Current and Future Queensland Government Solar Projects

The Queensland government has committed itself to reduce carbon emissions throughout the state, and to meet that goal the state has already completed various projects and more are expected to come in the next few years.

Solar Panels installed onto Metricon Stadium

The new AFL Metricom Stadium on the Gold Coast is the first project of its kind to integrate solar technology into a sports complex, which will greatly reduce its running costsin energy consumption as well as the stadium’s carbon emissions. A $4.4 million dollar solar roof has been built on the inner edge of the stadium, with enough solar panels to power 20% of its energy needs. The project was completed in May 2011.

The Queensland government said that the Metricon Project is about more than just reducing carbon and energy consumption; it will also demonstrate how well the technology can be incorporated in such structures. Being an iconic place the stadium will be a great reminder to the public about energy efficiency and its benefits, and as such is expected it will have an impact on the use of solar PV in Queensland

Rail Train Stations

Currently the Indooroopilly, Varsity and Richland stations have installed solar panels to improve the railways energy efficiency and reduce their operation’s effects on the environment. Indooroopilly hostsa 5 KW solar power system, the Varsity station has its 2.2 KW system and the Richland station has installed a 10 KW solar PV system. All three stations were also modified to improve energy consumption through passive means like improving ventilation to reduce the need for auxiliary sources.

University of Queensland

The University of Queensland has installed the largest flat panel solar PV system in the country. The system is comprised of 5,000 polycrystalline silicon solar panels and 8.4 kilowatt concentrating solar photovoltaic array,  together capable of generating 1750 megawatt hours of electricity annually and reducing the University’s carbon emissions by 1770 tons each year.

The system will also enable researchers to compare how the two technologies perform, and the analysis from the research will be used in future solar projects in state, and will be especially important on a large scale basis.

Solar Schools

The Queensland Government aims to install a solar panel system in every state school, and a generous $60 million budget was allotted for the project under the Solar and Energy Efficiency in Schools Program. A minimum of 2 KW solar PV systems will be installed in every school and other energy efficient measures will also be observed.

The program is an initiative of the government to create a virtual power station across all aspects of the community.

Large Scale Solar Projects

Under the leadership of the Office of Clean Energy it has been identified that Queensland is a rich source of solar radiation, with numerous potential locations for massive solar farms comparable to the best locations in the world. With this in mind the government is looking at building a solar precinct, where solar PV farms are created closely to each other and connected to a high level transmission and grid network.

Currently there are community based solar farms being built in Kogan Creek and Hervey Bay. Both projects will increase the state’s solar capacity significantly and improve energy generation locally.

The state has also funded over $70 million into round one of the $1.5 billion Solar Flagships Program. The 250 MW Solar Dawn project will be largest of its kind, utilising integrated concentrated solar power technology, and will be built 20 km southeast of Chinchilla in South West Queensland.

Learning the Basics of Solar Power

Solar power is undeniably the future of powering our cities and your home. Progressive countries are switching from dirty and expensive fossil fuels to commercial and residential solar power applications. If you are planning to make the switch yourself it is best that you know the basics before you decide.

Utilising solar power is by way of solar photovoltaic cells that are created in modules and are then called solar panels. When the panels are struck by sunlight, electrically charged particles of the light energy are then dislodged from a molecular level. The photoelectric effect is the phenomenon responsible for the technology. A misleading idea is held by many people about the process; it is not the heat from the sun that is converted to electricity, but rather the light energy.

When energy conversion is done DC current is produced, however this is not a useful form of electricity. A solar inverter is required within the system to convert the DC form into useful alternating current or AC. Inverters are also responsible for the total efficiency of the system. A good inverter can increase the total output by at least 20% and some inverters come with LED display to monitor and keep track of the system’s performance.

Another important component of the system is the smart meter, which has two types. The Net Metering, which computes your total net export of electricity to the grid (difference of import and export) and the Gross Meter which computes your import and export of electricity separately. 

Australia’s state governments have implemented various bonuses and schemes functioning under either net or gross meters. It is best to know what your local government regulations are and check 1^st what current solar schemes and rebates are available in your area before you decide what to install.

Lastly having awareness of your geographical location’s optimal sun position is very useful; for example in Australia cities like Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast will get a much greater power output from the same solar panels system then what residents in Melbourne will. Maximising the available sunlight which can hit your solar panels daily should be the aim in every installation. Thus roper angling and any shading are important considerations.

