Why Replace your Water Heaters with Solar

In Australia solar hot water systems are now becoming really popular and widely used in many households around the country. This is because auxiliary powered water heaters consume a great amount of electricity, and so are responsible for a large portion in your yearly energy costs as well as your total carbon emissions.

Solar hot water in Australia has become cheaper and cheaper alongside the falling prices of solar PV panels, thanks to greater demand,  continued research and development and improved manufacturing process  for better quality and efficiency rate of the systems, especially the new evacuated tube type.

The federal government of Australia is actively encouraging homeowners to replace their electric heaters with solar hot water systems because it has been shown to be one of the most cost effective solutions to reduce high electricity bills. Eligible systems can gain rebates of up to $1000 for pensioners and the low income sectors and $600 for everyone else.

Water heating accounts for about 30 percent of an average household's total greenhouse gas emissions and about the same proportion of total household energy use. Installing a solar water heater can greatly reduce your energy bills as it will use energy from the sun to heat water at zero cost.Using solar energy to heat water produces no harmful greenhouse gas emissions. A solar water heater can provide between 50 percent and 90 percent of your total hot water requirements, depending on the climate, the season and whether you choose a standard or evacuated tube system.

Like rooftop solar panels, hiring a qualified professional is also a must for solar hot water systems, not only because of the rebates but also to maximise the full potential of the system. In some states such as Qld, plumbers have to be specially licensed to do so.

Determine your hot water needs by making a checklist of the following:

How many bathrooms do you have in your home?
How many people live in your home?
How many children do you have?
How old are your children?
How many bedrooms do you have?
Do you wash your clothes with hot, cold or warm water?
Is your dishwasher connected to the hot water?
Do you have a spa bath?
Do you have gas and/or electricity connected to your home?
How many years do you think you will be in the home?

This simple guide questions will determine your hot water needs and the amount of financial benefit you can expect to receive from a solar hot water system.

Sunshine Coat’s Solar Potential

Aside from being one of Australia’s top getaway destinations the Sunshine Coast has a lot to offer from a solar power point of view as well; it was named the Sunshine Coast for a reason! The region enjoys many days of long hours of strong sunlight, and even in winter months temperatures and solar radiation are still at a reasonable level.

This amount of sun makes Sunshine Coast as a perfect candidate for becoming a largely solar powered city. All 311,900 hectares of the area is blessed with limitless solar power potential. Currently solar power on the Sunshine Coast is well accepted because of the tireless efforts of the local government conducting awareness campaigns, forums and public meetings regarding climate change and how each resident can make a difference. Just this month the city council is conducting a month long sessions in its libraries to teach people how solar PV systems work and the benefits they would receive from installing it.

Solar power’s success in the region does not entirely rest with its natural blessings; government funding and rebates have also played an essential role. Currently the coast is operating under the generous premium feed in tariff scheme together with federal and state government rebates which make a solar investment here one of the most financially rewarding in the nation.

Solar experts and analysts have said that the Sunshine Coast’s residents have embraced solar power more thoroughly compared to other cities primarily because of the supportive environment that the local government has striven to achieve. Many cities and local governments are presenting how they could save money and save the environment with solar panels but what Sunshine Coast is trying to achieve is something more than that.Feeling privileged to live in such a beautiful and unspoilt part of the world brings a strong incentive to protect that for future generations.

As proof to that just recently (June 5^th) the city held a large scale solar event to coincide with the World Environment Day celebrations. The event was packed with practical ideas and education and event goers brought home both the solutions and a social responsibility to reduce their carbon footprints.

With all the efforts of the local government, the private sector and the community combined with the Coast natural blessings it is possible to see a small rural region to rise up highly in the race to solar independence by the year 2020.

Solar Grid Parity Seen in Some Parts of Australia as Solar Panel Costs Reduce

 As the local and international price of solar panels plunges it is not surprising to hear talk about the country reaching grid parity faster than anticipated. From 2008 to 2010 solar module prices have decreased by 50% and before this year closes it is expected that they will decrease even further.

The continued reduction in cost is primarily because of the higher solar panel efficiency rating the best panels now have, reduced manufacturing costs due to increased demand, new technology and economies of scale.

Although nationally Australia may not reach grid parity until 2020, some parts of the country will achieve that much earlier, and indeed in some regions the price of solar produced electricity is already on par with that produced by coal.

Andrew Blakers, the director of the centre for sustainable energy systems at the Australian National University, announced recently that with prices being paid for solar PV there are areas in the state of New South Wales where it is even slightly cheaper to produce electricity from solar power sources rather coal.''If you look at the prices being paid today, we have already reached grid parity in a lot of places except Melbourne and Hobart.''

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal said that thousands of households and small business are still lined up for the $1.9 billion of solar bonuses,and once completed the renewable energy capacity of the country will spike significantly, adding to the current 371 megawatts of generated power installed to date under the scheme.

Australia has the capabilities to reach grid parity sooner than 2020 as more government support for research and development takes place in the form of the Emerging Renewable Energy Fund, Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and the $10 billion Finance Corporation; all funded by the planned carbon tax package that the government will soon implement.

Getting close to grid parity as soon as possible is critical for the country to reach it’s challenging renewable energy targets by 2020, hence why so much effort and funding is being put towards it becoming a reality.

Solar City Programs Educate about the Benefits of Solar Power

The “Solar City” Program was launched a few years ago by the federal government of Australia to educate people about solar power and its benefits for the community, the environment and for their cost of living. The ongoing program also aims to test the viability of different energy efficiency set ups and solar PV technology under variable conditions.

