Gas & Power Storage - Turning Renewables into Base Load
Gas
Natural Gas is a low-emission energy source that can be turned on and off at will and is ideal to back up renewable energy sources.
Ceramic Fuel Cells that 'burn' gas to create electricity at the consumer's premises can slash emissions. See the Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd for more information.
Power Storage
Effective power storage is essential for making the most of the variable output from renewable sources. This can be achieved using Vanadium redox battery. This type of battery offers almost unlimited capacity simply by expanding the electrolyte storage tanks. One of these is used as part of the King Island wind turbine system and keeps the use of the back-up diesel generator to a minimum. (See also VRB PowerSystems).
Wind Power
Wind power at sunset. (Image: Wikipedia) |
- The visual appearance of land-based turbine arrays can improved by aligning the turbines in lines or sweeping curves. Governments can facilitate this by acquiring suitable sites.
- Before a turbine could be installed a majority of residents within 500m of the turbine should approve the project. Residents within this zone should receive a share of turbine revenue.
- Mechanisms to scare birds away from the turbines should be investigated. This might involve sensors that detect birds and scare them off with a high-frequency sound.
Offshore Wind Power
Horns Rev offshore wind park in the North Sea near Denmark. (Image: Wikipedia) |
Giant offshore wind turbines can be constructed in waters up to 120m deep using current technology. This has several benefits:
- The turbines have a low visual impact and may be out of sight of the shore or a blur on the horizon.
- The wind resource is much larger and the turbines can be huge. (E.g. Thorntonbank Wind Farm)
- Most of Bass straight and much of the continental shelf could site such turbines.
- Turbines could be mass produced in one factory and towed to their sites. Turbines could be towed back to shore for maintenance.
- It is possibly that offshore wind turbine structures could also harness wave power.
Wave Power
West Australia's Carnegie Wave Energy is developing its CETO wave energy technology which pumps high pressure sea water ashore for producing zero-emission power and desalinated water. (Image: Carnegie Wave Energy Limited) |
Wave power is much more constant than wind, solar or tidal power and could make a substantial contribution to Australia's energy and water needs.
Solar Photovoltaic
Heliostat solar concentrator power station. (Images: Solar Systems) |
Solar Systems was going to build a 154MW heliostat solar concentrator power station in northern Victoria...but has gone into receivership due to the GFC. The A$420 million project was to generate 270,000 MWh per year, enough for more than 45,000 homes.
Given that there are around 8 million homes in Australia and 22% of electricity is generated from burning brown coal we arrive at a figure of around $16 Billion to replace all the brown coal electricity with solar electricity - about $9,000 per house. However, this assumes that there are no economies of scale and no advances achieved over the building of the first ever solar concentrator power station. As the technology advances and matures and production volumes increase unit costs should fall dramatically.
This cost compares favourably with:
- $43 billion for a national broadband network. This would be enough to replace all brown-coal and half of black-coal electricity generation with solar. (Based on cost of Solar Systems heliostat project in Victoria.)
- Projected costs for the new 'Joint Strike Fighter' for $20 Billion. (See Air Forces page for more on that issue.)
- The 2007 balance in the Future Fund: $60 Billion.
Other solar concentrator options include:
- Solar thermal: A range of systems are on offer or under development.
- Sun cubes: These have been developed by Green and Gold Electricity and can be used either in solar farms or on rooftops. In the rooftop scenario Zolar Distributors plan to offer systems for about $20,000 per house...but Zolar's web site is now blank...
- Soliant solar panel: Same idea as Sun Cubes in a different format.
The Soliant solar panel uses an array of smaller panels that track the sun. (Image: Soliant) |
Solar Thermal
Solar Brayton Cycle
The CSIRO's Solar Brayton Cycle demonstration plant reflects solar energy from 450 mirrors to a collector on a 30 meter tower. The collector functions like a jet engine turbineexcept that the air is heated by the sun, not jet fuel. Optionally the turbine can be heated by gas providing 7x24 power.
Feed-in tariffs
Australia needs a national gross feed-in tariff scheme to help encourage installation of distributed renewable power systems. This should be available to a wide range of renewable systems.
The January 2009 power chaos in Victoria illustrates the value of distributed power distribution.
