Australia’s First Tesla Powerwall Installed, Trial To Examine Impact Of Solar Begins

Posted on January 25, 2016 by groundswellbasscoast

Tesla-powerwall-batteryQueensland Government-owned power company Energex has started a trial of Tesla’s Powerwall energy storage battery, commencing with installation of the first system in the country. Trial will go for the next year, in which time the government will look at options for financial incentives for customers cutting use of grid electricity…Energex will be collecting data throughout the 12 month trial, which is planned to expand to include installations of systems in the homes of employees and consumers…” trial would give energy companies vital information about the effect of solar batteries on peak demand, allowing them to plan for <less> infrastructure or reduction of power generation.

“Queensland now has one of the highest solar [photo voltaic] take-up rates in the world, higher than Hawaii, or Germany, or California and leading the nation,” says Energy minister, Mark Bailey…“We must manage this transition to clean energy — consumers want it, the public wants it, it benefits everybody and this is a very exciting day.”

>more> Gizmodo

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How much does battery storage really cost? Lazard weighs in

Posted on January 23, 2016 by groundswellbasscoast

In November 2015, financial advisory firm Lazard released its first-ever Levelized Cost of Storage Analysis (LCOS). Well known for its Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis (LCOE) analysis—now out in version 9.0—Lazard publishing an analysis of storage is a major sign that it considers battery energy storage a critical technology that’s here to stay…But closer look at Lazard’s LCOS shows something RMI’s October 2015 Economics of Battery Energy Storagereport noted: a) battery economics are usually evaluated on the basis of single-use cases, b) stacking multiple uses can greatly enhance battery economics, and c) evaluating those economics gets difficult quickly. It’s the use cases and stacked value streams—in addition to per-kWh cell cost declines—that offer tremendous opportunity…Batteries are tricky to evaluate in part because they aren’t strictly a demand- or supply-side solution. They’re an arbiter of supply and demand, serving as either generation or load depending on whether they’re discharging or charging. So the favorable finances of storage can use all the clarity and all the study they can get…this is a comprehensive report, the bottom line being that, more bean counting is needed, to find more ways, to add to the bottom line, so storage clearly offers better return than gas peaker plants and other such.

>more> RenewEconomy

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Report from Davos: Why 4th industrial revolution is coming our way

Posted on January 23, 2016 by groundswellbasscoast

davos_387x235newThe World Economic Forum held in Davos this week comes on the heels of the international climate meeting in Paris in December, and the energy and optimism from COP21 is also fueling Davos. Over the past few days, much of the conversation here has focused on the role the private sector will play to innovate and develop the technologies needed to curb greenhouse gas emissions…how big corporates see opportunity for emission reduction.

>more> EDF

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Rupert Murdoch Marrying Climate Hawk

Posted on January 23, 2016 by groundswellbasscoast

AP_766065809548-1024x787This is one of the most unusual couplings…actress and model who had four children with the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger (and who has argued “climate change is the biggest threat the world has ever seen”) getting engaged to the man Rolling Stone magazine labeled “The Disinformer” in a 2010 story naming the “The Climate Killers: 17 polluters and deniers who are derailing efforts to curb the climate catastrophe.” Rolling Stone said Murdoch and his NewsCorp empire, which includes Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, “have become the nation’s leading source of disinformation about climate change.” Not sure that does justice to the man whose media empire is also Australia’s leading source of climate disinformation and one of the top sources of disinformation in England. A 2014 survey of public opinions on climate change in 20 countries found the top three countries with the most climate denial were, in order, the United States, Great Britain and Australia. Quelle coïncidence!

>more> ThinkProgress

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19 Feb Community Forum Wonthaggi

Posted on January 20, 2016 by groundswellbasscoast

At the Town Hall 7.30, presentations will be made about Climate Conference Paris, promises made and what we’re really up against. Lead Speaker is Prof David Karoly, with colleague Ritchie Chair Economist John Fairbairn and Carol Ride Convenor of Psychology for Safe Climate at BZE. Please see attached for more detail.

>more> brochure.pdf

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What’s the point of plants? Producers of O2 from CO2? No!

Posted on January 18, 2016 by groundswellbasscoast

5164970-3x2-300x200Gem from this episode, mingling botanists and quantum physicists is that plants don’t actually convert CO2 to O2. 90% of time since earliest life forms has been marine. As oceans retreated, gadgets responsible for O2 production, cyano-bacteria, embedded themselves in chloroplasts, the engine of plant photosynthesis O2 production. Importantly, O2 is split from weaker atomic bonds in H2O molecule, not CO2…Just in case you’re not a radio person, nor even an RN person, nor in habit of listening early morning Sunday….you’re missing out on hilarious and informative update on latest  science…(on page linked below, scroll down to “For online streaming click on the BBC link below”)

>more> ABC InfiniteMonkeyCage (Brian Cox and Robin Ince/BBC)

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Sweden now Recycling 99% of its garbage:

Posted on January 18, 2016 by groundswellbasscoast

Sweden has set a new precedent in the world of recycling its trash, with a near zero waste amount of 99 percent. Sweden was already ahead of the game back in 2012, when they were recycling 96 percent of their trash, but the three percent jump in just two years is quite impressive…How does Sweden do it? They have an aggressive recycling policy, which goes in an order of importance: prevention, reuse, recycling, recycling alternatives, and as a last resort, disposal in landfill. As of 2014, only 1 percent of their waste ends up in a landfill…Swedes understand that producing less waste to begin with is key to reducing the amount of trash that ends up being thrown away. Something as simple as using reusable containers for water and drinks can greatly reduce the amount of trash each person produces per year.

>more> TheMindUnleashed

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As Coal Industry Teeters, Obama Halts Coal Leasing

Posted on January 18, 2016 by groundswellbasscoast

The Obama administration, in the first major review of the country’s coal program in three decades, on Friday ordered a pause on issuing coal-mining leases on federal land as part of new executive actions to fight climate change…“We have an obligation to current and future generations to ensure the federal coal program delivers a fair return to American taxpayers and takes into account its impacts on climate change,” Jewell said on a conference call…Federal land accounts for over 40 % of U.S. coal production. Most leases are on public land in Western states…As of the end of 2014, there were 308 active coal mining leases on more than 464,000 acres of public lands

>more> ClimateCrocks

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Tasmanian Government examines long-term green energy options after power woes

Posted on January 17, 2016 by groundswellbasscoast

With low water levels for hydro power and Basslink power interconnected to Victoria, Tasmania now must look at serious investment in renewables, especially after 2014 abandoning 600MW wind farm in King Island.

>more> ABC News

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After empty promises deliver major cities under water

Posted on January 17, 2016 by groundswellbasscoast

Interesting and comprehensive set of ideas about what makes sense for future human settlements. Huge cities with so much energy intensive infrastructure are climate change mass suicide. Please let our leaders know so that we can help them follow to safety.

>more> .mp3 audio at ABC RN Ockham’s Razor

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