SolarGen has received the current uptake of rebate preapprovals, installation reports and payments of rebate. As you can see for the week ending 20th Feb there were 1067 rebate applications received by the Department of the Environment. In that same week there were 511 grid connect solar installations. Whilst the uptake of grid solar has been tremendous over the last 18 Months, Australia still has a long way to go before we come close to our renewable energy targets. Customers thinking of going grid solar need to remember that after July 1 2009, the rebate for a 1kW system will go from $8,000 down to $5,000 and the RECS which are currently worth $800 will not apply to 1kW systems. Thats why now is really the best time to purchase a grid connect solar system for your home.

By Jim Nelson • February 28th, 2008
There is no doubt about it. The growth of renewable energies over the past decade is something rarely seen.

Take wind energy for instance...

The wind energy industry added 20 gigawatts of capacity last year. That's 31% more than the year before and 176% more than just five years ago. Europe already proved that this growth is steady, and both China and the U.S are finally jumping on board. Not even the NIMBY's can stop it.

(NIMBY - meaning "Not in My Backyard" - refers to those who reject projects around them even if it benefits them. NIMBY-ism is the main reason why certain proposals for wind farms are rejected.)

Solar power has also presented amazing opportunities. The sale of solar cells increased upwards of 40% last year alone. It's even made investors big money in the stock market. One of the biggest winners last year on the NASDAQ was a solar company named First Solar, Inc (NYSE: FSLR) If you would have sank just $1,000 into this company at the beginning of 2007, you would've walked away with $8,854.

There is only a certain amount of time during the day when windmills can produce energy - their "capacity factor." The average capacity factor for wind power is about 30%. The rest of the time, these windmills sit like giant statues waiting for the next gust of wind. During that period - the "energy time gap" - no new electricity is going onto the power grids.

The same goes for grid connect solar power...

The sun doesn't shine 100% of the time. Even in the vast deserts of Southwest U.S., in the peak of summer, the sun is only up about 14 hours a day. When it is up, there are problems with cloud coverage. The average capacity factor for solar power is around 25%.

Until now, batteries were the only choice. Batteries offer great energy storage, but take too long to charge. It takes anywhere from one to ten hours to charge batteries. Unfortunately, with a capacity factor for renewables under 30%, we don't have that kind of time to wait for batteries to charge.

There is one solution for the energy problems of tomorrow By using a special type of device called a supercapacitor, we have the solution to the fatal "energy time gap."

Batteries are chemical devices that use mass transfers over a certain period of time. Supercapacitors store ions, which can be stored and released very quickly. It's like instant energy.

But, that's not to say that it has to be one or the other. In fact, the two work very well together. Supercapacitors bring fast storage and release of instant power - which is crucial - and batteries use this to advance their storage and long-lasting energy release capabilities.

Changing batteries every few years at wind farms and solar plants, let alone hundreds of other battery-powered locations, becomes quite expensive and time-consuming. These supercapacitors last between 1,000 and 10,000 times as long. In fact, there is a company already manufacturing and selling these products for use in windmills.

But, supercapacitors' advantages don't stop here...

When a car brakes, or a crane drops, energy is released. And until now, that energy isn't recaptured. It's wasted. Supercapacitors can actually capture that energy and use it again for other purposes. Using the crane example for a minute...

When a crane drops its massive arms to pick something up or unload something, there is a large amount of natural energy (gravity) released. Batteries cannot charge in the time that the crane is dropping, but supercapacitors can. That energy is then stored in the supercapacitor. When the crane needs raised up again, that stored energy is used. Hundreds of different industries can apply this principle to their own energy needs.

Take transportation for instance...

Supercapacitors can collect energy as a vehicle brakes, then release it when the vehicle accelerates, giving a nice boost of energy without any emissions. Every single time someone pulls up to a stop sign or red light the vehicle wastes energy. That energy can save massive amounts of gasoline every second of the day, all over the world. And, both countries and manufacturers are starting to pay attention...

China has an enormous pollution problem. With the 2008 Beijing Olympics coming up, the country is desperately trying to turn its public transportation "green."

Chinese hybrid bus makers recently signed two contracts for the use of supercapacitor technology. With the rush to have it done by the opening ceremony in August, we should see a rush to buy up as many of these as possible between now and then.

The U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium has already arranged deals for use of its patented supercapacitors, in combination with Lithium-Ion batteries, in next-generation Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the United States.

