Tasmanias natural resources are finite..not renewable. Our forests and farmlands and wedgetailed eagles are not renewable. At 100 turbines killing 25 or more wedgetailed eagles every year, industry figures, then 500 turbines kill 125 eagles every year. At least. This is not, Not, sustainable.
There has been NO Community involvement because the information sessions fail completely. They separate the participants from each other, they fail to answere questions properly, they fail to record peoples concerns, questions, replies, personal situations and environmental problems and fails to make those concerns and views public or sent to the Minister. AusNet has benefitted from the consumer forum respond model because the publics views have been dismissed ,ignored. TasNet's community involvement and has been perfunctory and artificial.
A good discussion and many thanks. Behind the meter storage has been around for around 100 years in the form of electric HWS. It was used effectively by the coal fired generators to use excess power during off peak times to keep the power stations running as efficiently as possible. Now with massive amounts of excess solar power we can move the off peak time to peak sun hours. By improving HWS insulation we can use this type of storage efficiently and soak up energy being produced at low cost without the need for complex systems containing unreliable moving parts, high gas use etc while using typically very long life products. Hidden benefits include significant network efficiency gains due very good Power Factor which is an inherent attribute of resistive loads that the heating element offers. We need to measure all of the costs and benefits each proposal contributes before spending money on new technologies.
Still looking for real outcomes from this conference. From what I see there is a big wishlist to try and satisfy some big demands from consumers. Some good conversations but that alone isn't going to be enough.
Energy resilience doesn’t have to be expensive or need massive community batteries. It can start small, and small is beautiful, after all. People have been practising this for years and it is catching on. The camping industry is a good example. DIY battery and inverters, powered by solar panels are everywhere. The portable power station for a few hundred dollars will open the garage door or charge your phone or power your refrigerator. Cordless power tool batteries can keep lights or fans running. Nothing complicated and it’s mostly plug and play. And the prices are rapidly dropping. What’s not to like?
It is indeed difficult to find a one size fits all model to address a large range of issues relating to different groups of humans. Thus we need to find common ground. The current models of funding aren't delivering, so many groups like Original Power have decided to try something different, so they should be congratulated for their approach. Perhaps we need a quarantined 'services' tax of 5% added to the GST to pay for education on how to best use energy efficient technology. Pleasing some of people some of the time doesn't seem to be working. In the meantine using free knowledge readily available on youtube could get you there faster. The off-grid and camping groups seem to pump out plenty of ideas on how to keep the lights on. Climate change is not going to slow down.
What's missing? That's a great question. Perhaps we should look at what we all expect to work, works now and keeps working just fine, most of the time anyway. And who pays? Everyone does. At some time or other everyone will be 'paying' in some way to keep it working because in reality there is no choice. So lets start at the 'bottom' end. The sewerage system. Every home has it and it can't just be switched off at will. Yet noboby shops around for a 'better' plan. Lets learn from that. Why not copy that approach so very house, as a minimum, has a power connection which can't be switched off and has a small solar/battery backed LED lighting system that works all of the time without a 'plan' to keep it on. Ditto for the communications system. Battery backed NBN should be switched on all the time for a basic access to emergency, education, health and government websites. It's not rocket science. The lights and comms at my house stay working using solar panels diverted from landfill or recycling because even if they don't meet full spec they work just fine. USB devices powered by the lithium battery can keep going even during long power disruption. Refrigeration also keeps working using the same efficient tech. About year 4 level math so we could teach all the kids how to do it no problem. Imagine if we diverted that knowledge to the communities on 'prepay' meters. Equality and minimum standards are the right of all people. And we know how to do it. Pre NBN we all had access to a telephone that worked all of the time. 000 worked even if no-one paid for the line. Lets try going back to that level of service we should all expect.
Excellent session. It really gets back to the fundamentals of life. After food shelter work etc people need security. Energy security is where a minimum of needs are provided. Lighting, cooking, refrigeration, hot water, communications regardless of where it comes from are the basic services that people want and expect. Some of those can be provided locally and are within the means of most people for a lot of the time. Climate change requires better understanding of how we can achieve those minimum expectations and simple changes to our behaviour can go a long way toward achieving those goals. Education is where we can achieve the best results so we need to start it at primary school level. Kids learn fast and if we give them some basic tools we can get communities moving much faster than the old men with unkempt beards ever will. 🙂
Great comments from 12:30 minutes in. Knowledge does not necessarily lead to action. 24 min in is also good. Energy efficiency funding cost built in to energy price. ✅
Yes transitioning can have its ups and downs. I tried two heatpump hot water systems over the last 15 years and both were very expensive to buy and maintain. My most recent one purchased in 2016 worked well until last year but it turned out to be non repairable locally as the refrigeration electricians won't spend the money on the required endorsements to do a simple re-gas of the unit. So I went back to a low maintenance resistive element type that is made in Australia. Low priced and running during daylight hours from the expanded solar power array. Simple and smarter. Anything with moving parts is always going to need more maintenance.
