SEA Electric predicts all Australian delivery vans will be electric in 5-10 years

Source: RenewEconomy

SEA Electric based in Dandenong, (Melbourne) Victoria, can adapt the chassis of most small-medium commercial delivery trucks and vans to electric drive. They use an electric power system called SEA-Drive[R] which can be tailor-made to a fleet of commercial trucks or vans. They remove the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) engine and gearbox and associated hardware and replace that with battery powered motor and other components.

SEA Electric has contracts to convert fleets in Australian and overseas with the likes of Ford, Detroit, in the US and with other businesses in California, New Zealand, Thailand, South Africa, Israel, Vietnam and Austria.

The vehicles look the same as the ICE version but most companies label them as electric. The payback time for their investment is approximately 5 years. As with all electric vehicles, the cost per km in electric driving is about a third of that in petrol or diesel; there are far fewer moving parts in ICE vehicles so maintenance is minimal and with regenerative braking there is less stress on the brake pads so they last a lot longer than those in ICE vehicles.

In the podcast, listed below, the founder of SEA Electric predicts that the Australian van and medium truck delivery fleets could all be electric in 5-10 years.

Further information:
- SEA Electric: www.sea-electric.com
- The Driven Podcast: Why all delivery vans are going electric. October 23, 2019.
- First electric Ford F-59 van now in production by Australia’s SEA Electric. The Driven, September 10, 2019.
- SEA reveals its first all-electric cherry picker. The Driven, October 11, 2019.
- First electric waste trucks go into service in Victoria. The Driven, October 4, 2018.
- Melbourne council dumps fossil fuels with first electric tipper truck. The Driven, September 27, 2019.
- SEA Electric unveils new images of electric truck with 350km range. The Driven, August 29, 2019.
- Australia’s first fully electric rubbish trucks clean up in Casey. The Driven, May 24, 2019.
- Transition: “Massive” new EV factory announced for Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. The Driven, October 30, 2018.

Australia's greenhouse gas emissions are set to fall

One of ACT's solar farms - Majura Solar Farm (photo Julie May)

“For the past few years, Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions have headed in the wrong direction. The upward trajectory has come amid overwhelming evidence that the world must bring carbon dioxide emissions down. But the trend is set to change.”

“In a policy brief released today, we predict that Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions will peak during 2019-20 at the equivalent of about 540 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.”

“After a brief plateau, we expect they will decline by 3-4% over 2020-22, and perhaps much more in the following years - if backed by government policy.”

Currently Australia has a renewable energy percentage that is around 25%.

Read more: Some good news for a change: Australia's greenhouse gas emissions are set to fall. The Conversation, October 24, 2019.

100s of NSW and ACT pubs save on energy through a PPA on solar

Source: RenewEconomy

A large Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between over 300 pubs/hotels/breweries in NSW and the ACT and the energy giant Engie will enable the building of a large scale solar farm at Narrabri; reduce the participants’ carbon footprints and their energy costs.

The partnership is between Lion Breweries, the Australian Hotels Association, Tourism Accommodation Australia and Engie’s retailer subsidiary Simply Energy. These hotels, pubs and breweries will secure a supply of renewable energy at a much lower price than current wholesale electricity spot prices.

The deal will lock in wholesale electricity prices for the venues at $69/MW for 10 years, compared to the current prices which are around $85/MW. For example, for a typical hotel its energy prices will drop from 11.5c/kWh to 6.9c/kWh. This is 40% less which means a saving of $18,000 per year.

It is part of a wider trend which allows Australian corporations to reduce their energy costs by forming these PPAs and enabling the construction of new renewable energy sources.

Read more: XXXX! Hundreds of pubs slash energy costs through Lion deal on solar. Renew Economy, October 4, 2019.
Post Script: How to benefit from renewable energy power purchase agreements - an explainer. The Green List, August 22, 2019.

Canberra (ACT) reaches its 100% renewable electricity target

Wind farm near Lake George, NSW, part owned by ACT (photo: Julie May)

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government in Canberra reached its 100 percent renewable electricity target on October 1, 2019, when it started purchasing the electricity produced by the Hornsdale Stage 3 wind farm in South Australia.

Canberra has a range of renewable energy sources which it obtained through reverse auction processes. It includes wind farms in NSW, Victoria and South Australia as well as four solar farms within and near the Territory.

The ACT has become the first Australian state or territory – with the exception of hydro-rich Tasmania – to receive all its electricity from renewable sources. This means it has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by around 40 per cent and given a boost to its economy.

Being a leader in the transition to renewables and a university city, Canberra has attracted many renewable and software technology businesses such as the leading French renewable energy producer Neoen which has established a number of power plants in Australia including the Hornsdale wind farm with the Tesla big battery.

The ACT government now has a goal of reaching zero net emissions by 2045. So it is turning its attention to other emission sources: it plans to go electric on transport and on buildings, which means a proposal to shift homes and businesses away from gas towards electricity. With more electricity required, and to service a growing population, the ACT is about to tender for another 250MW of wind and solar, including battery storage.

Read more: Canberra’s green machines: ACT reaches 100% renewable electricity target. RenewEconomy, October 1, 2019.

West Australian utility pulls down power lines and installs cleaner micro-grids

Likely uptake of Distribution Network Service Provider Stand Alone Power Systems (Source AMEC via RenewEconomy)

“​Horizon Power is to become the first utility in Australia to remove parts of its overhead network and replace it with an off-grid renewable energy power solution.”

“The West Australia government announced on Thursday [October 3] that the state-owned Horizon, which serves the vast regional areas of the state, will now install 17 standalone power systems on fringe-of-grid properties east of Esperance, and cut down 64kms of network wiring that was prone to outages.”

…..”Other networks in W.A. and the eastern states are expected to follow suit, once a long awaited rule change is finalised by the Australian Energy Market Commission [AMEC] that will clear the regulatory hurdles that prevented networks from making what is an increasingly obvious decision on the basis of economics, reliability, and emissions.”

Continue reading at:
- Horizon first utility to pull down power lines and replace with renewable micro-grids. RenewEconomy October 3, 2019.
- See also in this blog: Off-grid trial gives West Australian farming community cheaper, more reliable power. October 9, 2017.