When all of the components are selected to best suit your home design and family’s energy requirements, installed properly, and you apply for any government rebates and bonuses that you can qualify for than getting a good economic return from your solar power is assured. Solar pv systems are expected to save you at least 50% of your electricity bill, and a larger system can eliminate it completely.

The initial cost of the system is likely to of paid for itself within about 7 years at today’s prices, and the panels are expected to last for more than two decades, which is a long time to have free electricity from the sun. You do the math and see how good investment it can be!

Minimising the Effects of Carbon Tax on Your Home

The carbon tax is set to be implemented in July 1, 2012 and Australian households are still divided about whether it will be burden on them or not. Putting a price on carbon will definitely raise the cost of living in the country, but the government is aware of that, and doing everything possible to minimise its financial impact.

However, households can also do their part… Obviously the main criteria that will help is improving your home’s energy efficiency. Turning your home into a green hub is not a pain but rather a rewarding thing to do, especially when you keep in mind that you are doing this for the environment while also saving money from the rising energy bills and carbon tax effect.

The government’s implementation of a carbon tax is to encourage the adoption of renewable energy technologies and installing a solar panel system has proven to cut down around 50% of the total energy bill of an average home. The flow on effect of doing so is that you are also making significant cuts to your carbon emissions, and so reducing your family’s carbon footprint.

Solar hot water systems also should be taken into account; hot water is widely used in Australia and a large portion of energy bills are accounted for by conventional water heating systems. A solar hot water system can save you at least 50% on your total energy consumption from heating water, and even more if the climate is favorable.

Aside from making the switch to solar power, there are also simple measures that will help turn your home into a green hub. Studies show that if all households will replace their light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs will save the country nearly $100 million in energy costs. Furthermore you can reduce lighting costs by maximising natural light to your home. If you are planning to renovate your home then you might want to consider the use of larger windows and skylights to will allow sunlight into your home.

Another large portion of Australian electric bills fall to air conditioning systems or heaters. Having a home that is properly insulated is crucial to reduce the requirements for heating and cooling, and is a most cost effective measure to take. Also consider air flow while building your home as a second part energy saving through reducing the need for air conditioners, fans make an excellent low cost option.

Countless of other measures can be done to minimise the effect of carbon tax on your home. You just need to be more disciplined and proactive in applying it and not expect the government take all the blame and work of fixing our environmental issues for the country.

Rundown of Solar Power Benefits

If you have decided to make the switch to solar power then it is probably one of the wisest home improvement decisions that you’ll ever make. It is more than a source of financial freedom from the burden of high electricity costs; it also brings holistic benefits to the environment, to the country and to your family.

How your family will benefit-

Economist and energy experts predict that the high electricity cost today (generated from fossil fuels) will surge even higher in the next couple of years. The law of supply and demand explains why; as the population grows the demand will continue to increase, and the supply cannot keep up as most of the reservoir are depleting rapidly. Installing solar panels on your roof will leave you with the peace of mind of knowing that you will financially buffered from the worst of these effects. Recent studies and surveys show that a typical home system is able to reduce electric bills by half and even more in some parts of Australia. It is a great investment as your solar system will pay for itself completely within 5-7 years and give you up to 25 years of free power from the sun.

Economic Benefits-

Renewable energy investment gives any country great potential for increased economic stability& independence. Firstly, countries that are not blessed with oil or natural gas reserves will no longer need to import. Secondly, every progressive country is embracing renewable energy sources such as solar power because its huge investment potential is being recognised, as well as its ability to create new industries and 1000’s of new jobs and increased employment opportunities. In fact, for the past 2 years the solar industry has already paved the way for hundreds of new businesses in Australia, and the numbers continue to climb as the technology progresses.

Environmental benefits-

Carbon emissions has been a worldwide issue for several years now and global warming has become accepted as a fact that we can no longer ignore, but it is only recently that we really have had the ability to make a difference. Switching to clean renewable solar power instead of dirty, expensive carbon producing fossil fuels will reduce significant amounts of existing carbon in the atmosphere, and thereby reduce the accumulating effects of global warming.

Currently China and the United States are the top carbon emitting country and their governments have recently made major commitments to carbon reducing initiatives. All responsible governments will follow suit, but right now it is everyone’s commitment and social responsibility to do their fair share for the common good. There are many ways your family can go green, and installing solar panels is one way that will benefit you AND the environment.

