library.SCOTCH: Energy Use in WA: Renewables

Energy Facilities WA

Australian Energy Market Operator. Energy generation WA. (2015). Retrieved from http://wa.aemo.com.au/#generation-fuelmix
AEMO collects and collates a range of data relating to the Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) within the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) in Western Australia. This site includes a realtime chart of energy use in WA.

Energy Sources Pros and Cons

DLIST Benguela. (n.d.). Energy sources: What are the pros and cons. Retrieved from http://www.dlist.org/burning-issues/energy-sources-what-are-the-pros-and-cons
This website gives a summary of the pros and cons of different forms of renewable and non renewable energy supply.

World Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy World. (2015). News and information. Retrieved from http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/index.html
This website provides the up-to-date news and information on renewable energy issues around the globe.

Benefits Outweigh Costs

Energy: Benefits outweigh clean-energy costs. (2014). Nature, 514(7522), 276. doi:10.1038/514276b
Large-scale investments in wind, solar and hydropower could double the electricity generated globally from these sources by 2050 — with only modest environmental costs.

Payback Calculator

Synergy
Figure out your payback period. Try our handy tool to understand the financial benefits of solar by estimating of how long it might take to pay back your system based on WA averages.

Bioenergy

Bioenergy is the energy produced from using organic matter, known as biomass. Energy can be in the form of heating, cooling, electricity or transport fuels. To find out more on W.A.'s bionenergy visit the finance.wa.gov.au site.

Australian Government. (n.d.). Bioenergy. Retrieved from https://www.finance.wa.gov.au/cms/Public_Utilities_Office/Energy_in_Western_Australia/Renewable_energy/Bioenergy.aspx
There are eight small power stations in the Perth metropolitan area that use landfill gas to produce electricity. These plants currently have an installed capacity of nearly 20 megawatts.
Clean Energy Council. (2014). Bioenergy. Retrieved from http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/technologies/bioenergy.html
Bioenergy involves efficiently extracting considerable quantities of clean, low-emission electricity from waste. In Australia, the sector currently generates approximately 2400 GWh per annum. This equates to just over 1 per cent of total electricity generation, and 7.6 per cent of total clean energy generation.
ABC Regional News. (2015, May 27). Renewable Energy Target deal makes Manjimup a 'forerunner' in biomass energy production.
A biomass power plant could be running in Manjimup, in southern Western Australia, within two years, after a bipartisan deal struck by the Federal Government over the Renewable Energy Target (RET).
Brooksbank, K. (2015, November 13). Biomass and Bioenergy. Retrieved from https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/carbon-farming/biomass-and-bioenergy
Western Australian farmers produce over 10 million tonnes of waste biomass every year and much of this will present commercial opportunities for new industries. Resources, such as cereal straw, grape marc and tomato vines, are by-products of the main crop and most of the waste biomass has little or no commercial use.
Ecos. (2012, July 1). Funding for new low emissions energy projects in WA. Ecos. Issue 173, p1-2, 2p
The article reports that the government of Western Australia has announced that 12.7 million dollars from the Low Emissions Energy Development (LEED) Fund will be awarded to three new low emissions energy projects encompassing bioenergy, geothermal, solar thermal and emissions capture. Biogass Renewables is developing a commercial-scale anaerobic digester plant to convert solid waste to biogas for electricity generation and compost in thermally insulated tank.
Brooksbank, K., Lever, M., Paterson, H., & Weybury, M.l. (2014). Biomass scoping study. Bulletin 4862, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia, Perth. Retrieved from https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/sites/gateway/files/Biomass%20scoping%20study%2
This report aims to provide a summary of national and international activity in the use of agricultural by-products for the production of bioenergy and biofuels. The summary is primarily an internal report for the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA), but will hopefully be of some value to industry proponents that are interested in pursuing the opportunities provided by what are currently low value agricultural waste products. We outline three processes for obtaining energy from these by-products that may be appropriate for the farming sector in Western Australia
(WA).
Clean Energy Finance Corporation. (2015, November). The Australian bioenergy and energy from waste market. Retrieved from http://www.cleanenergyfinancecorp.com.au/media/107567/the-australian-bioenergy-and-energy-from-waste-market-cefc-market-report.pdf
Electricity generation from biomass is already cost-competitive where feedstock is available at low cost or as a revenue source, at larger scales and where cogeneration of heat offers opportunities to reduce other costs.
Australian Government. (2015). Australian energy technology assessments. Retrieved from http://www.industry.gov.au/Office-of-the-Chief-Economist/Publications/Pages/Australian-energy-technology-assessments.aspx
The Australian Energy Technology Assessment (AETA) 2012 provides the best available and most up-to-date cost estimates for 40 electricity generation technologies under Australian conditions. These costs, detailed in this report and in an accompanying model, are provided by key cost component and include a levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) that allows for cross-technology and over time comparisons.

