The Oil Drum: Australia/New Zealand

This is a guest post from Kiashu.

From Auntie we learn that in South Australia, soon householders with photovoltaic setups will be able to sell their power to the grid at double the retail rate. I had a look at some figures and saw that as they said, it's not going to be a money-making scheme for the average household, who would have to be energy-conservers to break even, though in principle it could be an investment with a small return for community organisations, since they have buildings with a large roof area which aren't used much - we'd have to look at figures for larger (20+kW) systems to be sure.

South Australia will become the first state to pay a premium to people who install solar panels which can return power to the electricity grid. From July, electricity generated by solar panels will be worth twice that bought from power retailers. Legislation passed by State Parliament last night extends the scheme to small businesses, churches and community groups.

South Australian Greens MP Mark Parnell says his amendment was accepted by the Government to make it a 20-year scheme instead of five. "This new bill isn't going to make solar panels a money-making scheme for people; what it does is it softens some of the expense," he said. "We already have the commonwealth rebates which are a good incentive, now we've got this extra state rebate and thanks to the Greens amendment we've now got a scheme that is guaranteed to last 20 years."

The legislation has been passed just ahead of Adelaide hosting an international solar cities congress next week.

The speech below is by Australian Democrat Sandra Kanck, in the South Australian Parliament. Taken from the South Australian Parliament Hansard - via Energy Bulletin

The Hon. SANDRA KANCK (16:11): I move:

1. That a select committee of the Legislative Council be established to inquire into and report on the impact of peak oil in South Australia with particular reference to --

1. The movement of people around the state, including --
i. the rising cost of petrol and increasing transport fuel poverty in the outer metropolitan area, the regions and remote communities;
ii. ways to encourage the use of more fuel efficient cars;
iii. alternative modes of transport;
iv. . the need to increase public transport capacity; and
v. implications for urban planning;

2. Movement of freight;
3. Tourism;
4. Expansion of the mining industry;
5. Primary industries and resultant food affordability and availability;
6. South Australia's fuel storage capability including --
i. susceptibility of fuel supply to disruption; and
ii. resilience of infrastructure and essential services under disruptive conditions;

7. Alternative fuels and fuel substitutes;
8. Optimum and sustainable levels of population under these constraints;
9. The need for public education, awareness and preparedness; and
10. Any other related matter.

Jamie Walker at The Weekend Australian has an interesting article on the movement to the south of "Goyders Line" - the line that defines the limits of practical farming in South Australia.

See the link for an accompanying video. The ABC did a documentary on the history of Goyder's line last year as well.

An inch still means everything out here on Goyder’s Line. It can make a man or break him, realise his dreams or turn them to dust. An extra inch in the rain gauge will fill a paddock knee-high with wheat, washing away the bitter seasons and piled-up debt. That inch – 25mm – is what Kym Fromm lives for.

Yet when this third-generation farmer looks out of his home’s dirt-streaked windows, beyond the sunburnt sheep and crop stubble he’s turned them loose on, towards a horizon that shimmers in the heat, he wonders what’s going on with the line. It was the one thing people thought they could count on in an unpredictable land. It was supposed to be immovable, a fixture among the dancing whirlwinds and blown hopes of the early settlers, whose ruined homesteads dot the countryside. Fromm’s not so sure: inch by inch, year by year, the line seems to be closing in.

Map from South Australian Archives