The collected data from the last 3 years will be soon used to introduce community based energy efficient measures, and will also help design a structured plan how the government should allot resources throughout the transition to a low carbon economy.

Currently there are 7 solar cities in the country which were established from 2007 to 2010;Adelaide, Alice Springs, Blacktown, Central Victoria, Moreland, Perth and Townsville. As of today, the solar city program has increased the uptake and usage of solar power across the 7 cities and has demonstrated the effectiveness of encouraging energy efficiency at a community level.

In June 2011 a report showed that under the solar city program more than 10,000 home energy assessments have been conducted, and over 5300 KW of solar PV has been installed, including more than 20,000 smart meters.

Adelaide Solar City

Adelaide is blessed with enormous amounts of sunshine each year making solar power a perfect solution for its peak electricity supply problems and high average domestic electricity bills. Under the solar city program massive campaigns for adopting green power will be undertaken, to compliment the significant number of Solar PV systems already installed in Adelaide.

The use of smart meters, passive heating and cooling means, energy audits and solar hot water systems will also be a focus of the program. Major solar projects will also be involved, for e.g. the 50 KW solar PV system installed in Adelaide’s Central Bus to power the very first electric powered bus “Tindo”.

Alice Springs Solar City

The Alice Spring Solar city project will be centered in a trial feed in tariff scheme to encourage the use of solar PV systems. Special incentives will also be provided for residents who have significantly reduced their energy consumption.

Already the city has proved to be one of the country’s green energy hubs with almost 50% of its residents using solar hot water systems.

Major solar projects include 305 kW solar PV system in Crowne Plaza which is capable of generating 530 megawatt hours of electricity each year, providing about half of the hotels energy needs.

Blacktown Solar City

Launched in July 2007 the project has been supporting a solar PV financial assistance program and energy efficient packs for households and local businesses.

A new trial double pack solar power system will soon be launched in the city to produce both heat energy and electricity under one system to save roof space and money.

Central Victoria Solar City

Under the program two major solar parks will be built in the city, each using a concentrated solar PV tracking system with a combined output of 600 KW per hour. Assistance for solar PV installations in residential buildings, use of smart meters, solar hot water systems and energy audits will also be a focus of the program.

Moreland Solar City

The Moreland project is a massive awareness campaign to drive energy efficiency among its residence. The project will also be formulating a community based approach to adopt groundbreaking discoveries in the renewable energy field. The consortium of Moreland will also be looking for ways to adopt sustainable home designs and practical methods to assess and install effective energy efficiency measures.

A sub program will also be included to provide energy efficient opportunities and develop strategic and cost effective means suited for to the city’s low income sector.

Perth Solar City

Under the Perth Solar City program, 5 major solar PV projects (all capable of generating 60 KW per hour) and twelve demonstration projects will be built to show to the public how solar power can benefit the city and its residents.

A sub focus will also include an assistance program for solar PV installation, energy audits and smart meter usage.

Townsville Solar City

Under the program a 1 MW solar PV system will be granted to selected businesses and households and provide assistance in energy efficient measures for the rest of the city. The Townsville Solar City won the Queensland Regional Award from the 2011 International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Australasia for its excellence in community engagement and support mechanisms.

Storing Solar Energy a Major Issue

Australia’s quest for sustainability and dependence on non-carbon intensive energy sources does not only require the obvious developing of renewable energy technology for producing power through means such as solar and wind.

The 2^nd and equally important part of the puzzle is being able to effectively store the power produced by these renewable energy sources at the time of their peak production so it is then available for use 24hours a day as required.

This is the reason that there is so much focus on Feed in Tariff schemes that enable households with solar panels to feed any excess electricity they produce during the day back into the main power grid as credits for the evening when they can they draw upon it again.

Some people, especially in rural areas, prefer to be completely independent from any existing electricity grid provider though, and so choose an “off grid” solar panel system option to enable self-sufficiency. And in this case the issue of storage of their power produced becomes crucial.

Currently the most popular battery pack available in the market are the deep cycle batteries, which typical look like a car battery but have the ability to discharge in greater depths (50% to 80%) and can do so over and over again.This type of battery can also be cycled down to 20%, however to maintain a longer lifespan it is best to keep it at around 50% discharge.

Although the performance of a deep cycle battery is promising it lags behind due to the economic aspects. The batteries are generally expensive and may require regular maintenance to function at their full potential.

This is exactly why energy storage has become a major issue in Australia and with other renewable energy loving nations.

Solar PV technology is evolving and achieving greater efficiency ratings at a fast rate, and energy storage also needs to evolve apace, for ‘Off Grid” solar power to be a widely available viable option.

Worldwide there has been numerous of advances to Lithium-ion. This technology was popularized by cell phone manufacturers and it has proven to hold the key to our storage problems.

However the real issue in energy storage is the number of cycles the battery perform and the cost. One of Australia’s top researchers Maria Forsyth from Deakin University in Canberra together with a team of researchers from the Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship are now developing battery technologies that will enable us to collect and store clean energy efficiently and economically.

According to them if a battery will cost about $1000 then it should be capable of delivering 10,000 cycles to be acceptable.

Unfortunately a lot of work is still needed to be done to develop such technology. The team are now focusing on discovering cheaper materials to produce this types of battery, and in a few years’ time we will hopefully have much more effective energy storage capabilities; only then we can say that Australia has reached the point of true sustainability and carbon neutrality.