Largest Rooftop Solar Panel System in Australia Unveiled

The University of Queensland has proudly unveiled the largest flat panel PV array in the country, a very impressive sight of 5000 solar grids, collectively the size of 1 ½ football fields, which have been installed on four buildings at the university's St Lucia campus.

Energy Minister Stephen Robertson officially opened the array which is expected to produce about 1750 megawatt hours of renewable energy annually and offset around five percent on UQ’s peak demand power requirements.

The $7.75 million solar project is host to a 8.4 kilowatt concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) array that tracks the sun’s position and nearly 5000 silicon based solar panels that is expected to offset about 1770 tons of carbon per annum equivalent to the emissions of nearly 350 cars.

The milestone was made possible by the Queensland Government with a $1.5 million contribution in addition to support from Energex, Ingenero, and Redflow, who have contributed  a 200 kw storage battery which will allow important research into solar power capture techniques during the day, and feeding it into the grid at night and other times of peak demand.

The aim of the project is not only to offset carbon emission of the University but also to allow researchers from UQ to compare the efficiency and carbon reduction rate of various solar power technologies that will further develop the technology at hand and future innovations that will come in our way.

Professor Meredith, of the Global Change Institute, said the polycrystalline silicon solar panels position UQ as a leader in solar power research; "It's a very, very valuable piece of research infrastructure," he said……It is globally significant - I only know of a small handful of universities around the world that have anything like this and it really positions us, as the University of Queensland, as a major research provider in solar energy."

Energy Minister Stephen Robertson said that the project will pave way for future solar projects and an integration of large scale applications, thanks to the data that will be collected through the project.

 

He also added that he will be visiting almost all parts of Queensland to make major renewable energy announcements as the state seeks better energy sources. An important part of his tour will also help to promote existing Bligh Government initiatives that are encouraging the take up of solar power technologies by households and small businesses, such as the Solar Hot Water Rebate and Solar Bonus Scheme.

What is a Solar Panel?

Solar panels make use of the free and renewable energy from the sun, and it is a clean process of gathering that solar energy and converting that into usable electricity with the aid of the photoelectric effect. This works by simply separating sunlight’s particles and then collecting the electrically charged electrons. The panels are combined with other important components like the inverter which is required to convertthis electricity into a usable form.

The panels are made by utilising crystalline silicon, gallium silicon or amorphous silicon alloy, and the cost and efficiency varies depending on which one of these materials is used.

The crystalline silicon solar panel looks like a wafer disk which is less than a centimeter thick, and is combined with a dopant material to alter the electrical charge.  A metal conductor is spread all over the disk to protect the silicon layer and a glass cover is attached to the top of the panel to bond the voltaic cells tightly and for durability purposes.  Conductive cement is also applied to prevent the panel from overheating, but the usual overheating precautions should still be applied like proper ventilation and spacing.

The amorphous silicon panel uses the roll to roll process, which is a lot different from the traditional crystalline silicon. The roll to roll process generates vapor which is deposited in the silicon alloys and uses a specialized layer that absorbs the different parts of the solar spectrum. The amorphous panel is the preference in the future technology of solar panel manufacture mainly because of its efficiency, cost and manufacturing possibilities.

The only drawback with this kind of panel is the installation. Attaching the wires of each cell is not as difficult as the others because soldering each wire is not applicable. You have to use electrical tape or electrical epoxy, however it doesn’t aid in the conduction of the electricity.  This process is harder and more time consuming but it is a preferable way to assemble the panels to prevent damage associated with soldering.

Whichever material you choose, choosing to use solar panels to generate energy is beneficial both economically and environmentally. These two reasons are responsible for the boom in the solar industry over the past few years, which shows no signs of slowing down. Especially since recent events have caused large countries like Japan and Germany to phase out nuclear energy and replace it with solar power and other renewable energy sources.

Brisbane Recovering from the Flood of 2011

The January 2011 flood left Brisbane with severe and widespread damages, with the total bill reaching over a quarter of billion dollars. Infrastructure and public roads were severely damaged as parts of the city were completely isolated for days and scarcity of basic necessities were inevitable.

