ARENA Funding For Renewable Energy: Applicants Can Now Start Preparing Funding Applications

ARENA funding now open for applications includes:

• Emerging Renewables Programme (ERP) – this supports the development, demonstration and early stage deployment of renewable energy technologies
• Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund – under the Renewable Energy Venture Capital Fund – provides management expertise and makes equity investments in early-stage Australian renewable energy companies
• Supporting High-value Australian Renewable Energy Knowledge (SHARE) – increases awareness of renewable energy solutions and shares research knowledge
• Accelerated Step Change Initiative (ASCI) – provides funding for exceptional demonstration, deployment and commercialisation projects not captured by other ARENA programmes.

Find more at: http://arena.gov.au/initiatives-and-programmes/

How to submit the EOI to ARENA?

• Read the ARENA Guidelines
• Confirm whether you and your project are eligible to apply
• Find out if your proposed project meets the ARENA priorities and criteria
• Find out the Technology Readiness Level of your proposed project
• Prepare responses to merit criteria
• Prepare your attachments
• Submit the application through ARENANet

Get in touch with Enhar for expert assistance with preparing successful funding applications & design of projects.

Find more about energy efficiency and solar grants in Victoria and Australia and available funding you can apply for by staying connected to this blog!

100kW Solar System Installed on Landmark Building

The University of Melbourne completed an installation of the 100kW solar system recently on the landmark Wilson Hall building adopting flat mounted panels and without the help of any up-front STC discount. The final commissioning offered a celebrated milestone after initial scoping of the project that started early in 2014. The installation of the solar system presented a number of challenges, which were all overcome by the project team.

The role of Enhar, a solar consultant in Australia, in this landmark project included initial scoping of the system, preparing a report on solar options in detail, and request for tender evaluation, tender documentation & project management.

The feasibility & options reporting included the financial and technical viability of different solar PV design options. Because of the heritage and structural limitations of Wilson Hall building, the flat mounted solar system was the only workable option for the solar PV installation.

Detailed request for tender documentations were prepared by Enhar, including the detailed site and general specifications and electrical information, enabling for consistent tender responses & ensuring quality products consistent with the requirements of the University of Melbourne and site restraints. It was quite critical that flat mounted array was considered in tender responses, the building constraints well understood & the ongoing further maintenance allowed for.

Enhar completed the tender evaluation & the chosen supplier, Energy Matters adopted the Trina glass on the glass, frameless panels as a preferred solar photovoltaic panel & included the innovative cleaning system with tender response. Frameless panels lessen pooling of water in flat arrays and increase the needed cleaning intervals, in comparison to the conventional framed panels where pooling as well as debris build up on frame takes place.

The building and Trina frameless panel had their own installation challenges. But the system was installed within a tight timeframe under initial budget estimation. Enhar provided project management services to the University of Melbourne at the time of installation.

An ongoing maintenance program will be commenced, with different arrays undergoing different maintenance regimes & monitored separately. This will enable the optimum maintenance solution to be determined & offer a reference for the maintenance needs of the flat mounted arrays to ensure best performance.

Voluntary Surrender Of STC In Australia

In Australia, some solar PV systems owners smaller than 100kW wish to have greater environmental outcomes from their project.

For the renewable generators that are >100kW, voluntary surrender of Large Generation Certificates is commonplace and leads to accredited carbon offsets.

However, for Small Scale scheme, things aren’t so easy.

This PDF document prepared by Enhar, the solar consultant in Australia, sets out how Small Scale Renewable Energy Scheme actually works and how voluntary surrender of STC may lead to greater benefits to the environment.

The conclusions from Enhar’s analysis of Small Scale Renewable Energy Scheme & voluntary surrender of STCs include:

• Voluntary surrender of STCs has got the potential to increase market price of STCs
• This can lead to an increase in number of installations but indirectly
• The Clearing House and $40/Mwh fixed price for the STCs offer a limit on this effect
• The organisations, which wish to have a positive impact on SRES are suggested to surrender the STCs (that they create) voluntarily
• But they should be aware that this is dependent on present circumstances of market
• Organisations can alternatively opt to create as well as sell STCs for experiencing the financial benefit of STCs
• Non creation of the STCs isn’t suggested as it has no positive effect for other clients seeking to go solar

If you want to discuss your options for STCs, get in touch with Enhar online or call them on +61 (0)3 9429 9463.

Solar PV Energy And Carbon Payback In Australia

The net environmental benefit of solar PV panels depends on the environmental impact of energy and materials for creating and using the panel, subtracted from the advantage of reduced fossil fuel usage.

In recent years, panel efficiencies have steadily improved and the costs of solar PV have dramatically reduced globally.

Whereas the carbon and energy payback of solar photovoltaics used to be many years, in solar conditions through much of Australia, the paybacks are now less than a year.

Here we summarise recent research that shows the latest life cycle assessment of the solar photovoltaics applicable to Australia.

European research has indicated that energy payback of solar photovoltaics decreased to one year by 2012. The graph below is from Wacker Chemie AG in their 2012 HSBC conference presentation ‘Emerging Potential for Solar Energy’.

The analysis assumed crystalline Silicon Modules in Southern Europe with European Energy Mix.

