Renewable Energy

Massively improved cost competitiveness of wind and solar PV in recent years has strengthened the business case of these technologies

Not so long ago, all renewables including wind and solar were a much harder sell

We always encourage renewable energy technology uptake during development of climate action plans

Expert advice and research on renewable energy options provided to:

• infrastructure operators
• governments and institutions
• companies seeking climate change solutions

Our program and policy advice helped renewable energy project development and underpinned grant applications for its installation

Technology overviews examined typical and innovative renewable energy options suitable to our clients

• One such overview for a major infrastructure client operating in Sydney and Melbourne included
  • Solar Electric (photovoltaics, concentrator dishes and concentrator trough)
  • Solar Thermal (concentrator trough, air/space heating)
  • Wind Turbines (micro/ domestic scale – horizontal and vertical axis)
  • Road Energy (thermal or electrical energy from roads)
  • Bio-fuels (biodiesel, ethanol)
  • Fuel Cells (Phosphoric Acid, Molten Carbonate and Solid Oxide)
  • Co-generation and Landfill Gas to electricity

Full technology reviews, including costs and payback periods undertaken of

• solar PV panels
• solar concentrator dishes
• medium-scale wind turbines

Advised Australian companies and a Chinese provincial government on possible available technologies

• biomass to energy
• solar
• wind
• hydro-electricity
• geothermal

Advice included ways to incorporate these technologies within the broader community or regional framework within which they operate

In the early days of the wind and solar PV boom, we provided a lead research institution with research into Australia’s PV and wind industries’

• capacity
• structure
• training
• employment

Assessed and analysed an Australian Government database of renewable energy facilities

• identify gaps and errors
• outline options for improving its functionality

Our input into impact assessments include renewable energy as a possible mitigation action

• Several clients subsequently undertook to utilise electricity generated by renewable energy sources

Assisted development of several proposals to install biomass energy technologies

• providing energy or process feedstock
• in developing countries, for the retail sector and for industrial sites

Services provided to an Australian Government project creating several technology Best Practice Guides, Workbooks and websites

• Technologies included were Building Integrated PV (BiPV), Energy from Waste, biomass conversion and hydro-electricity

Experience Before Consulting

In the early days of Australia’s response to climate change, during the mid to late 1990s, our Director was the Team Leader (Energy and Water Sectors) as well as renewable energy and cogeneration adviser with the Australian Government’s voluntary climate change program, Greenhouse Challenge

Strategies developed targeted:

• increased participation of major companies in renewable energy and cogeneration
• improved Government and Industry recognition of these alternative energy options and the climate solutions they offer

He’s authored/ co-authored numerous chapters, peer reviewed papers and publications on renewable energy, covering the technology options and its various uses as well as users’ attitudes and experiences of various technologies

He conducted Australia’s first research focused exclusively on users seeking domestic energy self-sufficiency through the use of renewable energy, exploring their systems, attitudes and experiences

• Systems studied used renewable energy sources as a part of Remote Area Power Systems (RAPS)
  • solar PV
  • solar thermal (hot water)
  • micro-wind
  • micro-hydro
  • biomass, along with battery storage.
• The users were at the leading edge of technology uptake, at a time when PV was more than 10x as expensive as today and current household battery options didn’t exist

• Several case studies were completed into
  • equipment manufacture
  • the use of green grids
  • community-scale use of renewable energy
  • use in eco-tourism operations