A Tesla Solar Roof. Image: Tesla
I recently attended the 2022 All Energy Australia conference in Melbourne. There was a lot on display, including some Building Integrated PV (BIPV) I hadn’t seen before.
If Renewables Are So Cheap, Why Is South Australian Electricity So Expensive?
Recently I wrote about South Australia going from zero to 70% renewable energy generation in 16 years, resulting in:
- reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- improved air quality
- lower electricity prices than we’d have without those renewables
But – although our electricity prices would be much higher without renewable energy, electricity prices – overall – have still trended up over those 16 years. And that’s because many things affect electricity pricing. [Read more…]
South Australia Reaches 70% Renewables
SA’s electricity generation mix: Green = Renewables, Black = Fossil, Purple = Imports.
In 2007, less than 1% of South Australia’s electricity came from renewable sources. An army of trolls claimed it was impossible for intermittent renewables to power more than 20% of SA’s grid. [Read more…]
I’ve Calculated CO2 Emissions From Solar Farm Land Clearing: It’s Bugger All.
The best place for solar panels is on your roof. Despite this, over one-third of our solar electricity comes from large-scale solar farms. Their construction can involve land clearing that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
These emissions aren’t good, but they are trivial next to those from fossil fuel generation. [Read more…]
Another Solar Myth Busted: No, Solar Panels Do Not Warm The Planet
Recently, I’ve noticed a number of solar myths coming back to haunt the comments section of this blog. Here’s the latest one:
“Those black solar panels actually heat the planet by increasing the amount of energy the earth absorbs from the sun? Ha! You never thought of that did you!”
Prepare For Even More Electricity Price Hikes
It’s October and Australia’s wholesale electricity price crisis has entered its sixth month. Massive retail electricity price hikes in the eastern states are becoming more likely (from July 2023). These could exceed 10 cents per kilowatt-hour.
This post is a quick update on the current situation, followed by a short whinge. [Read more…]
Fronius Wattpilot: A Smart EV Charger With A Short Warranty
The Fronius Wattpilot finally launches in Australia
I have good news if you want to charge an electric vehicle with Austrian technology. Fronius Australia launched their Wattpilot EV charger last week. Last week we were told it would be available here “in a couple of weeks”. A surprisingly imprecise period of time, given they are Austrian. [Read more…]
Synergy’s Midday Saver Tariff: Home Batteries Can Pay in WA
If you live in Perth, or within a four-hour drive, I have some good news. Synergy has changed its residential time-of-use tariff to 8 cents per kilowatt-hour for grid electricity from 9am to 3pm. They’ve also changed its name to “Midday Saver”. [Read more…]
Wholesale Electricity Price Crises Continue — More Hefty Hikes Likely
Australia’s wholesale electricity price crisis is in its fifth month. This ongoing disaster began in April and really took off in May, June, and July. It continued through August, but the crisis wasn’t as crisisy as the previous three months. [Read more…]
Here’s Why EV Batteries Are Cheaper & More Reliable Than Home Batteries
EV Battery Packs Have It Easy Compared To Home Batteries
It has been two weeks since I laid down the heavy news that out of the 26 home batteries given a whirl by the Canberra Battery Test Centre, only two worked as they should without suffering a fault or excessive capacity deterioration. This sad news has caused some people to wonder if electric car battery packs will have similar poor performance. [Read more…]
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