Almost half of Australian businesses are going to renewables

Almost half of Australia’s large businesses are actively transitioning to cheaper renewable energy, including many going off the grid by building their own generators and battery storage, as power bills threaten their bottom line.

The main motivation is increasing energy prices. The average household and small-business energy bill is more than 80% higher than a decade ago. Gas prices have increased threefold in five years.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/15/almsost-half-of-australian-big-business-moving-to-renewables

Electric car-sharing in Copenhagen

DriveNow with BMW i3 (photo Julie May) 

GreenMobility with Renault Zoe (photo Julie May)

With the import tax on cars being from 100-180% in Denmark, car ownership is low and bicycle use is high. However, if a car is required for a short time, then registered clients can look up the location of one of these car-share companies from an app and drive off.

Having electric cars for sharing will help Denmark reach its goal of being carbon neutral by 2025. It is said that each share car will replace 15 privately owned cars on the road (The Economist).

See their websites at:
https://www.drive-now.com/dk/en/copenhagen/
https://greenmobility.com/dk/en/
See also:
London to have 300 EVs for car-sharing.
Copenhagen's bicycle culture

"France embraces incentive to trade dirty motors for EVs."

EVs charging in London (photo Julie May)

“An electric car conversion scheme run by the French government to encourage owners replace their old petrol and diesel cars with new electric vehicles has had an unexpected uptake. Established at the start of 2017, the intention of the scheme is to help France achieve its Paris climate agreement emissions reduction target.

By scrapping old polluting vehicles, owners of old vehicles receive a bonus under the scheme of up to 2,500 euros to go towards the purchase of a new electric vehicle. The amount received by applicants differs according to taxation status, with taxable households being able to receive a bonus for converting from diesel vehicles registered before 2001, or petrol vehicles registered before 1997. 'Non-taxable' households may convert diesels vehicles registered before 2006, or petrol vehicles registered before 1997.

While the French government allocated funding for 100,000 such applications each year, already 45,000 people have applied for the bonus since January 1, according to local French media group RTL. To qualify for the conversion bonus, the car must have been owned by the applicant for at least 12 months, be registered in France and not be considered a ‘damaged vehicle’. The old car must be scrapped within 6 months of the new vehicle purchase….”

Read more at: France embraces incentive to trade in dirty motors for EVs. RenewEconomy, May 19, 2018.

"Australia's biggest solar farm switches on in Port Augusta"

Artist's impression of the Bungala solar farm (RenewEconomy)

“Australia’s biggest solar farm – the 220MW (AC) Bungala solar project near Port Augusta in South Australia – has begun production marking the important first stage of the transformation of a former coal city into a major renewable energy hub.

The first output from Bungala – which could end up being a 300MW project if all three stages are built – was injected into the local grid last week, as final commissioning of the 110MW first stage continues.

Bungala, located 12kms from Port Augusta, is one of a number of major renewable projects being built, or about to start construction, near the city which once hosted the state’s two brown coal generators.

Near Bungala, the 212MW Lincoln Gap wind farm, along with at least 10MW of battery storage, is under construction, and the 150MW Aurora solar tower, with 8 hours of molten salt storage, should start construction later this year about 30kms north of the town.......”

Read more at: Australia's biggest solar farm switches on in Port Augusta. Renew Economy, May 15, 2018.

Subsidy-free wind farms return money to Canberran consumers in 2017

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government received dividends from its first two wind farms built towards its goal of matching 100 percent of its electricity needs with renewable energy by 2020.

The Ararat wind farm actually delivered a dividend to ACT energy consumers of nearly $90,000 from its opening early in 2017 to the end of December. The smaller, but lower cost, 19.8MW Coonooer Bridge wind farm delivered an even bigger dividend of $480,000 over the calendar year. It should be noted, not all the ACT renewable energy contracts will deliver dividends. Some of the early solar farms were constructed when prices were higher.

When holding auctions for renewable energy capacity, The ACT government delivered guaranteed prices for the wind farm developers. That meant that if wholesale electricity prices at the time of generation were lower than agreed, then the ACT would make up the difference. But because this was a specially structured “contract for difference” it meant that if the prices were higher than agreed - as they were for most of 2017 - then the excess is returned by the wind farm owners, and given back to the ACT and to energy consumers.

“Not only does this mean the ACT has some of the cheapest electricity in Australia, it means our previous renewable energy contracts are helping insulate the Territory from future wholesale market price spikes.” said Shane Rattenbury, ACT Government Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability.

More details at: The subsidy-free wind farms that returned money to ACT consumers in 2017. RenewEconomy, May 4, 2018.

Australian dairy farmers could share energy via a blockchain microgrid

Source: Netherlands Stock Image

Latrobe Valley dairy farmers could be buying and selling locally generated renewable energy using blockchain, with a feasibility study into a ‘virtual microgrid’ being funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The project will be led by Brooklyn-based energy company LO3 Energy and focuses on the feasibility of creating a ‘virtual microgrid’ across up to 200 dairy farms, over 100 household consumers and around 20 other commercial and industrial customers in the Gippsland region of Victoria. A ‘virtual microgrid’ is a local marketplace of connected energy users who can buy and sell electricity within a localised area.

The virtual microgrid will incorporate solar PV, battery storage, smart appliances and enabling technologies combined with the LO3’s Exergy peer-to-peer energy trading platform which uses blockchain technology to allow participants to securely buy and sell locally produced renewable energy.

Further reading: Latrobe Valley virtual microgrid could allow dairy farmers to trade energy via blockchain. Australian Renewable Energy Agency, April 27, 2018.

Australia’s first lithium battery recycling plant launched together with e-waste processing plan

Officials at the opening (Source: RenewEconomy)

Australia’s first lithium battery recycling plant has been officially opened in Victoria, in conjunction with the launch of a state government e-waste processing plan. The plant, established in New Gisborne by Victorian company Envirostream Australia, is the first in the nation to recycle lithium batteries. Only 3 percent of Australian batteries are currently recovered - the lowest rate in the OECD.

The e-waste processing plan, which is being rolled out by Sustainability Victoria, comes ahead of the impending state ban on sending e-waste to landfill, which takes effect on 1 July 2019.

Victorian councils and state government entities will upgrade infrastructure to collect e-waste at more than 130 sites. This will ensure that 98 percent of Melbournians are within a 20-minute drive of an e-waste disposal point, and 98 percent of regional Victorians are within a 30-minute drive of one.

There will be an awareness campaign to educate Victorians on recognising e-waste, how it should be managed, and the environmental and economic benefits of reusing, donating, repairing or recycling it.

Electronic waste - or e-waste - is defined as anything with a plug or battery that has come to the end of its useful life; including old mobile phones, computers, audio devices, refrigerators and other white goods, hair dryers, TVs, heaters and air-conditioners.

Further reading:
Australia’s first lithium battery recycling plant launched. RenewEconomy, April 27, 2018.
Australia’s first lithium battery recycling plant opens. Sustainability Victoria, April 26, 2018.