Making fuel at "home"

 

Hydrogen fuel station with its own electrolyser, Canberra, Australia

Wether it be solar panels, batteries, wind turbines, pumped hydro, geothermal power, biofuels or green hydrogen, this renewable energy can be in your own country and some in your own community or home. What this does is reduce the extraction and transport of oil and gas from a few energy rich countries and makes your home/community/country more energy secure and independent.

Renewable electricity supply can now be made at home, can come from microgrids in remote locations, can be portable to natural disaster locations, can be large scale and can be stored thus making a country, community or home independent of imported fuel. An electric vehicle can be powered from a standard power point and a variety of local or remote chargers.

Green hydrogen can be produced from electrolysers which use water (and soon seawater) and renewable electricity. This can be large scale or small scale. Hydrogen can be used in a number of industries from transport fuel, heating and cooking fuel to large industries such as aluminium and steel making. By making its own hydrogen, a country can reduce the importation of fossil fuels.

In the example above, the public hydrogen fuel station makes its own hydrogen on site with a small electrolyser, water and renewable electricity. Canberra sources all its electricity from renewable energy and here it makes its own hydrogen. This reduces the sometimes dangerous transport of petrol, diesel or gas to Canberra. 

Further Reading:  

• Microgrids could help communities weather the next disaster.
• Stand-alone solar and battery systems now seen as the "new normal" in regions.
• Solar, battery and hydrogen microgrid to power Daintree Rainforest
• Sweden could take global lead in green steel production - report
• Australia's Fortescue sets sights on becoming world's first supplier of green iron ore
• Frequently Asked Questions - American Hydrogen Association
• Renewable hydrogen could reduce emissions in alumina refining.
• Northern Territory to trial off-grid system making hydrogen from 'water from air'
• Novel catalyst produces green hydrogen from seawater via solar

House with solar, batteries and 'halo' watering system was saved from ravaging Australian bushfires.

 

The aftermath (Source: One Step off the Grid)

Last summer a house with a big solar system, batteries and smart watering system saved a house and its occupants from the horrific bushfires in the Kangaroo Valley, NSW, Australia. Not only did the system save the house but it provided off-grid power for some days after the network power went down due to fire damage.

The house has a 28kW ground-mounted solar system and a 50kWh energy storage system. The carefully designed 'halo' watering system around the house and solar panels saturated the whole area and was able to keep operating during the blaze. 

For details of the systems and more images, please see: How solar and batteries helped save a home, and its people, from a fire storm. One Step off the Grid, November 12, 2020.

AGL Energy is to tender for 1.2GW of new battery storage by 2024

 

AGL's Nyngan Solar Farm (source: RenewEconomy)

AGL Energy of Australia plans to diversify its energy portfolio into clean energy options after receiving lower profits from its coal generators. It already has some large solar and wind farms and plans to add 1.2GW of battery storage to some of these renewable energy farms by 2024. 

AGL’s chief operation officer, Markus Brokhof, said “Although energy prices are lower, we still see an opportunity to invest as the composition of the portfolio shifts away from coal towards the new firmed renewable energy generation the market will need.” “AGL is to optimise dispatchable generation, support investment in firmed renewables and continue to invest in the accelerating emergence of batteries and other energy storage technologies.” 

Read more: 

- AGL targets 1.2GW of new battery storage by 2024, plans tender. RenewEconomy, August 13, 2020. 

- NSW to fund four new big battery projects as it readies to flick switch from coal. RenewEconomy, August 15, 2020. 

- AGL says batteries starting to compete with gas generators for peaking services. RenewEconomy, August 17, 2020.

 

Victorian town in bushfire zone adds solar and battery for community sports centre

Hepburn Sports Centre with Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (One Step off the Grid)

The community sports centre of Hepburn, Victoria, has a solar and battery storage system which will reduce its electricity costs and emissions as well as supporting its role as a last resort community shelter in the case of a bushfire. Electricity power is one of the first supplies to be cut during severe bushfires. 

The Hepburn Recreation Reserve now has a 25kW solar system and a 13.5kWh Tesla Powerwall 2 battery. This system continues to operate when there is a grid outage. This large solar and battery combination will supply power day and night particularly in summer. Alone, the battery will provide power for a day and will be topped up quickly when it is sunny (a little slower if it is smokey or cloudy).

“The $31,818 cost of the solar and storage system was contributed to by the Hepburn Shire Council ($12,000), local community renewables outfit Hepburn Wind ($4,500), and the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance ($15,318) with $12,500 of that amount from a Bank Australia grant and $2,818 from the Hepburn Solar Bulk-Buy.” 