Geothermal Power
Schematic of Geothermal Systems. (Image: Greenearth) |
Geothermal Power has great potential to provide huge amounts of base load power at a reasonable price. Surveys done by Greenearth, Geodynamics and other companies indicate that there is enough geothermal energy under the Melbourne - Geelong area to provide 150 times the States energy needs.
See also Hot Rock Geothermal web site.
Tidal Power
Impression of Tidal Turbine Farm. (Image: University of Strathclyde's Energy Systems Research Unit) |
Some sites such as the entrance to Port Phillip and Western Port Bay offer large tidal flows which may be economic to harvest with turbines such as the above. Coupled with large energy storage systems such as Vanadium Redox batteries these could be a viable energy source.
A key concern would be the risk to marine life posed by the turbine blades. It is understood these are blunt and move at low speed but this needs to be confirmed. Maintenance issues with marine systems may also be problematic.
High Voltage Direct Current
High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) is much more efficient at transporting power long distances than High Voltage Alternating Current, particularly where under-ground or under-sea cables are needed. Using HVDC to create a 'supergrid' across Australia allows the energy from disparate renewable energy sources to be efficiently merged and transported to where it is needed. (See NewScientist article From AC to DC: Going green with supergrids).
Geo-Sequestration - Not Supported
In 1986 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 leaked from Lake Nyos in Cameroon killing 1,700 people within 20 km of the lake as well as 3,500 livestock. (Image: Wikipedia) |
Nuclear Fission Power
- Nuclear power produces around 25 times more carbon and air pollution than wind power. more...
- Current Nuclear Power plants have higher cost and longer lead times to emerging renewable sources.
- There is probably insufficient viable Uranium reserves for the world to convert to using Nuclear Fission Power for a significant length of time. Ultimately we would need to convert to using Renewables anyway. (Using Thorium may be an alternative).
- Disposal of spent fuel and reactor components remains expensive and difficult.
- Some types or reactor can be used to produce weapons-grade fissile material.
- Generation IV fission reactors which promise much greater efficiency and safety are not likely to be available for decades.
- Uranium mining and enrichment continues to cause many environmental problems.
Should Australia go down a nuclear energy path
Note that
(See also our policy on Uranium Exports.)
Nuclear Fusion Power
Research into nuclear fusion power is supported although it is likely that commercial fusion power is decades away. In theory nuclear fussion could be an almost limitless source of clean power if the major technical hurdles associated with this technology can ever be overcome.
See details of the ANU's 'stellarator' on their Plasma Fusion page.
Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd
Manufacturers of natural gas fuel cells that could power Australia and slash emissions.
Believe it and we can do it
28th Feb 2010: Renewables could power the world. more...
The Fossil Handicap
3rd Feb 2010: "No wonder Australia is lagging behind Spain and China with renewable energy, writes Matthew Wright." more...
Renewables + Nuclear?
1th Jan 2010: James Hansen supports advanced nuclear reactors as part of the solution. more...
Uranium crunch?
25th Nov 2009: "As the world prepares for the largest investment in nuclear power in decades, owners of uranium mines last week raised the prospect of fuel shortages." more...
Nuclear Delusions
16th Oct 2009: "The goal of the nuclear industry is to grow to 730 reactors worldwide by 2030. This would require one to be completed every 24 days, every year for the next 20 years." more...
Wasted Energy
Only 35% of the energy produced in Victoria's power plants is converted to electricity, and 15% of that is lost in transmission. more...
Ocean Energy Race
'In recent months, many new ideas for harnessing the abundant but elusive energy of waves and tide have entered tests, or even full-scale use.' more...
$43bn - For Broadband!
$43 Billion earmarked for the new broadband network. This would be enough to replace all brown-coal and half of black-coal electricity generation with solar. more...
Energy Priorities
Detailed study ranking 11 types of non-fossil fuels according to their total ecological footprint and their benefit to human health. more...
Geothermal Power
Beneath a large area between Geelong and Anglesea lies enough stored heat energy to provide 150 times Victoria's energy requirements. " more...
BeyondZeroEmissions
A site suggesting ways to quickly reduce Victorian CO2 emissions to zero and below.
Labor trashes solar
23rd Jun 2009: Labor shuts down off-grid solar assistance after closing down grid-connected systems last week. more...