future, Australia will not have a strong solar industry.”
• the diversity of renewable energy access to the RET, including a “cost benefit analysis of the environmental and economic impact of that access”. The Review will be conducted by the new independent Climate Change Authority, headed by the former Reserve Bank Governor Bernie Fraser, and must report to Government by 31 December 2012. The legislation does not provide any indication as to when, and how, the Government must respond to the Review. The political argy bargy around the RET Review began early with calls by the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the entire RET to be abolished. This was no surprise, as these industry groups have been seeking the abolition of the RET since it was first established. The more significant action was the call by the NSW Energy Minister, Chris Hartcher, for the RET to be abolished, putting a hole in the bipartisan support for the scheme. At its meeting on 13 April 2012, the Council of Australian Governments called for urgent advice “on how to fast track and rationalise policies and programs that are not complementary to a carbon price, or are ineffective, inefficient or impose duplicative reporting requirements on business”. Opponents of the RET will use that mechanism, as well as the review of the RET itself, to attack the Target. The Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet, has made it clear the Gillard Government
supports the Renewable Energy Target, but the Review and the COAG process do provide opportunities for significantly changing the RET. The Greens have called for the RET to be expanded, and the Federal Coalition remains committed to carving out a proportion of the RET for emerging technologies. The Coalition’s Direct Action Plan states “a Coalition Government will create a band within the Renewable Energy Target to be reserved for larger renewable energy projects (over 50 megawatt) or for emerging technologies such as solar fields, geothermal projects or tidal and wave projects over 10 megawatt. The band to be reserved for these projects will be for up to 6000 gigawatt hours by 2020”. This has the potential to provide a strong incentive for largescale solar. The solar industry will need to actively engage in the review of the Renewable Energy Target to ensure it provides the right incentives for the growth of the residential, commercial and large-scale solar industry. Wayne Smith is the Director of Clean Economy Services, a renewable energy consulting firm. His clients include the Australian Solar Energy Society, which believes that certainty and consistency in policy should extend across all sectors of the solar energy industry. wayne.smith@cleaneconomyservices.com.au Ph: 0417 141 812 Twitter: @cleaneconomyser SolarProgress | 41
State Reports
State nsw Noel Barton, Branch President Our 2012 program in NSW is in full swing. The normal course of events is to hold information evenings for the AuSES NSW Branch on the fourth Tuesday of the month. In addition, we have a close relationship with the Sydney Central Branch of the Alternative Technology Association, and many of our members also attend their information evenings held on the second Tuesday of the month. Typically the audience for these meetings is between 30 and 40. Our speakers this year have been Thomas Bywater of Greenforce Energy (Rooftop PV Systems with AC Output) and Anton Szilasi of Beyond Zero Emissions (The BZE Stationary Energy Plan for Australia). Speakers confirmed for the upcoming three months are Alistair Sproul (UNSW); Paul Dastoor (University of Newcastle) and Muriel Watt (Australian PV Association). A feature of these meetings is a 10-minute ‘Future Directions’ segment by someone at the start of their solar career, enabling presenters to gain valuable practice in public speaking and
also to breathe new vitality among our mostly ‘well-matured’ audience. The first two speakers at the ATA Sydney Central meetings have been Taru Veijalainen of Apricus Australia (Solar Hot Water Products and Applications) and Adriana Downie of Pacific Pyrolysis (Organic Waste to Energy and Biochar). The forthcoming speaker is Wolfgang Spranz of GreenScope Environmental (Energyefficient windows). We also participate in occasional special events, again often in collaboration with ATA Sydney Central. One such event held this year was a sustainability display at the Earth Hour Family Fun Day arranged by Randwick Council on March 31 2012. Committee member and architect, Graham Hunt (pictured below), gave two presentations on energy-efficient and sustainable houses. Also pictured on the stand was Committee member, Mary Hendriks (right). For further information about activities in NSW, email Noel Barton on: barton.sunoba@gmail.com or at nswbranch@auses.org.au Phone: Matt Scaddan 0402 979 958.
