Australian Prime Minister Announces Blacktown as First Solar City in New South Wales

[jpak]

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsASPR149.htm

Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced today that Blacktown will host the first Solar City in New South Wales. The Blacktown Solar City consortium - BP Solar, Integral Energy, Blacktown City Council, Landcom, the ANZ and Big Switch Projects - will receive up to $15 million through the Australian Government’s $75 million Solar Cities initiative.

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Overall, the Australian Government has committed a total of $2 billion to its climate change strategy which aims to develop clean, low-emission technologies; build an effective global response to the issue; increase understanding of climate change science and help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. Blacktown is an Australian city of the future - young and diverse, and experiencing a growth in energy requirements. The Blacktown Solar City consortium has engaged this vibrant and growing community to give residents more opportunities to install solar technologies, improve their energy efficiency, save money and help pave the way to a new energy future for all Australians.

Blacktown Solar City will install more than 860 photovoltaic systems of varying sizes and 2100 solar water heaters. Trialled for the first time, households will be offered a simpler kit which combines two sets of solar panels - one set to heat water and the other to create electricity. This new combined installation takes up less roof space and is cheaper to install than conventional individual systems.

Finance packages will be available to assist residents with the up-front costs of solar technologies. Residents and business owners will be able to better understand their energy use through the roll-out of 4000 smart meters. Over 3500 households and businesses can participate in energy consultations and 30,000 energy efficiency packs will be distributed to help Blacktown City residents reduce electricity bills by being more energy efficient. More than 200 households will be able to take up discounted ceiling insulation packages as part of a trial to measure energy savings from properly installed insulation.

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[Vorta]

1. I'm about to build a new house

I can't afford solar.

But I noticed a mention of smart meters. I don't know what those are, but I have been able to seriously reduce my electric consumption since getting a digital meter. It makes it much easier to actually see that setting the thermostat at 78ºF saves a bundle over setting it at 76ºF, or that waiting until after dark to set the temp down a bit saves big bucks. These things are no brainers of course, but when you can track usage precisely over 12 or 24 hour periods it's more useful than "I was good this month", or "Ouch!".

I think if digital electric meters were flush mounted in the kitchen on new homes, people would be more aware of how much energy they are using and when they are using it.

[jpak]

2. I'm alway a little disappointed when I hear people say they can't afford solar

in a new home.

A really good family sized solar hot water heater costs ~$5000.

A 0.96 kW PV system costs ~$6500 after federal tax credit...

http://www.bluelinksolar.net/fmain.html

It would provide enough electricity over the course of a year to run an Energy Star fridge, dish washer, washer and dryer.

Each of these would represent ~5% of a $100k new home, or ~2.5% of a 200k home or ~1.3% of a $300k home.

You don't have to spend $35,000 to use solar energy...

[Vorta]

3. It's not out of the question

A really good family sized solar hot water heater costs ~$5000.

A 0.96 kW PV system costs ~$6500 after federal tax credit...

OK, so a regular electric water heater costs about $500 installed (I just had to do that on this house) so that leaves $4500 dollars in electric cost which needs to be offset by the solar unit. That means it will take 11 years for the solar to pay for itself. Of course, an electric heater never pays for itself.

One of my fears is that just about the time the solar pays for itself, it will be time to replace it. I am currently considering a tankless propane water heater for the new house. I am also concerned about the durability of the solar panels when it comes to hurricane force winds and routine tropical thunderstorms, flying branches and that sort of thing.

It would be really cool to have a solar system, especially if it could be used to painlessly heat the pool in February.

Of course, if Bush has successfully trashed the economy to the point at which I can't sell my house for a good price, all of this could be moot.

BTW, have you seen those concrete dome houses they have in Australia? I have only seen then online, but they look very cool and perfectly suited for Florida.

[jpak]

4. The payback for the solar hot water heater is ~7 years

A $5000 system would qualify for a 30% federal tax credit

That would bring the price down to $3500.

Florida has a $500 rebate on solar hot water systems.

http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/energynews/2006/2006-04-draftrules.htm

The total Florida cost would be $3000.

Electric hot water heaters use ~5000 kWh per year - at 9 cents a kWh, that comes to $450 per year.

That's a 7 year payback.

Florida has a $4 per watt rebate on PV systems.

The Blue Link 960 W system would qualify for a 30% federal tax credit ($2820) and a $3840 Florida rebate.

That would bring the cost of the system down to $2740.

Both systems together would cost under $6000.

And they would greatly add to the value of your home.

Hurricane damage????

If you don't live on the beach or the Keys, there are mounting methods to make them hurricane sturdy...

http://alt-e.blogspot.com/2005/11/hurricane-wilma-power-outages-boost.html

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Another concern: solar panels must be installed correctly so the panels don't fly off in a storm or become damaged.

Bone, the owner of a solar home on No Name Key, said the panels on his house did fine in the hurricane, but he has seen some homes where they have not. He said there are two ways to mount panels on roofs -- flush or, as was common in the 1980s before Hurricane Andrew, tilted to the south for maximum sun exposure. Tilted panels have a greater chance of catching wind and tearing off, he said. Most modern installations must meet strict building codes that certify they can withstand hurricane force winds.

Despite such drawbacks, those who have tried solar power say it is easy to get hooked on the silent, abundant energy source -- both during an outage and after.

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There are 35,000 solar hot water systems in Barbados - and they have developed mounting techniques for hurricanes...

http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/echronicle/archives/2005/Q1/barbados.htm

Ask a local solar installer if you're really interested.

(PS the Blue Link systems can be mounted anywhere)

[jpak]

5. A recent article on (solar) hot water heaters in FL (~$1600 after rebates, tax credits)

Hot Water Heaters

http://www.nbc6.net/money/10307593/detail.html

FIU Professor Jack Parker invited us onto his roof to show us his hot water heater.

“This is my solar water heater. I've had it for about 20 years so it was paid for a long time ago,” boasted Parker. “It really works great."

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"There are a couple of days in the winter where I have to turn my electric back on. But, I would say I get almost 90 percent of my hot water from the sun."

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"A good system costs about $2,500,” Parker said. “But, now that we're in 2006, the federal government gives you a Federal and State Rebates, 30 percent rebate on that cost. And, you also get a rebate from the state of Florida. So, that brings the system down to $1,600. That makes it a far better investment."

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