Background material
Contents
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Renewable Energy Think Tank .......................................................................................................................... 3
Think Tank #2 objectives .................................................................................................................................... 3
Outputs .............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Outcomes .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Renewable Think Tank #1 discussion ............................................................................................................... 4
Local facilities ...................................................................................................................................................... 7
Condong co-generation facility.......................................................................................................................... 7
Boral .................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Recent documents .............................................................................................................................................. 8
NSW North Coast Bioenergy Scoping Study 2013 ........................................................................................... 8
Findings from the 2012 Clean Energy Australia Report ................................................................................. 10
Regional State of the Environment report ....................................................................................................... 10
Sustain Energy Skills Report........................................................................................................................... 10
'Energy from Waste' state government draft policy framework ....................................................................... 11
Key considerations ........................................................................................................................................... 12
System capacity costs ..................................................................................................................................... 12
Solar ................................................................................................................................................................ 13
Does solar pay? .............................................................................................................................................. 14
Local solar industry and maintenance concerns ............................................................................................. 14
Storage ............................................................................................................................................................ 14
The case for storage ................................................................................................................................... 14
Biomass ...................................................................................................................................................... 15
Batteries ...................................................................................................................................................... 16
Recent projects .................................................................................................................................................. 16
East Lismore Sewage Treatment Plant - Farming the Sun project................................................................. 16
Sunshine City Council Valdora Solar Farm..................................................................................................... 17
Clean Energy Map .......................................................................................................................................... 17
Recent events .................................................................................................................................................... 17
Federal government announcements about moving to an emissions trading scheme................................... 17
North Coast Energy Forum ............................................................................................................................. 18
Recent/current programs.................................................................................................................................. 18
OEH's call for Community Renewable Energy Projects ................................................................................. 18
Home Power Savings Program ....................................................................................................................... 18
Federal Home Energy Saver Scheme ............................................................................................................ 18
NSW Energy Savings Scheme ....................................................................................................................... 18
International Best Practice ............................................................................................................................... 18
Tube digesters ............................................................................................................................................ 18
Small scale farm-based bioenergy facilities ............................................................................................... 19
Page 1
Page 2
Introduction
This background report has been compiled by Tweed Shire Council and Think Tank participants to share
recent information relevant to renewable energy opportunities in the Tweed Shire.
The report will be distributed prior to the Tweed Renewable Energy Think Tank #2 to ensure all Think Tank
participants come to the event with the same awareness of recent developments.
All participants are encouraged to review this information prior to the event. We hope to make the most of
people's time at the Think Tank to generate tangible next steps for renewable energy initiatives in the Tweed.
Determine the region's energy demand profile - work with all the energy retailers operating in the
area and gather data about peak load times and volumes, average weekly, monthly, yearly
consumption in total and, if possible, across various sectors.
Determine the region's energy supply profile - work with energy retailers operating in the area to
gather data such as:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Identify opportunities for new (renewable) energy supply sources in the region, such as turbines,
solar farms on disused banana farm slopes, big solar on council facilities, solar community programs,
expansion of co-generation opportunities in industry.
Identify opportunities for energy efficiency improvements across all sectors, so the demand profile is
easier to match to the supply profile.
Page 3
Key considerations
Biomass:
- green waste
- municipal waste
- biosolids
Council currently produces about 1,500 dry tonnes of biosolids per year.
Energy production from biosolids by thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic
digestion options has been considered but was found to be unsuitable
due to existing plant processes, production volumes and space
availability.
Council notes that the thermal hydrolysis plant located at Oxley, south of
Brisbane, has proven to be difficult to operate and maintain. The main
hurdles are the quality (low moisture content) and quantity (large) of
biosolids required to make such a facility economically viable.
The option of supplying TSC biosolids as a feedstock for the cogeneration plant at the Condong sugar mill was previously investigated.