With 14,972 homes and businesses completely swamped and 18,025 partially flooded it was the worst flooding the region has ever experienced. Graphic images of despair were televised worldwide as residents helplessly viewed the unstoppable force of water entering their homes, up to the roof line in some cases.

The 2011 flood,which effected massive areas of land across the whole state of Queensland, was considered one of the most devastating in the history of Australia, and forced officials to conduct massive evacuations in affected areas over exhausting weeks in December and January.

As part of the extensive recovery process the city council of Brisbane decided to direct the revenues to a financial assistance program to rehabilitate the city and aid its residents to recover economically and mentally from the tragedy.

This program did not stop with just rehabilitation and recovery though; the council also granted a sustainability program for environmental protection, to somehow prevent such floods again and also minimise the possible effects as the climate shifts with a bonus reward of financial returns and energy saving mechanisms.

The sustainability program will grant households and small business financial assistance to improve their energy consumption and improve the green star rating of their property. The use of solar energy in Brisbane has increased dramatically since it has become the best option to comply with the council guidelines. Under the program the city is encouraging its residents to make the switch to solar hot water and solar PV panels, and as such is providing additional rebates to what is already on offer from the state and federal governments.

With such extensive government support at all levels, and the continuing rising costs of electricity, it is not surprising that Queensland has one the highest installation rates of solar power in the country, and has already met targets set in 2010, 3 years earlier than expected.

Have you made the switch to solar power yet? It saves you money and helps to save the planet, really it just makes sense especially with the falling prices of pv prices, solar power systems are fast becoming the number one long term guaranteed investments.

Cause, Effect and Solutions of Global Warming

The unprecedented effects of global warming being experiencing in various ways around the world have rightly caused widespread fear and concern. However fears alone will not solve the problem; we need to channel that fear into mobilising our community, governments and major corporations with the power to make a difference, and take effective action!

To better understand what we can do here is a rundown of what global warming is…

Causes

Global warming is the continued rise of the average temperature the Earth’s surface and ocean which is caused by the increasing amounts of greenhouse gases; namely water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.

About 30% of sunlight is deflected by the Earth’s atmosphere,and the rest that enters the Earth is naturally deflected back upwards. However the above normal levels of greenhouse gases caused by human intervention traps excessive heat on the surface,causing the continued increase of global temperatures.

Our continued release of harmful gases, particularly carbon dioxide, through burning of fossil fuels for energy, vehicle emissions and industrialisation is preventing the natural flow through of heat generated from the sun’s radiation.

Effects

Aside from higher temperature there are many other effects of global warming on a massive scale which are capable of affecting all forms of life in the planet;

Physical impacts – The disruption of the normal pattern of the earth’s climate causes extreme weather conditions. Typhoons and other natural disasters will become stronger and damages to property and livelihood can be severe. Glacier retreat has also been clearly measured by scientists; higher temperatureswill melt mountain glaciers and ice caps rapidly, and water supply will be affected in nearby regions.

The ocean is not excluded; there is thevery serious issue of rising sea levels which will impact a huge number of communities close to the coast. And acidification would also be a problem; this will kill various types of sea creatures that cannot tolerate low ph levels.

Social Impacts – The climate shift will heavily affect agriculture and food production causing scarcity for most regions, especially low altitude areas. Furthermore the elevated carbon levels, altered precipitation and frequency of extreme weather will make problems even worse.

Health concerns would also be a daunting; with food scarcity at hand malnutrition will significantly increase, and as the climate shifts pathogens will have a perfect breeding ground, leading to common cases of viral and bacterial infections.

Solutions

A number of solutions can be done to combat and slow or even reverse the effects of climate change. However ultimately we need to contain the main culprit, which is the release of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide.

Electricity generation through fossil fuels releases millions and millions of tonnes of carbon into the air, and governments around the world, including Australia, are now looking into clean and renewable energy sources like solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy.

What is proving to be one of the most feasible sources is  solar energy; the use of solar PV panels offer many advantages including great flexibility, decentralisation of power production, very low environmental impact, and ever improving economic viability.

Increasing the renewable energy capacity of every developed nation has become a race,with the prize being major economic benefits as well as environmental, and is now a high priority for many governments.

However the true change also needs to start at home;and every family has the responsibility and power to reduce their carbon footprint. By making it a habit to conserve energy and teaching your children to avoid the use of carbon intensive products, we can together make significant cuts to global warming effects and preserve a better future for the next generations.

