Im having a beautiful crepe breaky at Mt Gambier in South Australia. Heading to sleepy Adelaide to dance some West Coast Swing.
Reading the local rag which states a world first. Then I google Adelaide and solar power.
Adelaide....known as a sleepy city which obviously doesnt sleep with solar energy and storage:
Back in 2013-powered public transport system
By CleanTechnica on 12 September 2013
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Ecolocalizer via CleanTechnica
Many local communities are looking at ways that they can incorporate green technology into their city’s municipal infrastructure. One impressive success story is the Tindo electric bus in Adelaide. Although many cities have experimented with using hybrid or electric technology in their public transport systems, this vehicle is the world’s first 100% solar-powered electric bus; and not only is it powered by the sun, but this service is also offered free of charge.
tindobusNamed after an Aboriginal word for “sun”, the Tindo was designed to be part of the Adelaide Connector Bus service, a free service run by the City Council. What makes the bus unique from other solar-powered vehicles is that there aren’t any solar panels physically on the vehicle. Instead, the car received electric power from solar panels located on the city’s central bus station.
These provide enough energy to allow the bus to run freely from the city centre and the North Adelaide, and will also offer air conditioning and WiFi to its 40 passengers.
The Council commissioned this bus from a New Zealand company called Designline International, as part of a wider green initiative.
Adelaide residents have shown a keen interest in reducing emissions, with many seeking out hybrid cars like the MitsMirubishi age, or choosing to go electric, while many residents already choose to carpool or bicycle on their commute as well. In the City Council’s Strategy Plan for 2012-2016, further plans to make the streets more sustainable are outlined. This includes a more comprehensive network of footpaths and bike trails to enable commuters to get around without a car.
The latest figures from 2010 showed that 36% of the city’s carbon emissions came from transportation. Although residents are turning to hybrids like new Ssangyong cars and the ever-popular Prius to reduce personal emissions, the city’s public transportation network has helped further reduce emissions. The Tindo has no combustion engine, which makes it a zero emissions vehicle. Its regenerative braking system also saves an additional 30% of energy consumption. In its first year alone it’s estimated that the solar-powered bus saved over 70,000 kg of carbon emissions and 14,000 litres of diesel.
Due to its unique solar photovoltaic charging system and ability to travel over 200 kilometres between recharges, this vehicle has received a great deal of attention from the wider green community. It’s been featured in the Solar City Convention Spirit Festival, Global Green Challenge, and Heritage Bus Tour. Although solar busses can be found in Austria, China, Wales, and India, they have yet to become a widespread public transport solution. Of these various solar busses, the Tindo is still the only one which is completely powered by the sun.
The Tindo’s success shows that public transportation can be further improved to reduce a community’s carbon emissions while improving the residents’ way of life at the same time. Its adoption has helped make Adelaide one of Australia’s most green-friendly cities, an attitude mirrored by its residents.
Then todays newspaper:
News releases - Tom Koutsantonis
AGL to build ‘virtual power plant’ in Adelaide
Tom Koutsantonis
August 5, 2016
Print
Energy company AGL will build a virtual power plant in Metropolitan Adelaide using intelligent solar batteries installed on 1,000 homes, in what is expected to be the largest project of its kind in the world.
The batteries will store excess power that would otherwise be fed into the grid and will be able to be drawn upon by the customer, reducing their power costs and demand on the grid.
AGL will also have the ability to direct power from the battery to the customer’s home or into the grid during critical events such as peak demand resulting from severe weather. Any solar energy exported to the grid will occur at the agreed retail feed in tariff.
The system, which is driven by the Sunverge VPP platform, will create a 5MW peaking plant embedded inside the energy network.
The first of the heavily-subsidised systems will be installed later this year at a cost to customers of around $3,500.
Background
150 Sunverge 7.7kWh batteries will be installed as part of Phase 1 of the project. Later phases will include a mix of battery suppliers. The cost of the systems is being subsidised by AGL, ARENA and Sunverge.
AGL anticipates a payback of approximately seven years to customers who purchase batteries as part of the project.
Quotes attributable to Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis
Battery storage of renewable energy is an emerging technology that will completely transform the way electricity is generated and distributed in Australia.
As a state of abundant renewable energy resources, this technology has the potential to dramatically reduce power costs in South Australia.
This project will demonstrate how solar batteries can be orchestrated to dispatch power into the grid at times of high demand. It will also lower the costs of power bills for customers by enabling them to use more of their own solar generation.
The State Government congratulates AGL for looking at innovative ways to use batteries to increase the penetration of renewables.
We encourage others in the private sector to also consider how dispatchable renewable energy technology can be used to deliver electricity around-the-clock.
That is why we have announced the State Government will procure 25 per cent of its electricity from dispatchable renewable energy suppliers. By using our purchasing power we can incentivise further technological developments and help make Adelaide the world’s first carbon neutral city.
Quotes attributable to AGL CEO Andy Vesey
Our solar virtual power plant is the first of its kind and an innovative solution to both help customers manage their energy bills and at the same time contribute to grid stability.
We also hope the project can demonstrate how relationships between electricity networks, retailers, consumers and the market operator can help create stability in a renewable energy future.
As You can see the Big power companies want to maintain control of selling You all electricity.
Now You can buy solar panels and store it Yourself. Well theyre going to try their hardest to keep You in their money loop.
Kind of like How the big companies made it illegal in the USA to capture and store Your own rain water.
Best We all buy Our own solar capture and storage projects and sell it to the grid.
Unless Your pinched for money in a mortgage, children at school, gotta buy the next 4WD BMW loop....then Buy into AGL's system....should save You $450 a year....until they ramp up charges and lower Your tarrifs..
The ANZAC in Me says get Farked AGL!!
Happy beautiful Saturday Morning in Aus everyone.
Lithium-ESS Storage. Big Tsunami of Lithium requirement. MacIdiot bank et al have no idea!
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