In fact, news has already started to show up in this field. In January this year, it was announced that one of the leading automotive electronics suppliers has designed a was to use its supercapacitors in a major automaker's electrical system, and it will go into full-scale production in the second half of next year.

The role of supercapacitors in the transportation industry is limitless, let alone renewable energies and industrial applications. It's certainly something to keep on eye out for.

Peter Friis is a Queensland resident living in Buderim. Peter decided to purchase the grid connected solar system as his contribution towards a more sustainable future ..."I strongly approve of charging carbon costs for dirty fuel such as Coal, yet I am aware that, until we have sufficient clean electrical power, the cost of peak electricity will be beyond the affordable cost to be met by the lower income people; However we MUST allow the Market to make the use of coal unfordable and in my small way I must be prepared to do what I can".

Peter is of the belief that the impact climate change will have upon Australia will be significant..."I do not even trust the Rudd Government to do enough by 2020 to balance the increase of Global Warming, and by then we will have little chance to avoid the release of gases from the frozen tundras, the loss of of the Great Barrier Reef, with its protection of our coastal regions, the declining ability of corrals and crustaceans to form their calcium skeletons, the rising and flooding of the seas and the millions of those seeking refuge from catastrophes. A20% reduction in the use of dirty fuels by 2010 would be possible in Australia, but we must also do more to help others reduce their dirty energy; if we can do all this, the impact will still be high but less so for some countries with such benefits as we have for clean energy supply".

Peter remains confident that climate change can be stopped, ..."it will take time and we will have to adjust by avoiding the wastage such as long distance transport by internal combustion engine and transport our goods by electric trains. We will find that Distance is one of the most expensive means of provision of resources of electricity, goods and of services, we must decentralize where energy is wasted, but also shrink the distances between housing, education, child minding, public transport and workplaces, making the need for private transport less essential. Eventually the world will become healthy again, but that may not be in our lifetime.

Peter also buys green power in addition to his grid connect solar panel system, "I buy Green-Power when and where I can and can afford it, it did influence me to buy the photo voltaic system, though without the Governments assistance I could, as a pensioner, not have afforded it, but being connected to the gird is part of my view that we have to help others who need more than we do".

Peter has the ability to use view his energy usage and history from his Fronius inverter however he has not yet been able to familiarize himself with the functionality of the system yet "the Fronius Grid Inverter, which seems to provide information on production use and everything, is explained in 70 pages of the 85 page booklet and I ave not yet received the billing of use and reduction of cost from the billing company; it seems that the “Fronius IG” booklet does give everything if I only knew how to use it".

Peter's home energy usage is quite low "I have no idea what the average use is in Kwh's, but the average billing charge per quarter has been just over $127".

On the issue of future grid solar system purchases, Peter feels that he will not be relocating nor purchasing any future system, "I have no intention of moving my accommodation; possibly I might go into a place of care, as my age is already almost 79, but that is something that I have presently no reason to concentrate on. All would depend on who wanted the house and did or did not value the presence of the photo voltaic system in the house and if not I could donate it to a charity; I am though still interested in increasing the number of cells by lots of 3 at a time, as I can afford it, but that would be at a cost of several thousand dollars and be a slow process of affordability".

We certainly are living through changing times. The world has finally accepted climate change and peak oil as serious issues that cannot be ignored any longer. Biodiesel is a plant based fuel which is an alternative to regular diesel. Whilst it is not a solution for the entire driving population, waste vegetable oil is capable of powering 10% of all road transport in Australia at a per litre production cost of only 30 cents. Many restaurants and other food outlets produce 40 litres of waste vegetable oil each week in drums that just get thrown in the dump master. It is certainly possible with some good communication skills, to make arrangements to collect these drums periodically for biodiesel production. One key element to remember is that whilst fuel has recently become cheaper, this is only a short term reality. Setting up a biodiesel plant at home is not only good for the environment, it will help you to protect yourself from rising fuel costs in the future.

Biodiesel is not hard to make, but it is very easy to make unnecessary mistakes and messes through improper training. Grown Fuel in conjunction with SolarGen are finalising the construction of a biodiesel training plant, just a short drive from Melbourne, which will provide comprehensive ‘all you need to know’ training in the successful implementation of biodiesel manufacturing.

The first training dates to be held are:

Saturday 7th February 2009
Saturday 21st February 2009

For all enquiries, please call SolarGen on 1300 676 527 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it