A desk top analysis was carried out and found that TSC does not
produce enough biosolids to make an impact. TSC produces
approximately 25 wet tonnes of biosolids per day or about 3-4 dry
tonnes per day with a 75% volatile component. By comparison, the cogeneration plant uses about 750 dry tonnes of feedstock each day
during the crushing season.
Biosolids can play an important role as feedstock for bio digesters.
- on farm systems
Energy audits have been completed in the past, funded through Dairy
Australia.
Biochar can be produced from any organic material such as household
green waste, paper waste or agricultural waste. Generation of renewable
energy by pyrolysis also requires a well engineered facility. The high
Page 4
Key themes
Key considerations
energy gases such as hydrogen (H2) methane (CH4) and carbon
monoxide (CO) released can be either converted into thermal energy or
electricity. The amount of energy released during the pyrolysis process
is again highly dependant upon the biomass feedstock as well as the
pyrolysis conditions.1
Solar:
- leasing rooftops (council,
residential)
- solar streetlights and battery
systems
Hydro:
Development controls:
requirements for solar hot water
and solar energy installed before
sale or $ equivalent to purchaser
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/304711/biochar-basics.pdf
Page 5
Key themes
Key considerations
place by completing a site analysis for all new housing development.
DCP A9 Energy Smart Homes Policy also promotes passive design.
If land cannot otherwise be used for food production, the best bio fuel is
a mix of several bio fuels. There is extensive literature coming out of
Europe and the US. The Far North Coast offers a good range of
potential fuel sources that can be tapped into. This includes fuel crops
that may be grown on marginal lands and wetlands and harvested in a
sustainable way.
(additional comments also in response to the NSW North Coast
Bioenergy Scoping Study below)
- facilitator
Tweed Shire Council's energy use
- hybrid fleet
- rooftop audit
Page 6
Tube digesters for small scale digesters (see more info below).
Local facilities
Condong co-generation facility
Generation capacity
Condong Cogeneration Plant, when operating, can provide up to 50% of Tweed Valley electricity.
Power generation back to the grid is not cost effective (for Boral)
There is limited ability to avoid the grid to avoid line charges (net sum gain to the community anyway).
In tight economic times, "Green" is one of the first casualties.
Page 7
Recent documents
NSW North Coast Bioenergy Scoping Study 2013
http://www.rdanorthernrivers.org.au/index.php?row=2734&field=05_FileList_document
Prepared by the Institute For Sustainable Futures for Sustain Northern Rivers
Council officers were asked to review the Scoping Study and consider the key themes raised by the report.
Key themes
Key considerations
Condong:
- piggeries
Green harvest is unlikely to occur due to the growth pattern of cane in N NSW.
Trash is normally removed from cane fields to increase soil warmth and
encourage shooting (or re-shooting) of the cane. The trash has proven to be
problematic and costly to harvest and transport even with the redesigned larger
capacity 'bins'. Also, the Mill is yet to install a trash separation plant and at
present, the income available from cogeneration plant owners is not sufficient to
cover all costs associated with trash supply.
Page 8
Key themes
Key considerations
noise and impact on the local roads network hence the need to follow the DA
path so that conditions can be imposed and compliance enforced.
Stumps need to be poisoned after harvest to meet Noxious Weed Act
requirements. Poisoning is currently the responsibility of the land owner.
Camphor may be de-declared as Noxious, which may not have any impact on
harvesting.
Maintenance to manage camphor regrowth/seedling emergence continue for
many years for landholders.
Difficult to estimate the volume of material that remains in Tweed. Much of the
Camphor is located on slopes, roadsides and highly fertile soils adjacent to
riparian areas which would require careful harvest over time in conjunction with
bushland restoration or pasture re-establishment works practices that do not fit
with established timber harvesting practices.