Geothermal

Geothermal energy involves extracting the energy stored as heat in the earth. Although geothermal energy is present everywhere beneath the surface, it must be concentrated and close to the surface and energy consumers to be a cost-effective power source. To find out more on W.A.'s geothermal energy visit the finance.gov.au site.

Australian Government. (n.d.). Geothermal. Retrieved from http://www.finance.wa.gov.au/cms/Public_Utilities_Office/Energy_in_Western_Australia/Renewable_energy/Geothermal.aspx
Legislation to allow geothermal energy exploration and production was passed in 2007. Since then, the Department of Mines and Petroleum has released exploration acreage covering the entire state, and awarded over 40 exploration permits.
Clean Energy Council. (2014). Geothermal. Retrieved from http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/technologies/geothermal.html
Geothermal energy uses the earth's natural internal heat to generate electricity and heating. Geothermal energy may be stored in granite rocks (often called 'hot rocks') or trapped in liquids such as water and brine (hydrothermal process).
EcoGeneration. (2015, February 1). Closed-loop direct geothermal at the Goldfields Oasis Recreation Centre. Issue 86, p58-61, 4p
The article focuses on the use of ground source heat pumps (GSHP's) at the Goldfields Oasis Recreation Centre (GORC) in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Topics include the use of GSHP's as a heat sink in order to transfer in and out of the arena, reduction in the energy consumption at the GORC, and use of geothermal energy in aquariums in Australia.
ABC News. (2012, June 12). Using the earth's heat to desalinate groundwater.
A group of West Australian scientists is working on a project to turn saline groundwater into fresh, drinking quality H20 and it appears the answer to doing so is right under their feet.
Geothermal Centre of Excellence. (2012). Geothermal research W.A. Retrieved from http://www.geothermal.org.au/Research.htm
Because of the Perth Basin’s geology with shallow groundwater of moderate temperature, the Centre focuses on direct heat use technologies such as geothermally powered air conditioning and desalination.
Geothermal convection in settings such this provides a natural heat exchanger. Combined with the high natural permeability of the Basin, this means there is no need for artificial hydraulic fracturing.
Australian Government. (2015). Australian energy technology assessments. Retrieved from http://www.industry.gov.au/Office-of-the-Chief-Economist/Publications/Pages/Australian-energy-technology-assessments.aspx
The Australian Energy Technology Assessment (AETA) 2012 provides the best available and most up-to-date cost estimates for 40 electricity generation technologies under Australian conditions. These costs, detailed in this report and in an accompanying model, are provided by key cost component and include a levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) that allows for cross-technology and over time comparisons.

Hydro

Hydro-electricity production harnesses the energy of flowing water. Large hydro-electric power stations generally use dams to store water until needed, while smaller-scale generation facilities use the natural flow of rivers. This is the most established and mature form of renewable energy. To find out more on W.A.'s hydro-electricity visit the finance.wa.gov.au site.