Read more: Solar and Tesla Powerwall offer Victorian town bushfire resilience. One Step off the Grid, July 24, 2020.

UK relaxes rules to allow more storage on the grid that makes way for “liquid air” storage

Highview Power cryogenic energy storage system

As the UK moves to net zero emissions by 2050 it is going to need much more battery storage to stabilise the grid as the number of solar and wind energy plants increase. So much so, the government is to relax the planning laws to make it easier to develop larger battery storage systems. The legislation will be introduced to remove barriers for storage projects above 50MW (megawatts) in England and 350MW in Wales. 

This will allow the UK company Highview Power (and others) to plan to build much larger electricity storage systems. Highview Power makes cryogenic storage plants that use [renewable] electricity to cool air to a liquid and store it in insulated tanks. The liquid air is then warmed by stored heat from the process to expand the gas 700 times to drive turbines which can add electricity back to the grid when required. 

The advantage of this system over chemical batteries is that it can be stored for days and can supply power for an extended period of time whereas chemical batteries can only supply power for a short period of time. Also, most of the materials and infrastructure needed are easy to obtain so the manufacture of this cryogenic battery is simple and possibly more sustainable (i.e. does not need rare metals). 

Video of Highview Power Cryogenic Energy Storage System 

Read more: 

- UK hopes to ramp up battery storage and boost renewables by loosening planning rules. CNBC, July 15 2020.  

– Highview Power to build Europe’s largest battery storage system. The Chemical Engineer, November 29, 2019. 

– Highview Power to build UK’s first “liquid air” energy storage facility. RenewEconomy, October 24, 2019. 

– Highview Power: https://highviewpower.com/.

Big batteries may soon play a major role in Australia’s main grid

Ballarat's big battery (Source: RenewEconomy)

Stand-alone big batteries may soon be playing a critical role in eastern Australia’s massive electricity grid as recommended by the Australian Energy Regulator recently. The grid needs major upgrades as it transitions to a clean energy future.

The big batteries have been in Australia for less than three years with the big Hornsdale Tesla battery starting the trend and showing us that these batteries have many more features than just energy storage. This battery was followed by four others on the main grid at Lake Bonney, Dalrymple North, Gannawarra and Ballarat. 

These batteries have shown that they: allow the output of wind and solar to be “stored” and “firmed”; provide much needed competition in the frequency and ancillary services market; play a key role in grid security; reduce costs and improve reliability for off-grid iron ore mines; reduce overall grid costs; respond within milliseconds to power failures or peak demand; and cause power engineers to admit there is a smarter future than relying on ageing and slow responding coal generators (RenewEconomy).

Big batteries are therefore seen as ‘virtual transmission’ lines that can absorb excess solar and wind power at times of oversupply and instantly inject power at times of demand. This therefore reduces the need for extra poles and wires. Now they are ready for the next stage – playing a critical link in providing much-needed increased capacity between the various state grids. 

This is now the view of the Australian Energy Regulator, which has encouraged transmission companies to look into battery storage technologies as an option for the numerous grid upgrades that have been recommended by the Australian Energy Market Operator to ease the transition to a renewables-dominated grid. 

Read more: 

- “Big batteries get ready to play main role in next stage of clean energy transition.” RenewEconomy, April 1, 2020. 

- “Battery storage nearly there as smarter, cheaper choice for grid upgrades.” RenewEconomy, October 1, 2019.

Australian billionaire funds off-grid solar/battery systems to bushfire affected areas still without power

Source: RenewEconomy

Australian billionaire, Mike Cannon-Brookes, has teamed up with Tesla and 5B, an Australian solar company, to donate stand-alone solar and battery systems that can provide power to remote communities affected by bushfires and storms. Some remote communities are still without power such as Cobargo in NSW and Goongerah, East Gippsland, Victoria. These two communities have already received a solar battery system each from Cannon-Brookes’ Resilient Energy Collective.

At Cobargo the solar and Tesla battery system provides power to the all-important communications systems of a police radio tower and a RFS (Rural Fire Service), National Parks and Eurobodalla Shire radio tower. The other system installed powers the Goongerah Community Hall, which provides relief services, a local internet connection, refrigeration and community meetings.