Contacting an AuSES Branch in your area If you live outside the metro area in your State or Territory, please do not hesitate to keep us informed about your activities Victoria: VICBranch@auses.org.au (Dale Brown) Queensland: QLDbranch@auses.org.au 0407 121 321 (Antony Sachs) ACT: ACT@auses.org.au 0408 054 512 (Steve Blume) Tasmania: matthew.pettit@bigpond.com Phone: 040 648 1283 (Matthew Pettit)
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wa
sa
nt
Ishaan Khanna WA Branch President
Stewart Martin Branch President
Prof Jai Singh Branch President
Our first 2012 solar beers event, sponsored by Solar-e (www.solar-e.com), was held on April 3 at the Sustainable Energy Association of Australia (SEA) offices. Our guest speaker was Nigel Wilmot, who is currently the Chair of Standards Australia subcommittee EL42-3 for Grid Connected Inverter energy systems. In this role he is leading the revision of AS4777 standards. At the AuSES Branch event Nigel presented a comprehensive overview of the work in progress. For further information about AuSES in WA, email Branch President Ishaan Khanna at: ishaankhanna@hotmail.com or wa@auses.org.au
In the diary: AuSES SA AGM
The first of a series of regular seminars was held on March 15 at the NT Museum Theatrette. Jeremy Devenish, Managing Director and founder of Solarflo Pty Ltd., related his experiences in getting Auxin panels into the NT “Deemed to Comply” manual. Paul Shelley, Director of PSE Communication & Electrical, described his visit to Spanish Solar Thermal facilities, and lastly Didge “Biz” MacDonald, the Principal WorkSafe Inspector for NT Government, presented an overview of NT WorkSafe’s inspections of solar systems. Our next public seminar will be held on June 14 at 5.30 pm in the Museum Theatrette. For further information about AuSES in the NT, email Prof Jai Singh (Branch President): Jai.Singh@cdu.edu.au or NTbranch@auses.org.au
The South Australian Branch will hold its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday May 2 2012 at 7.00pm, C3-16 Centenary Bld, City East Campus, University of SA (corner of North Terrace and Frome Rd). This will be followed by a presentation from Assistant Professor John Boland titled ‘Towards electricity without fossil fuels: finding the best mix of renewables, demand management and storage’. For further information about AuSES in SA, email stewart.martin@unisa.edu.au
Solar Products & Services
In this section we take a bite-sized look at who is doing what in the fast moving world of solar energy.
Design Developments
Asia’s largest Solar Inverter manufacturer enters Australian market
Moving forward and Getting Solar! The GET SOLAR Campaign directory - list your company details and contact points As we know changing government policies and shifting compliance standards have created uncertainty for the markets of solar energy products and services. We all know how effective AuSES has been at a political level representing our immense collective technical knowledge and corporate base within the organisation. AuSES is a solid cornerstone of solar energy use promotion and awareness, but it cannot do everything. Apart from individual lobbying and marketing enterprises, solar industries can collaborate effectively with a common commercial focus in the market place. Today we need this more than ever. While AuSES carries out its important functions at the junction of industry, academia and government, more is needed to help the solar industry and associated professions to develop stronger and more reliable markets. We all believe that the general public needs to GET SOLAR, hence the GET SOLAR Campaign! The GET SOLAR Campaign directory is now posted on the Internet. It awaits participation by all sectors of the solar industry and professions (it is prudent to under promise and over deliver). The categories of listings (though moderated) are flexible at this stage and we are open to new ones if requested. The listing is free (at this stage everything is free, with a note on premium listing that although for now there is no charge it can change in the future). It is simple to list your company details and contact points. With strong ties and allegiances to peak organisations such as AuSES, we believe that we can complement the focus that AuSES provides. Creation of a new synergy will help consumers, industrial, commercial, and institutional entities to have the confidence to commit to solar energy systems and strategies. GET SOLAR, and know where to get it! www.getsolar.com.au 44 | AUTUMN 2012
Sungrow has officially launched its full range of string inverters into the Australian market. The Sun Access inverters range from 1.5kW to 20kW, and are approved under the Australian Standard. Their centralised inverters are also ready to be introduced into Australia. Founded in 1997 in Hefei, China, Sungrow is Asia’s largest inverter manufacturer. According to IMS Research, the company is a market leader in China by a large margin; Sungrow has a 43% market share in China with 2GW production capacity. Sungrow was publicly listed in 2011, and raised more than AUD $200 million. The company has recently entered the Australian market with a view towards expanding and growing throughout Australia. Sungrow has a global presence with offices worldwide, and a manufacturing plant in Canada. The focus for Australia is providing cost-effective