State Forests Study in 2000 indicates:
Post script: Experience from past camphor laurel harvesting operations indicate
that the available resource is much more limited than implied by the State Forest
2000 report. This is because camphor laurel is most commonly found on steep
or otherwise inaccessible land, along roadsides and creek banks where
harvesting is operationally difficult, in conjunction with threatened species, or
close to residential and/or rural residential land where amenity issues are
common. Harvesting operations are also limited by travel distance from the mill,
minimum viable economic yield and the extent of environmental mitigation and
repair which is inevitably more costly in environmentally sensitive sites.
Many camphor trees appear to be small diameter, often in dense even-aged
stands, there are few old growth trees or mature forests. Essentially the species
has invaded and spread randomly across the Shire and has not been planted or
managed using silviculture techniques with harvest in mind.
Future increases in value for electricity from the Condong Plant (currently
approximately 9 cents per kWh in total) may allow cogeneration plant owners or
camphor contractors to pay landowners for several years of weed control, eg
during re-establishment of native species, and may make camphor a viable fuel
source.
Coppice plantings
Energy plantations
None to our knowledge, majority of plantations are for timber production, these
are struggling financially and not able to meet best practice management re:
pruning, thinning and weed control.
Page 9
Priority given:
Develop a bioenergy strategy for the North Coast, bringing together a range of relevant
stakeholders.
Medium
High
Expand the number of energy assessors in the North Coast who have a comprehensive
skill set, by liaising with relevant skills councils to develop a new qualification that covers
energy efficiency and a broad range of renewable energy technologies.
High
Page 10
Priority given:
Target training to meet the needs (and demand) generated by the introduction of
mandatory disclosure of building energy performance.
Medium
Ensure at least one North Coast energy stakeholder (in addition to the network provider)
has expertise in medium to large scale renewable energy grid connection.
High
Ensure continued professional development that provides skills in regional planning for a
sustainable energy future and sustainable building is available to planners, perhaps
delivered in-house at local Councils.
Medium
High
Medium
Continue SNRs collaborative approach, prioritise development of the Energy Action Plan
High
Page 11
Key considerations
System capacity costs
About 80% of current retail electricity charges relate to System Capacity & Green (LRET, SRES, ESS)
charges.
ResidentialCustomerElectricityCharges
(centsperkWh)
EnergyCost
SpotPrice
3.60
NetworkCosts,
14.83
EnergyCost
Generation
capacityetc,
2.80
CarbonPrice,
2.46
RetailCosts,
4.19
Othergreen
costs,egshareof
LRET,SRES,ESS,
1.74
Electricity spot price is remarkably low, averaging 3.6 cents per kWh over the last four years.
AEMOelectricityspotpricedata July2009toJune2013
(noCarbonPrice)
NSWElectricitySpotPrice
(cents/kWh)aftersubtractingcarbon
priceof2.1cents/kWhforYEJ2013
16
14
12
CentsperkWh
10
8
6
4
2
0
6/09 9/09 12/09 3/10 6/10 9/10 12/10 3/11 6/11 9/11 12/11 3/12 6/12 9/12 12/12 3/13 6/13
Page 12
Rene
ewable Energy Think Tank #2 - Background material
m
Solar
Usually, consumers who
w install solar still nee d mains pow
wer to be ava
ailable eg for night-time use,
u
overcastt
days. Th
he required capacity
c
of th
he distribution
n network an
nd back-up generation soources (reflec
cted in the 80
0%
system ccapacity costt element) do
oes not chan
nge with incre
easing solar take-up. Ineevitably there
e will be a peak
demand on an overccast day or affter the sun g
goes down when
w
all indiv
viduals & bussinesses with
h solar will be
e on
mains po
ower.
Networkk demand pea
aks typically occur on ho
ot and sunny days, when air conditionners and refriigeration unitts
ning 'full-steam'. PV solar and energy efficiency aircon efficiency, VSDs etcc.) help redu
ucing these
are runn
demand peaks, as has been note
ed in a reducction in peak demand ove
er recent yeaars while the number of
installed systems kep
pt going up.
