What would Australia look like powered by 100% renewable energy?

Liberal party donor and coal plant owner Trevor St Baker is proposing with the help of his mates in government to build two new coal power stations in Australia at the expense of taxpayers.

However, the big four banks and the big three energy companies are not having a bar of it. Indeed the majority of Australia’s energy companies are working towards a very different future for the country’s energy system, a future powered by clean, renewable energy.

Many of the best solar and wind sites in Australia are in remote locations.

There are now at least nine studies conducted during the decade that have analysed how Australia can move from an electricity system based on polluting coal and gas to one powered by the sun, wind and waves.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) – the body tasked with making sure we have energy when we need it – found there were “no fundamental limits to 100% renewables”, and that the current standards of the system’s security and reliability would be maintained.

These studies show different pathways towards 100% renewable energy, but what they all agree on is that it can be achieved.

Read the story from The Guardian by Nicky Ison - “What would Australia look like powered by 100% renewable energy?”

UK runs without coal power for three days in a row

The UK has been powered without coal for three days in a row, setting a new record and underlining the polluting fuel’s rapid decline.

 Drax power station in North Yorkshire said it
expected to go without coal on Tuesday.

Coal has historically been at the cornerstone of the UK’s electricity mix, but last year saw the first 24-hour period that the country ran without the fuel since the 19th century.

New records were broken last week when zero power came from coal for nearly 55 consecutive hours.

Read Adam Vaughan’s story from The Guardian - “UK runs without coal power for three days in a row.”

GE hopes giant grid batteries can save the planet (and its fortunes)

The engineering firm hopes a storage system can smooth electricity supply on a grid powered by renewables—and let it capitalize on a fast-growing market.

GE's "Reservoir" battery system.

GE announced a new system called Reservoir—a large battery attached to the grid to store spare electricity from renewables. When the sun doesn’t shine and wind doesn’t blow, it dumps electrons into the grid to meet demand. It uses discharging smarts to extend its working life, and it’s modular, so it can be adapted to fit small or large gigs.

Read the MIT Technology Review story - “GE hopes giant grid batteries can save the planet (and its fortunes).”

More solar beer as Melbourne boutique brewer installs 100kW rooftop PV

An inner Melbourne craft brewery will soon be powered by rooftop solar, with the installation of just under 100kW of PV panels set for competition at the end of February.

Local business Beon Energy Solutions said on Thursday that it was installing a 96.3kW solar system at Collingwood brewery, Stomping Ground Brewing Co, that – once completed – would generate enough power to supply 20 homes, covering the small business’s sizeable energy needs.

The project was guided by the Yarra Energy Foundation (YEF), an independent Melbourne organisation that helps households, businesses, community groups and governments make the transition to solar.

Renewable powered beer is becoming an increasingly common phenomenon, both in Australia and overseas, both for major international brewers and small, local, boutique concerns.

Read the One Step Off the Grid story by Sophie Vorrath - “More solar beer as Melbourne boutique brewer installs 100kW rooftop PV.”

Costa Rica's Electricity Has Run Entirely on Renewables For 300 Days in 2017

Costa Rica has done it again. In January, the Central American country announced it had powered its electricity for a stunning 250 days in 2016 without burning fossil fuels. Now its 2017 effort has already eclipsed that feat – and it's still only November.

So far this year, Costa Rica has clocked up 300 days where 100 percent of its electricity generation came from renewable energy sources – no small accomplishment for a nation comprised of some 5 million people.

According to figures provided by Costa Rica's National Centre for Energy Control, 99.62 percent of the country's electricity production is now generated from five renewable sources.

Leading the charge is hydropower, which provides 78.26 percent of Costa Rican electricity, followed by wind (10.29 percent), geothermal energy (10.23 percent), biomass and solar (0.84 percent), and hydrocarbons (0.38 percent).

Read the Science Alert story - “Costa Rica's Electricity Has Run Entirely on Renewables For 300 Days in 2017.”