high quality inverters with a strong warranty and after-sales service. Gary Ye, Sales Director for the Asia-Pacific market, is “proud to introduce Sungrow’s Sun Access range into the Australian market. We see a lot of potential in Australia, and are excited to be involved in such a promising market”. He states “Our company’s strategic plan for the coming year is to expand the Australian market because we see Australia playing an increasingly important role in the Asia-Pacific solar industry.” Recent tests by Photon International saw Sungrow’s inverters perform very well. The SG15KTL received an A Grade in Photon Lab’s tests in February 2012, with maximum 97.9% efficiency in symmetrical operation. As the largest distributor of Sungrow’s products Australia wide, Vigor Solar’s Managing Director Morris Zhou states “we are very excited to be partnered with Sungrow for their entry into the Australian market. We really believe in the company and the products they provide. With their history and track record over the past 15 years, and the extensive aftersale service they provide, we are sure that Sungrow can create value for the Australian customer. This is exactly what we need in such a young, crowded industry.” Vigor Solar was founded in 2009, and distributes solar equipment throughout Australia. The company is backed by Zhenfa New Energy Co Ltd, and aims to provide Australian consumers with the world’s most cost-efficient, high-quality products. Vigor Solar works only with companies which have excellent long-term viability and strong financial backing, as well as reliable, proven product performance. www.sungrowpower.com.au 1300 201 106 www.vigorsolar.com.au 1300 551 961
Solar Expos & Conferences May 2012
June 2012
World Renewable Energy Forum 13-17 May, Denver Colorado www.wref2012.org
2nd CSP Optimisation Summit 5-6 June, Madrid, Spain www.csptoday.com
Solar Power Mexico 2012 15-16 May, Mexico City, Mexico www.greenpowerconferences.com
Solar Energy Forum 2012 21-22 June, Shanghai, China www.cdmc.org.cn/sef2012 With the theme “Draw on Advantages and Avoid Disadvantages—What Course to Follow during the New Situation?” Solar Energy Forum 2012 is designed to look into emerging longterm strategic issues. With proven success in Renewable Series, events attract 2000 participants from government, association and research institutes, power & energy groups, PV project developers and system integrators, PV system installers and cell & module manufacturers, silicon & wafer manufacturers etc.
MENASOL 2012 4th North Africa & Middle East Solar Conference & Expo 16-17 May, Abu Dhabi www.csptoday.com Global Solar Forum 23-25 May, Singapore www.globalsolarforum.com
This flagship event on the solar calendar 2012 brings together leading industry players to achieve commercial and technical excellence across the whole value chain. This event is a joint effort of China Renewable Energy Society and CDMC. InterSolar Europe 11-15 June, Munich Germany www.intersolar.de/en/ Renewable Energy World Conference and Expo 12-14 June, Cologne, Germany www.renewableenergyworld-europe.com Solar South Africa 19-20 June, Johannesburg South Africa www.greenpowerconferences.com » continues next page
Prompt supply from Victoria Warehouse
SolarProgress | 45
AuSES Events 2012
AuSES proudly celebrates its 50th year with TWO conferences Building on the Australian Solar Energy Society's 50 year history of running Australia's pre-eminent Conferences focusing on solar and renewable technologies, sustainable built environments and leading policy-maker presentations, AuSES this year is running two major events in Melbourne.
East Solar Expo & Conference Tuesday August 21 and Wednesday August 22 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The East Solar Expo & Conference offers a great opportunity to review over 100 exhibitors' stands and attend a series of forums and presentations. Registration is FREE, and you are urged to register as soon as possible via the website: www.eastsolarexpo.com to secure your place, and to qualify for the Delegate Draw Prize
With AUPVSEE, AuSES' international partner from the very successful Solar 2011 Conference in Sydney last December, East Solar Expo & Conference will be free to attend, and offers a unique platform to forge new opportunities, build relationships, and establish new partnerships in research, development, manufacturing and distribution in the renewable energy/sustainability industries across the Asia-Pacific region. East Solar 2012 will showcase hundreds of products and components, suppliers,
Solar Expos & Conferences (cont.) June 2012 (cont.) CSP Today USA 2012 6th Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Conference and Exhibition 27-28 June, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas www.cstpower-conference.com/home.aspx The ISES AsiaSun 2012 Conference: “Technologies for Low Carbon Cities” 29 June–1 July, China Solar Valley, Economic Development Zone Dezhou, Shandong Province, China www.isesasiasun.com The International Solar Energy Society (ISES) continues to work toward a vision of 100% renewable energy for all, used efficiently and wisely. This ISES AsiaSun Conference presents insights into renewable energy activities in the Asia-Pacific region and enables delegates to mix with colleagues, build business relationships, and advance the movement to a renewable energy world.