As more
e and more in
ndividuals an
nd businesse
es go solar th
here is less ability
a
to recoover this costt based on
charges per kWh con
nsumed so either
e
unit priices (cents per
p kWh) will continue to iincrease or the
t service
availability charge will
w increase. This may no
ot be sustainable and is the reason w
why Governm
ments are much
more careful re feed
d-in tariffs etc
c now than p reviously.
Pa
age 13
Feed in tariff
6 to 7 years
8 to 9 years
Assumes a system size of 2.0 kW, a system cost (fully installed, before payment for STCs) of $4400.
The STC price is $30.
The electricity export rates for net feed-in jurisdictions assume households export 30% and 50% of the electricity
they produce;
The system degradation rate is 0.5% per annum with 20% generation losses and inverter replacement (after 15 years)
costing $800.
The annual increase in retail electricity price is assumed to be 0.25% (equivalent to 6.4% increase over 25 years).
The opportunity cost of money that could have been invested instead is 5%.
Annual generation for the two locations within each state are calculated using the following formula: Annual
generation [MWh] = System Size [kW] x PSH x 365 x (100% Generation Losses) / 1000 (Where: Generation Losses was
20%)
Exporting solar generated energy is the least preferred option. Ideally, all generated power is consumed
on-site (in the absence of a legislated and significant feed-in tariff).
Biomass
Biomass can be viewed as a sensible way to locally store solar energy (via photosynthesis) until needed.
There are few other renewable energy sources that can achieve this.
Other NSW rural areas are investigating large scale farming of biomass crops for cogen or biogas plants.
However the Clean Energy Council Biomass Resource Appraisal 20084 suggests "Energy crops that are dedicated
for bioenergy alone are likely to be less viable than crops with multiple economic benefits where some tree crops may even be
planted to clean up waste water and to rehabilitate polluted land or land with excessive nutrients. Typically, short rotation crops
offer much higher yields than long-term tree crops."
http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/dms/cec/reports/2008/Biomass-ResourceAppraisal/%20Biomass%20Resource%20Appraisal.pdf
Page 15
Batteries
There are numerous companies working on storage technologies including Alco Battery Sales, GE, MPower
Group, Redflow and Zen Energy Systems.
AGM batteries
[James]
Able to store around 16kWhs of generation. Australian made batteries that are tried tested and proven
throughout Australia, have a working life of 15-20yrs as long as they are kept in good condition and are
constructed with around 90% or recycled lead.
Zinc bromine flow batteries
[Extract from http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2012/03/26/3462426.htm]
40 houses in Elermore Vale of Newcastle have installed zinc bromine flow batteries, as part of a trial by
electricity infrastructure corporation Ausgrid.
Each can store 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity, around what a basic 1.5kW set of solar panels generates on a
sunny day. Two tanks hold a solution of zinc and bromine that can be pumped past a stack of plastic
electrodes. When the battery is charged, zinc is deposited from the solution and coated onto the negative
electrode; while at the positive electrode bromine is produced for storage within a tank. Zinc and bromide ions
reform during discharging.
Bruce Ebzery of Redflow, the supplier of the zinc-bromine flow batteries for Elermore Vale, believes his
technology holds great promise. Ezbery says there is no theoretical reason for them to be more expensive
either. "Zinc and bromine are both common materials that you can buy easily, not rare earths. All the other
components are plastics - really just advanced shopping bags," he jokes. Nevertheless, the Redflows installed
in Elermore Vale are still impractically expensive for widespread use, costing around $15,000. Asked why,
Ebzery invites people to "come and look at our factory in Brisbane. We're making them by hand."
Titanium dioxide offers energy storage hope
[Extract from http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/07/01/3792075.htm]
Chemist Yun Liu, an Associate Professor at the Australian National University (ANU), has also discovered that
[titanium dioxide] may be useful for building energy storage devices.
According to Liu, the material could be used in safe, solid-state 'supercapacitors' to store enormous amounts
of energy, opening the door for innovation in the areas of renewable energy, electric cars, even space and
defence technologies.
