Building a low carbon Sydney

Next Monday evening (25 Oct), in Sydney, there will be special update at the Sydney Town Hall with interviewer Tim Flannery and speaker Allan Jones MBE who will report on the progress made in delivering sustainable systems for energy, water and waste for the city.

With a panel of knowledgable and dedicated specialists and business leaders, this is set to be an enlightening evening. To see booking details CLICK HERE.

Nissan Leaf - Emission and Petrol station free!

Helping with All-Energy Australia 2010, I was delighted that 3,000 industry and business people came to see the show in Melbourne on Oct 6&7, and the exhibition space included over 180 exhibitors of clean energy production and associated services, in the areas of solar, wind, bio-energy, geothermal, marine, energy efficiency, storage and measurement.

This year, All-Energy Australia was fortunate to have a Nissan Leaf electric car on display, and this attracted significant attention from businesses and local government. The Nissan Leaf is a 100% electric vehicle, which should go about 160 km on a single charge, certainly more than sufficient to cover my average 150km per week of city driving. And for the once a year, out of town drive, I would happily borrow, rent, or travel by bus. Of course, that will in the future be remedied by fast charge outlets, hopefully located close by a good coffee shop. And I am unlikely to ever need to drive at the top speed of 140km/hr.

I would like be off fossil fuels, but I do enjoy and need a vehicle, and the Nissan Leaf is definitely on my short-list! In my mind's eye, it ranks as a very stylish and electronically cool car. My only gripe is that it will be 2012 before Australia sees the first available Nissan Leaf vehicles, so, in the meantime, I will have to wait and plan where to put my fully wind offset charging outlet.

No more trips to the Service Station for fuel - priceless !


Pic by Mary at All-Energy Australia 2010

OPPORTUNITY Knocks

Opportunity knocks once, and if the door isn’t answered, moves on to another door. We all have those moments in our personal histories, where we took on a challenge, or where we sat still, debating whether this opportunity was real, not moving and later regretting.

In 2010, Opportunity is knocking loudly, for the many countries on this planet, that will lead and dominate the future. And we, in Australia (and the US) are still in debate mode.

Thomas L Friedman, quoting Peggy Lui in his New York Times OP-ED, says it all:
“There is really no debate about climate change in China,” said Peggy Liu, chairwoman of the Joint U.S.-China Collaboration on Clean Energy, a nonprofit group working to accelerate the greening of China. “China’s leaders are mostly engineers and scientists, so they don’t waste time questioning scientific data.” The push for green in China, she added, “is a practical discussion on health and wealth. There is no need to emphasize future consequences when people already see, eat and breathe pollution every day.”

And because runaway pollution in China means wasted lives, air, water, ecosystems and money — and wasted money means fewer jobs and more political instability — China’s leaders would never go a year (like we will) without energy legislation mandating new ways to do more with less. It’s a three-for-one shot for them. By becoming more energy efficient per unit of G.D.P., China saves money, takes the lead in the next great global industry and earns credit with the world for mitigating climate change.

So while America’s Republicans turned “climate change” into a four-letter word — J-O-K-E — China’s Communists also turned it into a four-letter word — J-O-B-S.

Do you hear opportunity knocking on your door? Is your business/country in debate mode or are you opening doors to the new energy era?

Climate Change = Opportunity, so fill in the missing letters in your part of the world….
OPPORTUNITY = J-O-?-? .


Pic Ex Flickr OPEN DOOR by yewenyi

Turbine design drawn from Gliders

At a recent AuSES meeting in Sydney, we were treated to an insight into a new design for a medium sized vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) with versions rated at 3.5kW and 10kW. These VAWT’s were designed in Australia by a local company called Radotec . The prototype is being vehicle tested to simulate wind conditions in turbulent environments.

The talk was presented by Radotec’s Managing Director, Walter Radovich. Walter spoke about how the turbine design evolved from the engineers’ knowledge of aerodynamics and glider wings.

As this manufacturing company has engineering design and composites skills, the turbines will be made in Sydney, taking concept to reality locally in Australia.

With electricity prices on the rise, I look forward in the future to driving around Sydney’s windier industrial estates and to seeing these elegant energy producers on factory roofs and in the car parks and wherever the wind resources are sufficient to make these units contribute to business sustainability.

Pic courtesy of Radotec

Population Balance in Australia

Businesses in Australia have done well in recent times, with population growing and more goods and services on demand. But as Dick Smith, in his true blue Aussie entrepreneurial style, is pointing out to us, increasing population is just short term and very hazardous thinking in a world where resources are finite and weather patterns changing.

At some point, locally and globally, we will need to stop this growth and find ways to manage our economies, our businesses, our way of life without the false mantra of continuous population growth. At some point, we will need to say that enough is enough and to challenge those who think only of today and postpone the hard questions that we as a species must face.

We can change our energy systems, we can move to new and more efficient forms of transport, we can live in buildings that produce their own power, but to do all that and to add 3 billion more people to our global home is a challenge far too difficult to contemplate.

Dick Smith has set himself goals in the past and inspired many Australians. Let's hope his Population Puzzle, with its prize incentive, is an inspiration to young Australians, so that we can show the world that there are ways to live in balance with the new no population growth economy.

Energy Efficiency in the drivers seat

Energy Efficiency is always the first step when reviewing your energy plan for the next few years. So if you or your business plans to purchase a new vehicle, then it's not just the initial investment, it's about your fuel and running costs. So Ford's ECOnetic Fiesta turbo diesel is certainly one to consider.

According to all the reviews, the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic is more fuel efficient than a Prius, and considerably less in price. Previously, I wasn't a fan of diesels until the development of the particulate filter to reduce emissions - and that's no longer an issue for most modern diesels. Also, the Fiesta ECOnetic claims to produce less than 100gm/km of CO2 emissions, one of the few cars in Australia which meet this standard.

I was taken for a short ride in one of these last week, and the ECOnetic Fiesta is a zippy 5 door manual hatch, with all the now essential USB and Bluetooth mod cons. But the main benefit is the fuel economy, claimed as 3.7L/100km under test conditions, and that will give you a car that goes the distance.

Energy efficiency is not just about turning off your lights and computers. The biggest saving for you and the planet may be in your choice of car. And with fuel prices likely to roller-coaster at any time, the right choice is not just better for the environment, it's also better for your budget and your business.

My pic of Ford Fiesta ECOnetic at Enviro 2010

Zero Emission Street Sweeper

At Enviro 2010 in Melbourne this week, I was quite fascinated by the Tennant Green Machines (TM) 500ZE Electric Street Sweeper, which was on display.

We are moving towards a world where the rising cost of energy, and especially conventional transport fuels, will play an increasing part of our overall cost of doing everyday tasks, such as cleaning our streets. This innovative little unit, so I am told, will run for 8 hours on one charge, and with zero emissions during the operation of the vehicle. With a bonus of being almost silent, I guess the downside is you just won't hear it coming - so watch out behind you, there well may be a 500ZE cleaning up the footpath behind you.

My Pic 500ZE, July 22 at Enviro 2010.