How Strong is a 1.5 kilowatt Solar PV System?

The most common size of solar PV systems for residential applications is a 1.5 kilowatt system as many suburban homes cannot be fitted with bigger systems because of two major factors;

Firstly the available roof space; a 1.5 KW system alone requires about 150 foot of available roof space which often times is in a 10 x 15 foot dimension. Secondly is the cost; the bigger the system the higher the out-of-pocket expense is to you.

However of course, the bigger system you install the more power you can generate, and so the more savings on your electricity bill. So if your roof can accommodate it, we suggest it makes much better economic sense to go for a bigger one; Take a 1 kilowatt and a 1.5 kilowatt system for an instance, if you deduct the government rebates and incentives then a good quality 1 KW would cost around $4000, and the 1.5 KW approx $4500, so you can get 50% more power output for just an additional $500………it won’t take very long to save that much money for an average family via their reduced electricity bill!

But the most common question that we get from consumers is how strong is 1.5 KW’s? Well 1.5 KW is equivalent to 1500 watts, and an average household uses about 1800 watts per day.

However the fact is that your solar panel system will not always produce the maximum power output; its full output potential can only be met with the perfect conditions, which requires a cloud free day and your locations peak sun hours.

As the sun gradually rises the power output gradually increases until it reaches the maximum power output possible for your system, and then as the sun sets the output gradually decreases until the sun is no longer available. It is a fact that the power output is directly proportional to the sun hours and its intensity, though other factors play a part as well. You will still generate some power even on cloudy days or in winter, just not as much.

All of this can still work in your favour though; Peak sun hours are generally in the middle of the day when you aren’t using much electricity, but thanks to your new “smart meter” and the feed in tariff system you should be able to export that excess electricity that you created back to the grid when you don’t need it, and then import some back during your heavy usage times for a cheaper rate then you were paid for it…...good deal!

So one thing is certain, if you make the switch to a green and clean solar energy PV system you will enjoy its benefits and probably want more panels to be installed on your roof.

Melbourne’s Zero Carbon Plan

The city of Melbourne is taking a giant leap towards reaching their target ofhaving zero carbon net emissions in the year 2020. The city council has propagated various programs and schemes over the last 8 years to achieve the ambitious goal. While they know that tremendous work is still needed to be done, the council is pleased to say that they are on the right track, and getting a lot of positive feedback and support from the community.

The Zero Net Emission Program started way back in 2003, and the city was internationally recognised then for its initiative and leadership towards environmental protection. In 2008 the program was updated to cope up with the demands of increasing population and carbon emissions. Today the program aims specifically to reduce carbon emissions across Melbourne in various sectors of the economy and community, including commercial, residential, transport, and energy generation.

As part of that the city council has identified four new key strategies to enable them  reach the ultimate goal within the time frame. The city aims to reduce carbon emission in the following proportions either by carbon offsets or through renewable energy sources.

1Commercial sector – 25% carbon reduction
2. Residential sector – 20% carbon reduction
3. Transportation – 20% carbon reduction
4. Energy Supply - 18% carbon reduction from conventional sources

Action Plan:

1.       Increasing government support for solar power in Melbourne to encourage households to install rooftop systems.

2.       Providing energy audits to households across the city alongside with energy saving tips.

3.       Assisting the commercial sector to improve energy consumption through the 1200 buildings program.

4.       Increasing the use of low carbon emitting vehicles and man powered mode of transportation like cycle through the Cycle Melbourne scheme

5.       Improving the city’s energy generation through renewable means.

Let’s hope that they manage to achieve their admirable goal, and that all Melbourne residents will do their part to support these initiatives as well as contribute their own steps to reducing energy usage from dirty fossil fuel sources.

Australia Emerging as a Renewable Energy Hot Spot!

Despite all the controversies that the country faces, Australia is now emerging as one of the most promising places to invest in renewable energy.Ernst & Young accounting firm has moved the country into 12^th place in the global jurisdiction of renewable energy, up from last year’s 16^th place, giving the country a stronger footing with potential investors.

Although still lagging behind China and Germany (which hold the 1^st and 2^nd place) the big improvement is expected to attract investors into the country as well as encourage more local interest. Ernst & Young SA managing partner Mark Butcher said the unveiling of Australia's carbon pricing scheme was providing the necessary investment certainty for a swiftly-growing renewable sector.