Australian Government. (n.d.). Hydro. Retrieved from http://www.finance.wa.gov.au/cms/Public_Utilities_Office/Energy_in_Western_Australia/Renewable_energy/Hydro.aspx
Western Australia’s only commercial hydro-electric generator is the 30 megawatt power station at the Ord River Dam on Lake Argyle, completed in April 1996. This facility is the single biggest provider of renewable energy outside of the South West Interconnected System (Western Australia’s main electricity network).
Clean Energy Council. (2014). Hydroelectricity. Retrieved from http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/technologies/hydroelectricity.html
Hydro uses flowing water to spin a turbine connected to a generator that produces electricity. The amount of electricity generated depends on the volume of water and the height of the water above the turbine.
Clean Energy Council. (2012, October). Facts about hydroelectricity. Retrieved from http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/dam/cec/technologies/hydroelectricity/Hydro-Fact-Sheet-An-Overview-of-Hydroelectricity-in-Australia.pdf
Facts about hydroelectricity in Australia:
→ In 2011, hydroelectric plants produced a total of 67 per cent of Australia’s total clean energy generation1, enough energy to power the equivalent of 2.8 million average Australian homes.
International Hydropower Association. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.hydropower.org/2015-hydropower-status-report
This report offers an insight into recent hydropower development and sector trends around the world. The report includes statistics on hydropower capacity globally and in Australia. You will be asked to give your email address to access this report.
Australian Government. (2015). Australian energy technology assessments. Retrieved from http://www.industry.gov.au/Office-of-the-Chief-Economist/Publications/Pages/Australian-energy-technology-assessments.aspx
The Australian Energy Technology Assessment (AETA) 2012 provides the best available and most up-to-date cost estimates for 40 electricity generation technologies under Australian conditions. These costs, detailed in this report and in an accompanying model, are provided by key cost component and include a levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) that allows for cross-technology and over time comparisons.

Marine

Marine energy uses the movement of ocean tides, currents, or waves to produce electricity. The Western Australian Government has provided $12.5 million towards development of Australia’s first commercial-scale wave energy project, off Garden Island south of Perth. Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd is developing the 5 megawatt pilot plant. To find out more on W.A.'s marine energy visit the finance.wa.gov.au site.

Australian Government. (n.d.). Marine. Retrieved from https://www.finance.wa.gov.au/cms/Public_Utilities_Office/Energy_in_Western_Australia/Renewable_energy/Marine.aspx
While a constant energy supply cannot be guaranteed due to variations in wave height and availability, regular storms in the Southern Ocean deliver constant swells to Australia’s southern shoreline – making wave energy highly predictable and reliable.
Clean Energy Council. (2014). Marine. Retrieved from http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/technologies/marine-energy.html
Marine energy uses the movement of water to generate electricity from tides, waves or ocean currents. Australia's long, surf-swept coastline is a massive potential source of marine energy.
Carnegie Wave Energy. (n.d.). About Carnegie. Retrieved from http://carnegiewave.com/who-we-are/
Carnegie Wave Energy Limited is the ASX-listed inventor, owner and developer of the patented CETO wave energy technology that converts ocean swell into zero-emission renewable power and desalinated freshwater.
Hayward, J., & Knight, C. (2013). What is ocean energy?. Ecos, (184), 1-2.
The article focuses on the renewable ocean energy and the potential ocean energy resources in terms of energy production in Australia, which include the wave energy converters, tidal turbines and tidal stream devices. Topics discussed include several companies, including wave energy technology company Carnegie, Australian wave energy company Oceanlinx, and renewable energy technology company BioPower Systems.
Tollefson, J. (2014). Power from the oceans: Blue energy. Nature, 508(7496), 302-304. doi:10.1038/508302a
The article focuses on the extraction of marine power from tide and waves in the ocean in an affordable way and offers information on three giant buoys of the company Carnegie Wave Energy that will start producing energy from the Indian Ocean from June 2014. It further expands on several projects associated with the extraction of wave energy and also discusses challenges associated with equipment and systems that can efficiently harvest energy from the ocean.
Australian Government. (2015). Australian energy technology assessments. Retrieved from http://www.industry.gov.au/Office-of-the-Chief-Economist/Publications/Pages/Australian-energy-technology-assessments.aspx
The Australian Energy Technology Assessment (AETA) 2012 provides the best available and most up-to-date cost estimates for 40 electricity generation technologies under Australian conditions. These costs, detailed in this report and in an accompanying model, are provided by key cost component and include a levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) that allows for cross-technology and over time comparisons.

Solar

Solar energy technologies generate electricity using energy from the sun. There are two main types:

solar thermal (concentrating solar) energy systems – concentrate the sun’s energy to produce heat, used to produce steam to drive a turbine and generate electricity
solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems – convert solar energy directly into electricity by producing an electric current when exposed to sunlight

To find out more on W.A.'s solar energy visit the finance.wa.gov.au site.