The conference will feature a number of esteemed renewable energy professionals from Australia and around the world, along with many local experts, supported by the Chinese Renewable Energy Society (CRES). ISES AsiaSun 2012 will address a broad spectrum of key topics, including: Policies to increase RE penetration; New business models for commercialisation; Solar thermal power and process heat; Solar heating and cooling; PV materials and cell technologies; Standards and testing (PV &SWH); Solar energy storage; Low carbon built environments and communities, and Training and education to achieve a low carbon future. Up to 3000 will attend the three-day event, making it a great networking opportunity. Invitations are being extended to engineers, planners, architects, consultants, researchers, students, policy-makers, and educators from around the world, in particular China and the AsiaPacific region.
July 2012 International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry 9-11 July, San Francisco California www.ises.org
September 2012 12th China Photovoltaic Conference and International Exhibition 5-7 September, Beijing http://www.ch-solar.com/en/ Solar power International 12 10-13 September, Orlando Florida www.solarpowerinternational.com/2012/public/ enter.aspx Eurosun 2012 18-20 September, Rijeka Croatia www.ises.org 27th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference 24-28 Sept, Messe Frankfurt Germany /www.photovoltaic-conference.com/
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distributors, advisory groups, agencies and non-government organisations in addition to ASX and Fortune 500-listed companies involved in solar and renewable energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable technologies and related aspects, in Australia, China and the Pacific. A series of topical and timely presentations and forums covering a diverse range of topics by overseas and local experts. Starting on the hour - no prior booking necessary - these will address matters such as Australian and State renewable energy policies in a ‘carbon priced’ world; monitoring and measuring PV system performance; community-owned renewable generation opportunities; PV, solar water and solar air heating; energy efficiency in the built environment, and other topics. A parallel series of presentations will address the Australian solar and renewables market. (Depending on demand, this stream may be translated into Mandarin.) This will allow foreign Delegates wishing to enter and partner the Australian renewables industry an insight into opportunities, policy and programmes, barriers and potential partnerships. East Solar 2012 offers an excellent opportunity for those in governments, lobby groups, businesses, consumers and the media to seek unbiased and objective comment about our national and international sustainable and clean energy future. Visit the East Solar Expo & Conference website www.eastsolarexpo.com, and for details of sponsorship opportunities or to Exhibit, please do not hesitate to contact Margaret Reid of Margaret Reid Pty Ltd, 2/303 Penshurst Street, Willoughby NSW 2068 Australia. Ph: 61 2 9882-2688, Fax: 61 2 9882-2648 www.conference-organisers.com.au
The Solar 2012 “Golden Jubilee” Conference Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn Campus, on Thursday December 6 and Friday December 7. This will be a more formal event, in line with our tradition of high quality, multiple streams of paper presentation; our Gala Awards Presentation Dinner, including the Wal Read Awards for undergrad and postgrad submitted papers excellence emphasis on peer-reviewed papers, and a number of associated events.
Our thanks to Swinburne University of Technology for these images
These are planned to include optional excursions to solar and renewable sites within reasonable distance of Melbourne; a ‘Train the Trainer’ day aimed at the technical and high school instruction in solar and renewables, energy efficiency and sustainable practice in the built environment; and other events. The APVA traditionally holds its AGM and a short seminar series at our annual event, and we anticipate that it will do so again this year. A Call for Papers will be made soon, with Abstracts requested to be submitted before mid-year, to allow ample time for peer review and preparation of selected high quality papers.
