Queensland Will Lead Solar Power in the Future
A report led by the government of Australia alongside with the US based Clinton Foundation's Climate Initiative, showed that Queensland's current technological resources combined with its natural setting gives it the potential to top the world in the solar power industry.
The report aims to give solar investors an idea where to put their money and which city in the world is most viable with both technology & environmental suitability. Natural resources minister Stephen Robertson said that Queensland has vast potential not only in the residential sector of solar power but also in the commercial side.
The Clinton institute showed that Queensland resources are topnotch; incomparable in fact. The institute also gave credit to the state government for pushing large scale solar projects, particularly the CopperString project which will connect the grids across the top end of the state. The institute said that the line will pave the way to a lot more renewable energy investments in the future.
Queenslanders are pleased that the state is becoming internationally recognised for its renewable energy initiatives and not only is solar power in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne (well-known cities) progressing strongly but in all other cities and regions as well.
Primarily the state's success lies in the support of the government and the public. Queensland is currently operating the most successful schemes in the country and the technology is well accepted in the state.
If this trend continues the state has the potential to not only lead the country but even the world in solar power technology, and become one of the least carbon emitting regions.
Subsequently the Queensland government has been surprised by the very enthusiastic response of Queenslanders to solar power technology. In April of 2010 the state government set a target to increase the state's solar power capacity by 100% within the next five years, however to their amazement the target has been reached in just 15 months.
The state's capacity was escalated from 250 MW to 500 MW, which was including 141,000 households who installed solar panels in their roofs and 230,000 solar hot water systems. Currently 8% of Queensland's energy needs are supplied by these systems, and the government is aiming for a 20% supply in 2020 along with the rest of Australia.
Queensland's success in the renewable energy target is the largely the result of the government's continuous and consistent efforts to encourage more and more households to install and embrace solar power in Queensland.
The Qld Premium Feed in Tariff, even with a few recent changes in the eligibility factors, still offers one of the best financial rewards in the country, and provides a strong investment return for households with a mid-size solar panel system who are connected to it.
As well as encouraging households to make the switch to solar energy, the state government has also been very supportive of crucial role to be played by large scale solar applications, and multiple solar farms and solar power projects are in operation and planning across the state. Thanks to Queensland perfect climatic conditions for high solar output some of the largest renewable energy projects supported by the federal government will be established in Queensland in Chinchilla, Harvey Bay and Cloncurry over the next few years.
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
Is the world going to end sooner than expected and is this our fault?
I have just noticed that there were so many natural diasters happening lately in the world.
Such as the QLD floods, Japanese tsunami, Christchuch earthquakes and etc.Is it our fault? Are we contributing to this?
Why don't we, as humans take any actions? How come no-one ever bothers?
Why are solar power things so expensive if it's so good for the environment?-
ANSWER:
How could earthquakes possibly be our fault? They're a natural disaster that will always happen because of the way the planet is. People seem to have this idea that the earth under our feet is this safe, stable thing when really it's anything but! What do you possibly imagine we could do to take action?!
And disasters happen all the time, it doesn't mean the world is going to end! Don't be so dramatic. There's just more media coverage now than ever before.
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QUESTION:
solar? gas? electric?
I live in QLD (Cairns) and going to build a house. My house is going to use gas for hot water and electric for light. But some people suggest me to use solar power. Just want to know what is the best way to save my energy bill in the future with solar? gas? electric? or any combination? do anyone know what is the best way to save all waste water (for garden)? do people usually send their waste water to water tank? where I can get all information?-
ANSWER:
well you might want to take a page out of al gores life
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=nation_world&id=5072659
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QUESTION:
Liveaboard Houseboat Cost?
Hi...I have a pretty keen interest in taking on a liveaboard houseboat lifestyle.
I have a few questions, and was hoping to get a little info from someone whom has perviously or currently lived aboard a houseboat. So if you have experience living aboard please help me out!
I am looking to spend about 000 maybe 000 if she is perfect, on a boat I believe this will get me something relatively nice and ideal. I am one single person. I require a double bed space, reasonable clothing cupboard space and an upper deck, and the vital amities. I am looking to buy and live in Australia. QLD/NSW is this a reasonable amount?
Whats the rough average monthly cost of living aboard. One Person.
Electricity? 1-2hours of tv or computer time a day, weekends perhaps a few hours of stereo use. Also how common are solar powered boats and would this be cheaper?Gas, if need be for heat? (a shower a day, a cooking meal a day)
Fuel: I would not be traveling to often, on the occasionally weekend I may do up to 80km give or take. And if I’m not doing that engine run checks. Relocation would be the only other big chunk out of the fuel but I am not looking to count that into monthly fuel cost.