"We've just developed the materials that have this potential, but we haven't developed practical applications."
"That's the next step of the research for us."
Recent projects
East Lismore Sewage Treatment Plant - Farming the Sun project
Farming the Sun aims to establish community-owned solar farms at businesses and community organisations
which consume large amounts of electricity all year round.
A feasibility assessment will be conducted on Lismore Council's electricity use at the East Lismore Treatment
Plant then Council will sign an agreement to buy the energy generated for the next 10 to 25 years.
The solar farm will produce 80-100kw, the equivalent of powering 30 homes. Investments of between $2300
and $2800 for a 1kw share will be sought from mum and dad investors. Investors are anticipated to receive an
annual return of about 6%, or up to $168, he said.
Page 16
Recent events
Federal government announcements about moving to an emissions trading scheme
Page 17
"The Clean Technology Innovation Program has been effective in helping to support businesses to improve
their energy efficiency through the installation of solar power systems and other smarter energy solutions," he
said.
- See more at: http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/cec/mediaevents/media-releases/July-2013/130716carbon-price-ETS.html#sthash.jLk5FwKs.dpuf
North Coast Energy Forum
[Speak to Paul Cruickshank for an update]
Recent/current programs
OEH's call for Community Renewable Energy Projects
Update from Paul Cruickshank
Home Power Savings Program
The NSW State Government program consists of a detailed one hour In-Home Power consultation by an
Energy Expert. This process identifies energy wastage in the household by entering information told by the
householder into a custom built software application which models power use within the home. The
application generates specific actions the householder can adopt to save them power and money. The
householder is then able to select, and commit to the most relevant and achievable tips for them. During the
consultation a power savings kit worth around $200 is installed including items such as an energy efficient
shower head and draught proofing.
At 30 June 2013 the Home Power Savings Program has reached in the order of 6,800 low income households
in Tweed Shire Council, saving more than 3,500 megawatt hours of electricity and an estimated $1.1 million a
year in energy bills.
Federal Home Energy Saver Scheme
The Australian Government announced the Home Energy Saver Scheme (HESS), aimed at helping low
income households address the issues they have with energy costs and to support them to make better
informed choices about their energy use through individual advice and education, home visits, and community
education workshops. HESS workers provide one-on-one budgeting assistance, advocacy, and referrals to
other services such as energy efficiency and hardship schemes and appropriate financial products such as No
Interest Loans Scheme (NILS). In addition there is a 1800 National telephone advice and referral line
providing information on energy issues such as billing, appliances, difficulty paying bills and available rebates.
NSW Energy Savings Scheme
The ESS is particularly useful for sites where large energy cost savings are made across a range of activities
OR in the case of pure lighting upgrades.
However, these digesters have several limitations. Each of the digester type does not have facilities for mixing
the slurry or for maintaining a certain temperature in the digester and controlling it. There are also no facilities
to remove sand, stones and other non-digestible materials, which will over the years, accumulate and
decrease the volume of the digester and hence will reduce its efficiency. The accumulation of inert and nondegradable material makes it necessary to stop the process from time to time and remove the materials,
thereby increasing labour and maintenance cost of the technology.
Small scale farm-based bioenergy facilities
[Extract from Clean Energy Council Biomass Resource Appraisal 2008
http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/dms/cec/reports/2008/Biomass-ResourceAppraisal/%20Biomass%20Resource%20Appraisal.pdf]
In Germany a feed-in tariff scheme for small-scale renewable energy generation facilities has been in
operation for some years and most recently amended and upgraded in 2004.5This scheme has been
remarkably successful, supporting the development of bioenergy facilities with net output of 23.8 TWh per
annum (3.9% of total gross electricity consumption in Germany). The scheme has also created a vibrant smallscale renewable energy project development and services industry with annual construction turnover
exceeding EUR 2.8 billion, employing over 90,000 people, with significant growing export potential to other
European, North American and Asian markets.
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