With the continued downward trend of solar panel prices supporting the solar industries continued growth, and a steady move increase in electricity prices Australia is getting closer to  national grid parity, when renewables would be competitive enough economically to offset carbon intensive energy on a large scale.

With major corporations like General Electric (GE), Areva, BP and Suzlonalready investing heavily, the long term positive future of the industry looks secured.

GE, one of the world’s leading electrical companies, will invest a $15 million solar plant in Western Australia. Areva and BP will both fund the solar flagship program of the country; Areva will be putting up most of the $1.2 billion 250 MW Solar Dawn project in Queensland which will feature a gas hybrid Concentrated solar power  (CSP) which is the largest of its kind while BP will be leading the 150 MW Moree solar farm in NSW hosting 650,000 solar PV panels.

The wind power company Suzlon Energy is planning a $ 1.3 billion wind farm in regional South Australia to power 225,000 homes a year.

Alongside with these huge investments are a wide range of projects financed by the government and local companies that will steadily add to the rising renewable energy capacity of the country.

We can safely conclude that from now more and more investors will be flocking to the country, helping to stabilise the green economy, offsetting our carbon dioxide emissions, and opening doors to new clean energy jobs.

Australia is determined to reach its 20% national renewable energy target by 2020 and 40% target by 2050. The country will invest largely on renewable energy sources; seeding a $10 billion dollar fund in the next 5 years. This is more than double that of other investing countries like Britain who will invest a total of $4.5 billion in the coming years.

To manage the tax payers’ contributions the country will be establishing the Clean Energy Finance Corporation; headed by a board of banking and investment management. The board will be partnering with the business sector to unlock more clean energy potentials and investments, and the corporation is set to operate by 2013.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation will function by loaning money or taking equity in solar power projects in Australia and other clean energy sources that cannot be funded by private lenders. The revenue of the loan will be again used for clean energy investments.

The collective funding will be used primarily on renewable energy projects like large scale solar panel installations and excluding all environmentally compromised energy sources like nuclear, bio-fuels from native forest wood waste, and carbon capture and storage. Another portion of the fund will be used to extensively grow hybrid energy sources like the Solar Dawn Project in Chinchilla, Queensland which combines solar thermal and gas.

A fraction of the fund will also be used for the development of supporting measures like energy efficient products as well as technological advancements in manufacturing renewable energy components. The corporation will also be utilising almost half a billion dollar in assisting farmers to reduce their carbon emission and to promote carbon storage in soil.

Australia’s renewable energy investment is said to increase up to $100 billion dollars by 2050 and so on until the ultimate goal 100% clean energy is reached.

High Energy Efficiency Rating Increases the Value of Your Home

Are you wondering if energy efficiency ratings do anything to increase the value of your home?  Well making the switch to solar power and other ways to reduce your homes utility bills has been proven to make strong economic sense. It will not only reduce your own cost of living while you own it, but it will also be passed along in the value that potential buyers place on your home at sale as well.

A recent study in the United States of America showed that green homes sell faster, and for more money, with an average 8% to 30% increase in value. This data is also reflected in the Australian real estate market and more home buyers are considering the green star rating of a home rather than pure cosmetic appeal.

For Home Owners

If you want to increase the value of your home before selling it then you can start today by installing rooftop solar panels and solar hot water systems. The combination of the two systems is a proven way to increase the green start rating of your home, greatly reduce the household electricity bills, and make significant cuts to your carbon footprints.

Not only will you increase the resale value of your home, but the benefits of a solar PV  system is that itimmediately starts to pay for itself from its first of operation; the only home improvement to do so. Purchase the largest system that you can fit onto your roof for the best financial return; what value would you place on a home that can honestly say that it has no electricity bill with normal usage for the next 20 years?

For Home Buyers

If you are planning to buy your dream home which is energy efficient and will keep your ongoing utility cost low then you should remember these key points to look out for;

1.       Be sure to check what environmental features that the home has in place (the government is expected to introduce a star rating system next year which will make this clear and easy to understand).

2.       Check if the solar panel system is eligible for your state feed in tariff and if it has been qualified.

3.       Hire a professional electrician to check the electrical works of the solar power system to prevent any hazard to your family.