The stand-alone systems are easy to transport and quick to install. This includes the 5B solar panels that are readily and rapidly deployable - see image. The systems have a daily capacity ranging from 8kWh to 400kWh and can allow infrastructure, homes and businesses to operate off-grid, 24 hours a day. Cannon Brookes says the Collective has the capacity to roll out systems at another 100 sites “in the next 100 days if required”.

Such systems could provide resilience and independent renewable power for any remote community and reduce the need for the repeated trucking-in of diesel for generators.

Read more: Cannon-Brookes teams with Tesla, 5B to fund solar and batteries for fire victims. RenewEconomy, February 19, 2020.

Bloomberg National Energy Outlook sees 80% investment in clean energy to 2050.

Global power generation mix (Bloomberg NEO 2019)

The falling prices of renewable energy and batteries reshape the electricity system over the next 32 years. Solar grows the most, rising from 2% of the world’s generation to 22% in 2050. Batteries, peakers and dynamic demand help wind and solar energy reach more than 80% in some regions.

Bloomberg analysts see $13.3 trillion invested in new power generation up to 2050, of which 80% is zero carbon. They say "By 2050, coal-fired generation is down 51%, supplying just 12% of world electricity, from 27% today." Such that coal collapses everywhere except for Asia and that coal peaks globally in 2026.

Changes in some of the highest energy users are such that:
- In the U.S.coal and nuclear are pushed out due to the ageing of their plants. Utility-scale batteries for peaking purposes grow in significance from around 2035, supporting renewables penetration, which reaches 43% in 2050. In that year, emissions are 54% lower than today.
- In Europe, renewables make up 90% of the electricity mix by 2040, with wind and solar accounting for 80%.
- China continues to be the largest market for wind and solar and together they grow from 8% to 48% of total generation by 2050.
- India becomes the second-largest power system in the world by 2044, overtaking the U.S. It expands its zero carbon energy technologies to 67% by 2050.

Read more:
- Bloomberg New Energy Outlook 2019, June 2019.
- Solar, wind and batteries to deliver 50% of global power by 2050. RenewEconomy, June 19 2019.

Extending the life of your electric car's battery

Photo: Julie May

In brief:
- Battery life is extended if it is charged slowly at home with Level 1 or 2 chargers (either overnight or with solar panels) and keep super fast charging use to long trips.
- The battery lasts longer if it is kept between 20-80% charged, this is sufficient for most daily local commutes. The 100% charge can be used for long journeys.
- It is best to buy an EV that has an active thermal management system for the battery, i.e. a battery well insulated with both a heating and cooling system for cold and hot weather, respectively. The passive battery thermal management systems are cheaper but not recommended.

See full details at: Steps you can take to extend the life of your electric car’s battery. Drive Zero, April 5, 2018.

Farming co-op to trial a solar and battery storage microgrid

Source: One Step off the Grid

"A Victorian solar and storage microgrid project geared at helping Australian farmers to tackle energy-related “pain points” including rising power prices and unreliable supply, has won state government backing. The agriculture co-op Birchip Cropping Group will receive $210,000 to develop the project at its local facility in the Mallee region."

"The microgrid, including 51kW of solar and 137kWh of battery storage capacity, will be developed by energy technology company SwitchDin and commercial microgrid developer Walnut Energy."

"According to a statement from SwitchDin, the Birchip project aims to demonstrate the value of energy resilience and self-sufficiency for rural industries. This will include testing the “islanding” capabilities of the microgrid – in which it cuts itself off from the grid to keep power on in the event of a network outage."

Read more: Farmers to tap solar and battery storage, in latest Victoria microgrid trial. One Step off the Grid, October 3, 2018.

Energy storage set to boom in next 2+ decades (Bloomberg)

"The tumbling cost of batteries is set to drive a boom in the installation of energy storage systems around the world in the years from now to 2040, according to the latest annual forecast from research company BloombergNEF (BNEF).

The global energy storage market will grow to a cumulative 942GW/2, 857GWh by 2040, attracting $1.2 trillion in investment over the next 22 years. [It includes deployment of behind-the-meter and grid-scale batteries.] Cheap batteries mean that wind and solar will increasingly be able to run when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining.

BNEF’s latest Long-Term Energy Storage Outlook sees the capital cost of a utility-scale lithium-ion battery storage system sliding another 52% between 2018 and 2030, on top of the steep declines seen earlier this decade. This will transform the economic case for batteries in both the vehicle and the electricity sector….”

Continue reading: Energy Storage is a $1.2 Trillion Investment Opportunity to 2040. Bloomberg NEF, November 6, 2018.

