Australian businesses going renewable

[Ajan Bosnjacki + 27]

Nearly half of Australian major companies are taking their operations off-grid by installing large solar power and battery storage systems. Capacity of Australian businesses to generate their own solar power had doubled in less than two years. Business owners report making their investment back through cost savings in less than five years.

[Cokiga Damke + 53]

Ironically the high cost of power is caused by the government drive to implement renewables, spurred on with enormous subsidies. The average small-business energy bill is more than 80% higher than a decade ago.

[Hajga Loma DK + 47]

Just now, Cokiga Damke said:

Ironically the high cost of power is caused by the government drive to implement renewables, spurred on with enormous subsidies. The average small-business energy bill is more than 80% higher than a decade ago.

not only business, homes as well

[Stephen + 67]

well, shift to renewable energy would pay for itself through cost savings within two decades, and ultimately save Australians $20bn a year in combined fuel and power costs. 

[Meanwhile + 49]

Unfortunately for us in the UK our government is going backwards in their thinking. More old technology nuclear stations and funding moving from wind to fracking

[JohnAtronis + 78]

would be nice if the companies would use saved money to improve workers standard

[Ajan Bosnjacki + 27]

The sun, wind and sea provide free fuel with no carbon footprint, so the switch to renewable energy will have a multiplier effect in reducing the dollar and emission costs of electricity generation. The only emission costs are from materials, construction and transport to site, unlike the massive amounts of emissions and energy wastage in the fossil fuel process of mining and refining, transporting and storing, then finally combustion.

[Joanna + 68]

10 minutes ago, Ajan Bosnjacki said:

Nearly half of Australian major companies are taking their operations off-grid by installing large solar power and battery storage systems. Capacity of Australian businesses to generate their own solar power had doubled in less than two years. Business owners report making their investment back through cost savings in less than five years.

We will see. Usually, consumerism drives everything good. 

[JohnAtronis + 78]

11 minutes ago, Ajan Bosnjacki said:

Nearly half of Australian major companies are taking their operations off-grid by installing large solar power and battery storage systems. Capacity of Australian businesses to generate their own solar power had doubled in less than two years. Business owners report making their investment back through cost savings in less than five years.

Magical thinking does not count as policy

[Hajga Loma DK + 47]

1 minute ago, JohnAtronis said:

Magical thinking does not count as policy

magical thinking =like COAL can BE CLEAN

[Meanwhile + 49]

That saving would mean $20bn a year less going to those 'investors' profiting from the current system.

[Cokiga Damke + 53]

17 minutes ago, Ajan Bosnjacki said:

The sun, wind and sea provide free fuel with no carbon footprint, so the switch to renewable energy will have a multiplier effect in reducing the dollar and emission costs of electricity generation. The only emission costs are from materials, construction and transport to site, unlike the massive amounts of emissions and energy wastage in the fossil fuel process of mining and refining, transporting and storing, then finally combustion.

 Huge money to be made by those who find alternatives to what we are currently doing or using.

[JohnAtronis + 78]

23 minutes ago, Stephen said:

well, shift to renewable energy would pay for itself through cost savings within two decades, and ultimately save Australians $20bn a year in combined fuel and power costs. 

Yes but if businesses and rich people, able to invest in solar panels, storage and diesel generators move off the grid, then that pushes up costs for those who can't. That means that electricity will cheaper. And more reliable for sure

[Refman + 207]

6 hours ago, Cokiga Damke said:

Ironically the high cost of power is caused by the government drive to implement renewables, spurred on with enormous subsidies. The average small-business energy bill is more than 80% higher than a decade ago.

The cost of high power was caused by the Government allowing unlimited exports of LNG, to where there was not enough for the domestic market. Additionally high power prices have been caused by old fossil fuel plants tripping offline when most needed. 

[DanilKa + 443]

7 hours ago, Ajan Bosnjacki said:

Nearly half of Australian major companies are taking their operations off-grid by installing large solar power and battery storage systems. Capacity of Australian businesses to generate their own solar power had doubled in less than two years. Business owners report making their investment back through cost savings in less than five years.

please provide your source and list assumptions. Last I've check - coal accounted for 87% of electricity generation in Australia and prices going through the roof because some states imposed reviewable targets, blow up few power stations and replaced it with solar and wind (same states were in a press for having blackouts).