A research paper was conducted recently in Asia, which indicates that both carbon and energy payback of a few solar PV technologies is now less than one year. In 2014, the paper by Hyoungseok Kim offered a life cycle assessment for CdTe PV ( cadmium telluride photovoltaic) systems in Malaysia.

The system boundary for LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) of Kim was defined as pre-manufacturing, manufacturing, installation as well as the use phases. The recycling and the disposal phases are excluded. The research in fact indicated that cadmium telluride photovoltaic systems have a lower carbon content and energy than the other PV technologies, less than ½ of multi-crystalline silicon photovoltaic for instance.

All these mean that payback time with regards to the greenhouse gases for CdTe PV system is eight months fifteen days in Malaysia.

Since the carbon emissions from Victorian grid electricity is a lot higher than Malaysian grid electricity, if the same panel were installed in Victoria, it’s carbon payback time would be about five months for cadmium telluride photovoltaic and about eleven months for multi-crystalline silicon PV.

Enhar is a leading solar consultant in Australia. They always keep their solar audiences informed about the latest progress in the solar sector in Australia. Here they have provided an information on solar PV carbon and energy payback in Australia. If you want to get more information and updates on the solar sector of Australia, stay tuned to their website http://www.enhar.com.au/.

Solar Rebates Available for Businesses in Melbourne

The City of Melbourne is very active in encouraging business owners to take up renewable energy generation opportunities. They are asking businesses to use one of the many renewable energy technologies, which are available today. The objectives are to lessen pollution while encouraging investment in clean energy businesses. City of Melbourne are providing business owners with solar energy grants helping them to afford the transition to using the renewable energy sources. These incentives help the businesses lower their carbon emissions, earn Small Technology Certificates (STCs) and earn tax deductions when the solar power system is installed in their businesses. The value of STCs equate to around 30% discount on capital costs under current STC pricing and legislation.

Now is the best time for businesses to take advantage of the Melbourne solar incentives, which the City of Melbourne is offering to the business owners so that they save money and cut down their carbon footprint. New solar grants are available in central Melbourne for businesses. So, businesses in Melbourne wanting to go solar, make the best use of this opportunity. There are many benefits of going solar. You can reduce your company’s electricity bills, get branding and reputation benefits and be less exposed to the future price increases in electricity. You can also contribute towards building a more sustainable Melbourne for the future.

Melbourne city launched a solar rebate for businesses in 2015. It is offering the eighteen businesses solar rebates from $2,000-$4,000 basing on system size. The minimum eligible system size is 10kW.

Applications are considered in order of the application. However, there is a limited pool of grant funds available. This means that the businesses who are the fastest to order, install and commission systems, will have the highest chances of securing the rebate. Only industrial or commercial businesses that are located within the boundary of the Melbourne city are eligible to apply for this rebate. So, businesses wanting to go solar – it is recommended to act quickly.

The solar rebate may be pre-approved after the deposit is paid for the system; pending availability. The solar systems should then be installed before the grants may be claimed. Solar systems should be installed before the closing date for the rebate on 12th June, 2015.

For larger or complex sites, Enhar, a solar consultant in Australia, can provide technical solar feasibility studies as well as design documentation to ease the process of procurement.

Things solar customers should know when installing solar pv on rooftop

Things solar customers should know when installing solar pv on rooftop from Enhar Pty Ltd

Hiring an Energy Auditor

An energy audit, also known as an energy assessment, is useful for identifying cost effective and technically viable energy projects, which can reduce energy use and the operating costs in a facility. If you are in need of an energy audit, selecting an energy auditor is an important step. Should it be done by one of the reputed energy efficiency consultants in Melbourne, an energy services company or your in-house staff? Energy efficiency consultants have a high level of expertise and can provide recommendations which are independent of any equipment providers.

For those planning to hire an energy auditor or an energy consultant, here are some tips.

The method of selecting an energy auditor includes identifying the potential auditors, describing the work scope and asking for bids, assessing the qualifications as well as contracting with the auditor. Some portions of these methods can also be adopted by the building managers who choose to opt for an alternative, sole-source approach. Negotiating the scope as well as the budget directly with a chosenenergy auditor and reviewing their track record is expected to be the best path and provides the advantage of choosing a firm, which has already been able to prove its abilities. But, a more competitive tendering procedure will provide insight into the range of qualifications as well as costs that are available within field of the firms, which offer energy audits.

Now all the companies advertising energy audits may appear to provide the same quality of service, and narrowing from a large group of providers to smaller group of skilled and qualified candidates needs some research. Knowing what you should look for where to start looking will streamline this process.

You may want to hire an auditor who understands how energy is used in your specific type of facility and who is well-versed in the process of energy auditing similar buildings. The complexity and number of systems, which are included in audit of a big facility, mean that an auditing firm can employ a team of professionals, each one of them contributing their expertise in the various sub-systems. For instance, an audit of a big office building needs technical knowledge of the building envelope, HVAC, control systems, lighting as well as water heating and distribution systems. Buildings which have specialized uses like hospitals and laboratories can have additional systems needing additional expertise.

As well as technical understanding of building’s systems, an auditor should have mastered the process of energy auditing. This means the auditor should have knowledge about measure identification, auditing tools and economic analysis. Many building engineers can have system knowledge needed for the audit but a very few have experience with the process of auditing and economic analysis. Energy auditing certifications offer a proof that the auditor has undergone training in these other dimensions as well.