However in the event of traveling how much is the average single person sized houseboat(which I am guessing would be around 36/40 feet) going to cost in fuel on a trip about 170km long.
Also while moving are you allowed to anchor and stay over night in your houseboat without being at a marine birth? If so how do you find out where this is and is not allowed?
What are liveaboard marina costs like? Can you stay for monthly periods? Maybe even a year? Are there clubs / or member kind of situations where you pay a monthly / yearly fee which allows you to birth in certain locations? If so what are these fees and locations like? Also how do you find out where liveaboard marinas are located?
Internet?
Alcohol? What are the rules with drinking aboard a live aboard house boat?
I think thats all for now, I know my questions are pretty detailed, anyone who has the time it will be very much appreciated to hear from someone whom has actually had a few years experience living aboard! It is a big decision for me, I am in love with the idea but need to know the realistic costs, the marine birthing and pricing is what I am most clueless about.
Thank you
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ANSWER:
wow that's alot of questions,but i'll try to hit the high spots. i've lived on my 34' sport fish/express cruiser for 4 years with my girl friend and may not ever live in a house again, if that gives you any idea about the life style. it will be difficult for me to give you exact prices in your area, as i live on the gulf coast in alabama. fuel economy on boats is generally measured in gallons per hour. don't expect much more than 1 mile per gallon.also marina fuel is higher , even tho there is no road tax involved. i bring my fuel in, in 55 gal drums, but if your marina sells fuel(mine doesn't) don't expect them to be that nice. slip rent for liveaboards here averages about .00 per foot. i was lucky enough to find a nice marina that charges a flat fee of 0.00 per month. had to fight with the power company to get a residential rate, as they want to charge commercial rate for boats for some reason.power will be higher,boats aren't insulated that well. i have an 8,000 btu a/c with a 3,500 watt heater. a reverse cycle cruise air is more efficient. i pay up to 0.00 a month in the winter. there is NEVER enough space for all of your stuff. it may be difficult if you are a material person. if you aren't going to use something every month, you don't need it. i bought a storage building to keep some things in, but it's a pain at best. then there's haul out costs. you will need to haul the boat every few years to check/repaint the bottom and running gear.barnacles are not nice and will kill your speed/fuel economy. as far as pricing? i did a repower on an older 47' not long ago that cost ,000.00 for the engines installed alone. a marine surveyor is worth his weight in gold to avoid getting ripped off. hope this helps. feel free to contact me through yahoo if you think i can help. good luck!
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QUESTION:
Is the world going to end sooner than expected and is this our fault?
I have just noticed that there were so many natural diasters happening lately in the world.
Such as the QLD floods, Japanese tsunami, Christchuch earthquakes and etc.Is it our fault? Are we contributing to this?
Why don't we, as humans take any actions? How come no-one ever bothers?
Why are solar power things so expensive if it's so good for the environment?-
ANSWER:
Sameer, Do you realize what you just said? "poisonous gases like carbon dioxide..." Do you have any idea how poisonous that is? We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for CO2, not only is in totally inert, it's essential for life. Carbon monoxide is poisonous to animal life, however it's a very natural chemical as well. volcanos and forest fires happen with no help from man, and produce far more CO than we do. And once in the atmosphere, CO oxidizes and becomes CO2, essential for life. Your facts are terribly wrong.Stephen, Where does the bible say anything about the 21st century being the end of days? It makes some predictions, which we interpret to mean the 21st century, but people in the 18th century interpreted it to mean the 18th century. The fact is this isn't anything new.
To get to the question, why aren't we doing anything about this? If you have an idea about how to stop plate tectonics I'm sure you could be an overnight billionaire. The recent earthquate in Japan was caused by the Pacific plate slipping under japan by 50 feet. The energy involved with that is unfathomable, It shifted the earth's axis by 10cm! To think we could cause or prevent that is just crazy.
This kind of thing is not happening more frequently than it has in the past. We have had a recent rash of events following a realtively slow period in the last decade. Look at the news papers from 15 years ago (when it really was printed on paper) and you'll see that it wasn't really that much different than it is today. Take that back 200 years and you see a different story, but there is a reason for that. If we look back that far we see some events of similar magnitude, but drastically fewer events. It's not that small events that fill the news today didn't happen, they certainly did, but it took years for information to travel the globe, and events of low importance didn't make it into the history books.
Things aren't much different now than they were in the past, the only change is our technology, which shapes our preception.
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