[markslawson + 1,057]

Ajan Bosnjacki - where is your source for the starting post? "Nearly half of Australian major companies are taking their operations off-grid by installing large solar power and battery storage systems." Sorry, but its a distortion of what's actually happening. What I think you mean is that half of major companies are installing solar power and batteries ect..  I'm sure that's right - or at least difficult to contest.. but they aren't going off grid. It would be difficult to find any that are going off grid. For a major company in Australia to go off grid would be a huge operation.. 

[Ajan Bosnjacki + 27]

14 hours ago, DanilKa said:

please provide your source and list assumptions. Last I've check - coal accounted for 87% of electricity generation in Australia and prices going through the roof because some states imposed reviewable targets, blow up few power stations and replaced it with solar and wind (same states were in a press for having blackouts).

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/15/almost-half-of-australian-big-business-moving-to-renewables

[DanilKa + 443]

7 hours ago, Ajan Bosnjacki said:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/15/almost-half-of-australian-big-business-moving-to-renewables

that's explains bias. Thanks, Ajan.

Going "green" is not the only cause of power price going through the roof in Australia - there is a combination of utilities price gauging, state monopolies gaming the system, state governments (QLD) taking profits from utilities to fill their coffers and large generator proclaiming they take down coal-fired power and replace it with renewable (intermittency issue not addressed) to take advantage of increased prices while burning most brown coal https://reneweconomy.com.au/graph-of-the-day-and-australias-top-10-corporate-emitters-are-75489/ 

[Refman + 207]

Australia has a long way to go before it can claim to be green. That being said Tasmania and South Australia have both done a great job, but they are the two smallest pieces of the puzzle. The remarkable thing about Australia is the pace at which renewables are being installed. There are some really big projects being installed as well as a LOT of solar panels on home owners roofs. The high price of electricity has made it very affordable to go solar, and the installation costs of solar are much lower down there.

[markslawson + 1,057]

Ajan Bosnjacki - that's what I thought. If you look at the article it says half or whatever are "transitioning" by buying their own generators and getting renewables and then says "including many" going off the grid. It's journalistic licence but still a long way from what you stated - "Nearly half of Australian major companies are taking their operations off-grid". This is complicated by the fact that due to intermittent operation of renewables, the Australian grid has become much less reliable, so a number of major users are in a scheme where they will agree to take certain operations off-line to reduce demand to the grid - they may then get their own diesel generators. No comp-any plans to take all operations off-grid AFASIK. Sorry but the original post ain't right. The posts by me and Ranifka should correct the matter but you should stick to what the source says. Leave it with you. 

[DanilKa + 443]

6 hours ago, Refman said:

The high price of electricity has made it very affordable to go solar, and the installation costs of solar are much lower down there.

don't forget subsidies - on 5kw system (max allowed on single phase) your rooftop solar would be ~twice more expensive without it. Feed-in tariff (FIT) were ~twice as much as what it cost you to buy from the grid (we've run dishwasher and did laundry at night to take advantage of FIT in our rental home) but those days are gone; new FITs are ~1/3 of retail rate. With subsidies it still make sense to install solar, unless there is a shading like in my place (I won't trade gorgeous gum trees to panels - who is greener?:)).

[Refman + 207]

Interesting...

https://reneweconomy.com.au/guptas-stunning-deal-to-supply-cheap-solar-to-south-australian-industry-54849/

 

[DanilKa + 443]

On ‎6‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 6:16 AM, Refman said:

Interesting...

https://reneweconomy.com.au/guptas-stunning-deal-to-supply-cheap-solar-to-south-australian-industry-54849/

 

this UQ solar array will be built on agricultural land... http://amp.abc.net.au/article/9842490

that's a shame, considering 87% of Queensland land was never cleared; no shortage of scrubland.

Good initiative, if funded by private interest and won't contribute to the "duck curve". In a brave new world with oil/gas prices out of reach for many, companies may operate during bright sun light and send workers home when it rains...

 

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

You can bet that every single one of these "major corporations" are going to have a bank of hefty diesel generators sitting out back, primed and ready to roll.  Nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to risk their entire operation on the vagaries of some solar power "farm."  No chance.