AuSES Vision Both of these conferences support the AuSES vision: 'Solar for a Sustainable Future' and will reflect the diverse interests of the industries and activities involved. These include: • Solar PhotoVoltaics (PV) - for distributed electricity generation at residential or commercial scales • Solar Thermal - for renewable generation on commercial scales, as well as for solar water (SWH) and solar air heating (SAH), extending into the production of low grade process heat for industry • Built Environment - commercial and residential buildings - and extending into urban design, landscapes, transport infrastructure etc • Energy Efficiency - electricity and fuel, heat/cooling, lighting, water, transport • Public policy - economics, education & environment • Solar system design - installation, integration, monitoring and performance measurement • Sustainable design and sustainability implementation • Grid integration and remote power systems • Other renewables - including wind, biomass, geothermal, wave/tidal and waste methane recovery SolarProgress | 47
Membership
AuSES Members A AC Solar Warehouse Advertising Promotions Manager Affordable Eco Systems P/L Alice Solar City Allan Toovey Electrical Amara Electrical Services Aspect Solar Pty Ltd Asten Solar Austrenergy Pty Ltd B Blu Sky Solar Pty Ltd Blue Mountains Solar Pty Ltd Bosch Solar Energy BP Solar Pty Ltd C CAT Projects Chromagen City of Sydney Sustainability Clean Economy Services Clean Energy Matters Pty Ltd Clean N Free Pty Ltd Clean Technology Partners Clements Airconditioning, Refrigeration & Electrical Collridge Pty Ltd Coolgaia Pty Ltd CSA Solar
D Dave Watson Electrical & Solar Delta Energy Systems Pty Ltd Dimark Constructions DKSH Australia Pty Ltd E Earthconnect Pty Ltd Eco Power and Lighting Ecoast Energy Ecofficient Pty Ltd Econstruct Ecowatt edenPOWER Energy & Climate Change Unit NT Energy Matters Energy Scene ENVIREN Exemplary Energy Exlites Pty Ltd F Focused Solar Solutions For Electrical Services Fronius Australia Pty Ltd G Garrad Hassan Pacific P/L Godwins Green Energy Going Solar Gold Coast Energy Pty Ltd Goshlab Pty Ltd Graham Hunt Architects
GREENB Group Green Earth Electrical Green Engineering Pty Ltd Grundfos Sensor A/S H-L Horizon Solar Technologies Industrial Plant & Service Pty Ltd Infinity Solar Intelligent Partners IT Power Australia Pty Ltd Keystone Environment Solutions Leadsun Australia Leeson Solar M Madison Australia Pty Ltd Matt Hatty Electrical Mitsubishi Electric Australia Pty Ltd My Global Solutions N–Q NeuTek Energy Pty Ltd Newkirk Solar Newman Mundy Electrical Pty Ltd NextGen Solutions Nu Energy Oceania Solar Holdings Pty Ltd Orange Energy Pty Ltd Orca Solar Lighting PJ Electrical
Pure Sun Solar Q-Cells Australia Pty Ltd R R F Industries Pty Ltd Rainbow Power Company Ltd Regen Power Pty Ltd Renewable Energy Traders Australia Renewables Industrial Plant & Service Pty Ltd Replenishable Energy Pty Ltd Rescue the Future Pty Ltd Riverina Solar Power Robert Bosch (Australia) Pty Ltd S Sanyo Oceania Pty Ltd Schott Australia Pty Ltd Schüco International KG SI Clean Energy Pty Ltd SMA Australia Pty Ltd Sola Connections Australia Solahart Solar Pty Ltd Solar Charge Pty Ltd Solar Choice Solar Depot Pty Ltd Solar Energy Australia Group P/L Solar Energy Options Solar Quotes Solar Save
Solar Wise Wagga Pty Ltd Solar360 Pty Ltd SolarHub Solaris Sustainable Homes Solarmatrix Sondase Pty Ltd South Western Technologies SR Energy Pty Ltd Starr Electrics / Solar Choices FNQ Strategy and Knowledge Sunburst Solar Pty Ltd Sunrain Solar Energy Co Ltd Sunready Pty Ltd Suntech R&D Australia Pty Ltd SunTrix Sustainability Victoria Sustainable Works Pty Ltd T-Z TCK Solar Pty Ltd The Modern Group Thomas + Naaz Pty Ltd Todae Solar Toward Sustainable Futures University of Queensland Ureco Solar Hot Water (WA) Pty Ltd Wise Earth Pty Ltd York Electrical Service
Win an iPad2! Great news - it is now even easier to join, re-new or manage your AuSES membership online. You can now choose your own password … gone are the days of using a cumbersome password such as ‘4ZypW3’. Members who log in and update their records before Saturday June 30 will go in the draw to win a brand new iPad2. All you have to do is update your contact details (if necessary) and add your credit card details. When your annual membership renewal comes up, your membership will be renewed automatically and a tax receipt will be emailed to you. Simple! * Note that our new system is fully secure and PCI-compliant to safeguard your details. *
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Running a Solar-related business? There's more for you! The front page of the AuSES website features the logos of all corporate members, and these logos also appear on the corporate members’ page. All corporate members are welcome to download the AuSES logo to display on their business website as a symbol of participation in Australia's biggest and most proactive solar industry group. Exclusive content – Shortly we will be introducing exclusive content for members, including webinars and on-line training. We will soon advise you of these services. With corporate membership starting at just $200, why wouldn't you upgrade?
What now? Logon to www.auses.org.au using your email address and you will see simple instructions for changing your contact details, credit card details and password. Future access will be fast and trouble-free. In the unlikely event you suffer hiccups just shoot an email to webmaster@auses.org.au and we will promptly respond.
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