4.       Check if the system has a smart meter incorporated to it and if it is still functioning well.

5.       For of grid systems, be sure to inspect the battery pack thoroughly and estimate how long it will still last.

6.       For solar how water systems, inspect the collecting ducts for any debris and the water storage tank for sanitary purposes.

With the costs of electricity and water continuing to increase rapidly there is no doubt that reducing the cost of living is of great concern to most families as well as how to reduce their carbon footprint & do their part to help reduce the effects of global warming. So for many reasons, and with real financial gains to be had as well, most people are looking to live in a home that is as ‘green’ as possible……..is yours?

Green your house


Added value: $30,000-plus.


Kell says according to an Australian Bureau of Statistics study, greening your house adds far more value than initial outlay.


The report estimated that on a 10-star rating basis, every star the house went up in energy efficiency it added 3 per cent in value.

House energy rating is done through the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) which uses computer simulations to assess the potential thermal comfort of Australian homes on a scale of zero to 10 stars. The more stars, the less likely the occupants need cooling or heating to stay comfortable.

What is rated?

A dwelling can be rated before or after it is built. The rating depends on:

• the layout of the home
• the construction of its roof, walls, windows and floor
• the orientation of windows and shading to the sun's path and local breezes
• how well these suit the local climate.

Note that energy consumption by hot water systems, lights or household appliances is not part of the rating because those fittings are usually replaced several times during the life of the building.

What the stars mean

• Zero stars means the building shell does practically nothing to reduce the discomfort of hot or cold weather.
• A 5 star rating indicates good, but not outstanding, thermal performance.
• Occupants of a 10 star home are unlikely to need any artificial cooling or heating.

Typical ratings

Houses built in 1990 averaged about 1 star on the NatHERS(National House Energy Rating )scale. Before the introduction of national energy efficiency regulations for houses in 2003, less than one per cent of Australian houses achieved 5 stars.

Many well designed houses are now being built above 6 stars or more,

Earth Hour 2011

Last March 26, 2011 at 8:30 PM the world switches off their light in participation and support for the “Earth Hour”

Earth Hour is a global event organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as World Wildlife Fund) and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, asking households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change. Earth Hour was conceived by WWF and The Sydney Morning Herald in 2007, when 2.2 million residents of Sydney participated by turning off all non-essential lights. Following Sydney's lead, many other cities around the world adopted the event in 2008. Earth Hour 2011 took place on March 26, 2011 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at participants' local time.

Hopefully the true meaning of the earth hour was spread across nations. Earth hour is not just turning off your lights for an hour and that’s it. The true meaning is going beyond that 60 minutes and to conserve electricity always and support renewable energy sources like solar PV panels, hydro power plants and wind energy

Sydney, Australia

Bangalore, India

Tokyo, Japan

San Francisco, USA

Almost 170 countries participated in all 7 continents making it one of the most successful Earth Hour to date.

Your Global Responsibility

You can say that the Earth had been mother to us all; it has provided everything that we need to survive and thrive as species, but sadly human nature tends to be abusive. We have abused our Earths resources and the environment and when worse comes to worst we cannot blame anybody but ourselves…...

Depletion of the earth reserve is occurring at an alarming rate. It now is the time to act as an individual. If you could just imagine what impact it could bring collectively if we all do everything that we can then we just might have a shot of giving Earth the time it needs to recuperate.

Doing your part to protect the environment is not a daunting task, if you could just make it habit much like how you don’t forget to put on your precious earrings or your gold watch, and then it will be a part of you. For some reason, we have created a notion that going green and being ecofriendly is a sacrifice thus the reason many people don’t take part in it consistently, but the truth is there is no sacrifice involved and you can actually benefit from it.

Simple things like changing your light bulbs to ecofriendly bulbs and turning off anything that is not in use is already contributing to your global responsibility. Taking a walk instead of riding your V6 fuel thirsty car will make a huge impact. While doing so you are saving money from electric bill and you can exercise and keep illnesses way. Again it is a matter of getting into the habit and then it becomes something that you just do.

Ultimately, one of the biggest way that you can benefit is that you can utilize advances in technology for your energy supply……..In Australia they are conducting campaigns for their global responsibility which includes using of solar energy as an alternative clean energy source, rather than the dirty coal burning energy that they get from power grids

Roughly there are about six billion of us today, and if all six billion will do their part we can achieve our goal!