Australian Government. (n.d.). Solar. Retrieved from http://www.finance.wa.gov.au/cms/Public_Utilities_Office/Energy_in_Western_Australia/Renewable_energy/Solar.aspx
There is a significant amount of smaller scale PV system generation capacity installed in the State’s main electricity network. Many of the isolated power systems in remote areas also use PV.
Clean Energy Council. (2014). Solar PV. Retrieved from http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/technologies/solar-pv.html
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roofs of homes and businesses use energy from the sun to generate electricity cleanly and quietly. The conversion of sunlight into electricity takes place in cells of specially fabricated semiconductor crystals.
Clean Energy Council. (2014). Solar Thermal. Retrieved from Concentrated solar thermal (CST) technology harnesses the sun's power to generate electricity. It uses lenses and reflectors to concentrate sunlight, heating a fluid such as water or oil and prod
Concentrated solar thermal (CST) technology harnesses the sun's power to generate electricity. It uses lenses and reflectors to concentrate sunlight, heating a fluid such as water or oil and producing steam to drive a turbine.
CSIRO. (2105, May 8). Solar thermal. Retrieved from http://www.csiro.au/en/Research/EF/Areas/Solar/Solar-thermal
Harnessing renewable energy to reduce Australia's dependence on fossil fuels is one of our biggest challenges. And as lowering emissions becomes more important for industry and homeowners, we are looking at new ways of generating solar energy. Our challenge is how to make solar power a reliable, stable power source for Australia's energy future.
David, P. (2015, November 25). Savings add up for going solar. Age, The (Melbourne). p. 2.
There are many pros and cons to installing solar panels. Do your homework writes David Potts.
Australian Government. (2015). Australian energy technology assessments. Retrieved from http://www.industry.gov.au/Office-of-the-Chief-Economist/Publications/Pages/Australian-energy-technology-assessments.aspx
The Australian Energy Technology Assessment (AETA) 2012 provides the best available and most up-to-date cost estimates for 40 electricity generation technologies under Australian conditions. These costs, detailed in this report and in an accompanying model, are provided by key cost component and include a levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) that allows for cross-technology and over time comparisons.

Wind

Harnessing the wind for the generation of electricity is one of the most advanced and commercially deployed renewable energy technologies. Wind energy is one of the cheaper renewable energy technologies and is a major source of power in over 70 countries across the world. To find out more on W.A.'s wind energy visit the finance.wa.gov.au site.

Australian Government. (n.d.). Wind. Retrieved from http://www.finance.wa.gov.au/cms/Public_Utilities_Office/Energy_in_Western_Australia/Renewable_energy/Geothermal.aspx
Western Australia had installed capacity of 424 megawatts of wind generation as at the end of 2011/12, with most of this connected to the SWIS. The output from wind accounted for about 65% of the electricity produced by renewable energy sources in the State, and 75% of renewable energy produced on the SWIS.
Synergy. (n.d.). Wind energy. Retrieved from https://www.synergy.net.au/Our-energy/Electricity/Electricity-generation/Wind-energy
Wind energy is one of the cheapest forms of creating electricity, which is why it is the popular choice for renewable power in WA. While you've probably seen these impressive turbines dotting the landscape, it isn't immediately obvious how these giant structures use the wind to power our homes.
Intelligent Energy Europe. (2009). Wind energy the facts. Retrieved from http://www.wind-energy-the-facts.org/
The fact publication is widely considered the most important wind reference in the world. This resource includes facts on wind: economics, technology, industry and environment.
Planning W.A. (2004). Guidelines for windfarm development. Retrieved from http://www.planning.wa.gov.au/dop_pub_pdf/pb67May04.pdf
This planning bulletin is intended to provide local government, other relevant approval authorities and wind farm developers with a guide to the planning framework for the balanced assessment of land-based wind farm developments, throughout the state
Australian Government. (2015). Australian energy technology assessments. Retrieved from http://www.industry.gov.au/Office-of-the-Chief-Economist/Publications/Pages/Australian-energy-technology-assessments.aspx
The Australian Energy Technology Assessment (AETA) 2012 provides the best available and most up-to-date cost estimates for 40 electricity generation technologies under Australian conditions. These costs, detailed in this report and in an accompanying model, are provided by key cost component and include a levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) that allows for cross-technology and over time comparisons.