Great to see everyone enthusiastic about managing climate, weather and other disaster related events. Sharing the approaches being developed in different communities is a valuable resource. I’m sure you will also be liaising closely with the DIDRR Collaborating for Inclusion group at Uni of Sydney who have produced a compact work sheet for those with a disability. Their Person Centred Toolkit for people with disability carries a similar theme. Living almost anywhere in Australia makes us all disaster prone in one way or another. The good news is we are now surrounded by opportunities to increase our resilience to power and communications loss if and when it occurs. Many resources are now low cost or even free however it is underpinned by the requirement to have the knowledge or be aware of what is out there. The all-in-one portable Power Station is a good example. They typically contain a lithium battery, AC power inverter, charger and an MPPT solar regulator to make it a truly plug and play device. I use mine to keep phones, iPads and a mobility scooter charged if required. A discarded house solar panel, most work perfectly, can often be plugged straight in and work even in cloudy weather to recharge the 10 year life battery. During power outages my lights, fans and phones stay on. These things cost less than a mobile phone and will keep going if properly used. Thank you all for sharing your ideas and willingness to learn new things.
In 2014 Grattan Institute said that household electrification and a "dash from gas" were unlikely, and that we should embrace a "gas revolution" (see link). Now 9 years later in 2023, Grattan Institute says oops now we have a big problem - how to deal with homes leaving the gas grid - and governments should have started planning for this 20 years ago. Hmmm, well we are embracing that revolution alright! grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/817-gas-at-the-crossroads.pdf
Yes the privatisation of essential services has been very expensive for consumers. Fortunately those where government has retained ownership are mostly avoiding the delay and inconvenience Justin is having to deal with. Complain to the company and cc your energy ombudsman and your local Federal/State MP.
Great analysis of the situation David, education of the householder towards efficient alternatives would be a great start. Most of the energy efficiency practices used and known any consumers are fed by cold environments (Europe and US) and keeping houses warm, unlike our environment. Teaching how to be locally energy efficient would be a HUGE STEP FORWARD.
Yes it was a good opportunity to share knowledge and ideas however it did seem to be endlessly going over a lot of ‘old ground’. The history lesson at the beginning is relevant. Edison, Maxwell and Tesla would indeed be shaking their heads at how we have squandered the tools they gave us after having lead the way so cleverly 150 years ago. The ‘economics’ has been subdued by profit as good technology has been redirected to inflating bank accounts instead of empowering the dream of humans to reduce the toil of those least able to afford its benefits. Indeed opportunists have replaced opportunity quite effectively. Yet the fate of all of us requires a rapid reversal of the current wealthy societies approach based on waste rather than smart choices to propel clever ideas to the head of the queue. There are no losers with the latter. Talking has its place however doing is now more important.
A good coverage of an evergrowing array of technologies which seem to change before they are adopted. Micro mobility has been one constant and anyone with a disability is likely to have already adapted and adopted better products while the community sits back waiting to be 'lead' by government. Electric bikes since 2010 have been lithium powered and solar charged in many cases. E-scooters are now following that model rapidly with a reasonable 'no need to own one' approach that seems fairly successful. EV car design is still hopelessly stuck in the old big and heavy vehicle approach. We need low weight low cost designs with less frills that match the populations needs. Current EV cars are typically 1.5 to 2.5 tonnes and require massive batteries to achieve good range, and are consequently expensive. I mean do we really need a car with a top speed of 220km/h and a 0-100km/h in 3 secs. The adoption of the SUV, or stupid useless vehicle, set us back considerably. Family orientated station wagons pre 2010 were much lighter, roomier and smarter however manufacturers walked away from them to build the high profit SUV. Families are now buying a massive inefficient dual cab 4WD to go shopping or take the kids to school because small cars don't have the usable space of the older car practical designs. They do however use up all of the parking space in shopping centres. We know the answers, we just fail to apply the readily available solutions. Humans are asleep at the wheel unfortunately.
Yes you are spot on Tim with respect to energy efficiency. The elephant in the room is time. The way to address this is with the fundamental problem of the lack of visible display of energy use. Consumers literally have no idea of what their gas stove or air conditioner or toaster is using. We have low cost technology that can display consumption 'live' but choose not to install it. Instead we wait a long time even months for 'feedback' from the energy bill when it arrives. Time is our issue wrt climate change and it's time we don't have to waste. It's time energy suppliers were required to provide live display of power, water and gas consumption. Humans react instantly to price signals. If your visble display says that at your current energy use your next power bill will be $1500 I bet they will take immediate steps to act on that information. We need a National Metering Strategy up and running by 2025. If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it.
Perhaps if households and business could get real time energy use displayed on a screen inside their home or business many of the concerns about energy use could be alleviated. This would also allow immediate opportunity to actively control consumption to keep costs under control. We have digital 'smart' meters installed but can't access the data. A bit like having a speedometer/odometer/fuel gauge located in a locked box in the boot of the car and not having the key. Consumers are effectively 'driving blind' in their homes. We wouldn't accept it in a $4000 car but its apparently perfectly acceptable in a $400,000 home. We can do better than this and will have to get a lot smarter to reduce consumption waste and our bills.
What a load of political rubbish. Australia has plenty of gas. The only problem is that our government gives it away to multinational company’s. These companies manipulate the market by withholding supply and driving up prices. American by contrast has a natural gas reserve designed to ensure both supply reasonable prices. At the moment the gas company’s dictate our gas policy. Get off your backside Albo and respond to the ACTUAL issue. Show some balls Albo! WE NEED A GAS RESERVE!!!
What a load of political rubbish. Australia has plenty of gas. The only problem is that our government gives it away to multinational company’s. These companies manipulate the market by withholding supply and driving up prices. American by contrast has a natural gas reserve designed to ensure both supply reasonable prices. At the moment the gas company’s dictate our gas policy. Get off your backside Albo and respond to the ACTUAL issue. Show some balls Albo! WE NEED A GAS RESERVE!!!
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