Solar panels image: schropferoval
Both the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and Clean Finance Corporation have announced initiatives for further supporting the adoption of small-scale solar power, battery storage and energy efficiency.
CEFC/Mirvac Joint Initiative On Energy Efficient Housing
In what’s been called an Australian clean energy first, a joint initiative between Australian property developer Mirvac and the CEFC will see a range of energy generation, storage and efficiency technologies integrated into the base build of houses in three new master planned residential communities.
Each of the 300+ three and four bedroom homes to be built in Sydney and Brisbane (subject to final development approval) will have 5.1kW rooftop solar energy systems, 10kWh battery systems, “high-grade” insulation, LED lighting and energy efficient appliances. The elements combined are expected to meet up to 90 per cent of a typical household’s energy consumption.
“Australians are world famous for our adoption of rooftop solar. When we use solar energy alongside battery storage and other clean energy technologies, we can significantly cut household reliance on grid energy, giving homeowners more control over their energy consumption and their carbon footprint,” said CEFC CEO Ian Learmonth.
The CEFC is contributing up to $90 million in debt finance towards the master planned communities project.
Apparently, the energy-related features will be included “at no additional cost” to the home buyers, which may be another way of saying “included in the cost”. As to the approximate price tag of these new houses or exactly where the communities will be located, that wasn’t mentioned in the CEFC release.
The CEFC is hoping projects like this will result in built-in sustainability measures such as solar + storage becoming the ‘new normal’ for new Australian homes.
ARENA Stumps Up Funds For DER Integration Projects
In related news, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency yesterday announced $12.5 million in funding for pilot projects and studies relating to the integration of distributed energy resources (DER) in Australia’s electricity system.
ARENA says DER incorporates behind-the-meter technologies such as rooftop solar power systems, home energy storage, inverters, controllable loads, electric vehicle charging points, smart appliances and related systems including smart meters and data services.
ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht stated it was clear consumer owned DER will play a big role in the nation’s future energy mix.
“Rather than just focusing on large-scale generation and storage, ARENA is looking at how we can integrate and orchestrate behind-the-meter assets such as rooftop solar and home batteries as these become more common.”
Mr. Frischknecht said it was ARENA’s aim that by 2022 entire regions of the electricity system could be operated securely and reliably with 100 per cent of demand met from behind-the-meter assets.
Of the funding, $7.5 million will go towards to pilot projects trialing new ways of increasing network hosting capacity and $5 million to studies and modelling delving into how to successfully integrate high levels of these resources.
Further information on the funding and how to apply can be viewed here.
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“Each of the 300+ three and four bedroom homes to be built in Sydney and Brisbane (subject to final development approval) will have 5.1kW rooftop solar energy systems, 10kWh battery systems, “high-grade” insulation, LED lighting and energy efficient appliances.”
If only the CEFC serviced also the West Coast (Western Australia), and, not just the two states of Australia with the highest population, in this, it would be more fair.
What exactly is the “debt finance” that the CEFC will be providing in thiis?
If the CEFC would provide interest-free finance, distributed amongst the states/territories, so, for example, instead of the “initioative being limted to a private deal with a private builder, limited to two states, the CEFC would provide up to 100 million dollars in interest-free finance, to provide for households to install PV systems up to 6.5kW panel capacity with up to the capacity of a Powerwall 2 in battery storage, the finance available, being distributed amongst the states/territories, proportional to the population of each (as the GST should have been being distributed, since it was imposed), with the repayments ffrom the interest-free finance so provided, being recycled to provide more such interest-free fince, to more households, then, the CEFC would be more appropriately douind what it should be doing.