State and territory governments lead the way on renewables and climate policy

Source: Climate Council

Federal climate and energy policy has made so many false starts this year that it’s out of the renewables race altogether. Instead, it’s Australia’s states and territories who are leading the way.

In brief:

• So far, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and South Australia (SA) are equal winners in 2018’s race, across a range of renewable energy measures – based on each state’s proportion of renewable energy, wind and solar capacity per capita, proportion of households with solar, and renewable energy targets and policies.
• Not counting Western Australia, all states and territories have now committed to renewable energy and/or net zero emissions targets.
• In Queensland, the aptly named ‘sunshine state’, 33% of all households have rooftop solar, closely followed by SA, at 32%.
• SA continues to have the largest amount of installed wind and solar capacity (1,831MW), closely followed by New South Wales (1,759MW) and Victoria (1,634MW). On a per capita basis, SA, the ACT and Tasmania are the leaders.
• By end 2017 Tasmania, with its ample supply of hydro, had the highest percentage of renewable energy with 87.4% (when it gets adequate rain), followed by the ACT with 46.2% and SA with 43.4%.
• The ACT is on track for 100% renewable electricity by 2020. SA is also on track for 73% renewable energy in two years.

Read more:
- States and territories lead way on renewables, climate. Renew Economy, October 16, 2018.
- Powering progress: states renewable energy race. Climate Council, 2018.

Country Victorian agribusiness turns to wind and storage for 100% renewable power

Source: RenewEconomy

Agribusiness company Nectar Farms last year announced a $565 million expansion of its new hydroponics business near Stawell in Victoria’s west, that will include a 196 MW wind farm and 20 MW of battery storage to make it 100 per cent renewable-powered.

In what is a unique project in Australia, Nectar Farms will expand its 10 hectare state-of-the-art hydroponic glasshouse and plant technology to 40 hectares to supply vegetables to local and international markets. The project is starting to provide much needed jobs in what was a country town with high unemployment.

Read more:
- Victoria agribusiness turns to 196MW wind farm with 20MW storage. RenewEconomy, June 27, 2017.
- Nectar Farms on 100% renewables: “Why would you do it any other way?” One Step off the Grid, June 28, 2017.
- Nectar Farms and Sundrop Farms are blazing a trail. RenewEconomy, March 21, 2018.
- Nectar Farms: http://www.nectarfarms.com.au/why-glasshouse-farming

One way to reduce coal & gas power could be for homeowners to join a virtual power plant

Battery management system, Reposit Power"s phone app. (One Step off the Grid)

The Australian Capital Territory already has a virtual power plant made up off consenting homeowners to share the stored solar power from their home batteries at times of peak electricity demand. This helps level out the peaks and troughs in supply and they get paid a premium rate for this shared power of A$1/kWh.

In a different way, Energy Queensland is also managing distributed renewable energy to form a virtual power plant.

Now the South Australian and the Victorian governments are providing financial support for home battery storage and virtual power plants.

The South Australia Liberal government is getting ready to finally roll out its Home Battery Scheme after confirming $180 million has been allocated for the promised installation of small-scale battery storage in 40,000 homes, as well as large-scale batteries and demand management schemes, including virtual power plants. Individual grants to up to $6,000 will be granted to help with the purchase of the batteries.

Origin Energy has revealed plans to establish what it says will be Victoria’s largest virtual power plant – a $20 million cloud-based platform that will tap around 5MW of the battery-stored solar power of up to 650 customers during periods of peak power demand.

In addition, as a result of increased interest in batteries, the German battery storage giant Sonnen has announced plans to manufacture up to 10,000 battery storage units a year at the old Holden car manufacturing site in Adelaide, confirming that there is a future for manufacturing in a state with high renewables.

Postscripts:
- Canberra Virtual Power Plant awarded top engineering honours. Reposit Power, September 19 2018.
- Ausgrid seeks to expand virtual power plant to cut back on network costs. RenewEconomy, May 22 2019.

Solar sharing within an apartment estate via Peer to Peer (P2P) trading

Source: One Step off the Grid.

The Australian-made solar energy sharing platform first rolled out at the White Gum Valley housing project in Fremantle, Western Australia, has been extended to a new apartment complex at a residential estate.

Power Ledger is the Perth-based company behind the peer-to-peer (P2P) trading platform and will work with Yolk Property Group to apply the blockchain technology for solar energy trading between residents across Yolk’s Evermore apartment development. The company’s platform seeks to allow rooftop solar energy producers and consumers to trade their electricity directly, saving money, hassle and maximising the use of rooftop solar.

The technology works, like bitcoin, to identify the ownership of energy as it is generated and then to manage multiple trading agreements between consumers who buy excess solar direct from the original owner/producer, without the addition of market costs and commercial margins.

The application of the technology at Evermore, a complex of 24 “highly sustainable” apartments, fitted not only with solar but with battery storage, is a new frontier – although with the same goal, of providing “a transactive layer” for residents to trade the solar energy between each other.

Read more: Power Ledger extends P2P solar sharing to WA apartment complex. One Step off the Grid, July 27, 2018.

See also in this blog: Solar power for ‘all’ with Peer to Peer (P2P) trading. September 28, 2017.

WA gold mine turns to a solar/battery/gas hybrid system

Granny Smith mine (Source: One Step off the Grid)

The remote Granny Smith gold mine in Western Australia is turning to a 7.3 MW solar system and a 2MW/1MWh battery storage installation, as it seeks to reduce its dependence on expensive gas power after its old diesel power station was shut down.

A new natural gas facility has replaced the diesel power station but the energy costs are high. The solar system and battery storage will form a hybrid system with the gas plant. This will both reduce energy costs and further reduce the mine’s carbon footprint.

References:
Granny Smith gold mine turns to solar, battery hybrid system. One Step off the Grid, June 27, 2018.
Aggreko targets renewable energy and battery storage at Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine. Aggreko, June 4, 2018.

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

"Low income homes to be offered 'no-cost' solar and batteries"

Source: One Step off the Grid

“A new solar and storage scheme aims to tackle the problem of “power poverty” in Australia head on, by offering low income households around Australia the option to install both solar and battery storage for no upfront cost.

The scheme, unveiled by “solar marketplace” ShineHub on Wednesday morning, will initially be open to 1000 households across all states except the Northern Territory and Tasmania.

Households that sign up – people can register their interest via the ShineHub website – will be given the opportunity to install between 3-10kW of rooftop solar PV and 5.7-22.8kWh of battery storage, depending on their consumption profiles and energy needs.”

Read on at: Low income homes to be offered “no-cost” solar and batteries. One Step off the Grid, April 18, 2018.

"Lendlease fund sets 2025 net zero carbon target."

Melbourne Quarter buildings project (Source TheFifthEstate)

“Lendlease’s Australian Prime Property Fund Commercial (APPFC) will become net zero carbon by 2025, one of the tightest targets set in the property sector. The goal is being supported by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), which has tipped $100 million in equity into the $4.5 billion commercial property fund.”

“The investment would help Lendlease meet the new industry benchmark for carbon targets while specifically helping the Melbourne Quarter development pursue a precinct-wide energy solution, including the integration of energy efficiency, renewables, storage and virtual network technologies across multiple buildings.”

There will also be a tenant engagement component. There is a trend towards smart data, tenant engagement and whole-of-building approaches, and part of the deal struck with CEFC was that learnings would be shared with the wider industry. CEFC finance is helping developers forge new standards in sustainability and building design across the built environment.

“The Lendlease-masterplanned Melbourne Quarter is targeting 6 Star Green Star ratings for all commercial buildings and will host one of the city’s largest solar installations. The first stage is set to be completed this year, and when all stages are completed will accommodate 13,000 workers and 3000 residents.”

Read more:
Lendlease fund sets 2025 net zero carbon target. TheFifthEstate, March 29, 2018.
Melbourne Quarter precinct the centrepiece of new CEFC and Lendlease sustainability plans. Clean Energy Finance Corporation, March 29, 2018.

"How I learned to slash my power bill, with solar and storage"

Reposit phone app data (One Step off the Grid)

In the article linked below, Roger Rooney outlines his first year with solar panels, battery storage and Reposit battery management system at home in Canberra and how this has given a massive 81% savings on his power bill. His system is part of Canberra’s Virtual Power Plant (as is my system) and thus we earn Grid Credits of $1/kWh when power is taken from our batteries during peak demand times. This means, at times, we are sharing our stored power with others to help avoid blackouts.

His savings are substantial, as are mine and he states: “After 12 months, I am happy to report that my 25 panel solar array and medium sized battery set-up (together some better demand management) has meant my wife and I have cut our electricity bill down from $2,100 per annum to just under $32 average per month (~$384 per annum).”

Read his full story at: How I learned to slash my power bill, with solar and storage. By Roger Rooney, One Step off the Grid, March 14, 20018.
See also: My House and Graphs of my home energy use and costs updated in this blog. Julie May