In last week’s Newsletter I mentioned that Repower‘s fourth investment round was due to open on Monday this week. Well… not only did it open on Monday at 3pm but it was completely filled by Wednesday at 9am. It only took 42 hours to raise the required $139,600 in local, ethical, community investments to fund the three solar power systems included in this round. This is a fantastic result for Repower and goes to show that there is plenty of excitement around community investments in renewable energy.

Repower‘s Solar Mentors are already working on signing up the next group of businesses for Repower 5 so, if you missed out on this week’s investment opportunity, don’t worry… the next one won’t be far away. In fact the best thing to do (if you haven’t already) is to go to repower.net.au, click on ‘Join’, and become a member. That way you’ll receive updates from Repower and notification when the next investment round becomes available. Anyone can join for a $20 donation and you have to be a member to invest.

Meanwhile The Energy Retrofit Continues

In between various renewable energy projects, George and I are continuing to plug away at the energy retrofit of the old fibro cottage next to the Greeny Flat. As you’ll see in the video above, this week we put a new roof on the front porch and we’re gradually working our way around the house installing the metal flashings and cladding on the exterior walls.

Cronulla Leading the Way With Bio-gas

I was happy to learn via this Ecogeneration article that there is work being done in Australia to use methane digesters to generate Bio-gas on a commercial scale. Many years ago I worked on a Permaculture project in Hawaii and one of my responsibilities was to tend to their experimental methane digester. It was a very rudimentary system of 44 gallon drums filled with sugar cane waste and cow’s intestines but it produced a wonderfully clean-burning bio-gas. Periodically a researcher from the University of Hawaii would show up and take samples of the gas for testing and found that it was a potent mix of methane, hydrogen and other stuff. All I know is that I used to use the gas to cook my dinner and it was so clean that I could never tell when the burner was lit until I burned myself.

It has always seemed crazy to me that we treat our waste water in open ponds and don’t capture the methane gas that is produces. Not only is methane a very useful fuel, it is also a very potent greenhouse gas (something like nine times worse than CO2) so it’s much better to capture and use it than to let it escape into the atmosphere.

Cronulla’s methane digester plant.

I’m glad to know there is at least one project in Australia where they’re capturing methane gas from a sewage treatment plant and using it to run a generator to power the plant. I wish our local treatment plants would employ the same technology. I was a bit surprised to learn that Cronulla is leading the way with this technology. It’s not a place that’s known for being at the forefront of the clean energy revolution. I find it mildly ironic that  the NSW Environment Minister, Mark Speakman, happens to be the Member for Cronulla but at least he’s walking the talk in his own electorate. Let’s hope he’s equally active in persuading other councils to adopt the same sort of technology.

Thanks for reading. Andy

This week we present Episode 5 in our series of short videos about the Energy Retrofit of the old fibro cottage next to the Greeny Flat. In this episode we are replacing the old single-glazed, double-hung, wood windows with new double-glazed, aluminium, casement windows. It would be nice to use thermally-broken aluminium frames but I just haven’t been able to find any for a reasonable price. So we’re sticking with the same, un-broken Stegbar aluminium windows that we used in the Greeny Flat. They’ve proven pretty successful for the two-and-a-half years we’ve been living with them so we’re happy to give them another go. Once we’ve finished replacing all the windows we’ll be able to start recladding the house and thinking about some of the internal remodelling that we have planned.

New Tesla Battery Raises the Bar Several Notches

By now you’ve probably heard that Tesla has announced the release of their new battery, the Powerwall 2. Elon Musk made the announcement last week in this 19 minute video presentation.

For some reason he seems nervous and unprepared but the underlying message is worth noting. He spends a lot of time talking about their new solar-roof product. Personally I like the look of a conventional solar panel system. But for those who don’t, Tesla has invented a series of roofing tiles that, from the ground look like conventional roofing products, but performs like a set of PV panels. I suppose this is a nice idea but a friend of mine, who installs solar systems, raised questions about the increased risk of fire due to the greatly increased number of connections in a roof of this type. Anyway, in my opinion Mr Musk spends far too much time talking about the solar roof and not nearly enough providing details about their new battery.

This battery has really raised a stir because, according to Elon, it can store twice as much energy for about the same installed cost as the original Powerwall 1. In other words Tesla has just halved the cost of battery storage. If the claims prove to be true (both Elon and Tesla are being very coy about the details) it means that batteries may now make economic sense. In other words they will pay for themselves within their warranted lifetime.

This has a LOT of people excited because a global transition to renewable energy depends upon affordable, reliable energy storage. We have to be able to store some of our solar and wind power for the times when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. Otherwise we will still be dependent on coal and gas-fired power plants to provide energy at night and during still and/or cloudy weather. If it’s true and Tesla has succeeded in halving the cost of battery storage with one stroke, this is a BIG DEAL and is going to mean a huge boost to renewable energy uptake around the world. It’s also going to force other manufacturers to dramatically reduce the price of their batteries in order to compete.

Meanwhile, here in SE NSW, it looks like the new Tesla Powerwall 2 is going to be made available as part of the Suncrowd Community Bulk Buy program. So, if you live in this wonderful part of the world, be sure to visit the Suncrowd website and RSVP for a free information session in your area to learn more about your options for affordable solar power and battery storage systems.

Here in the Southern Highlands, the second event will be held at the Moss Vale Services Club on Tuesday, November 15th at 6pm. I hope to see you there and I look forward to learning more details about the new Tesla battery.

Paris Climate Agreement Goes Into Effect

Finally we can’t let the week pass without acknowledging that the Paris Climate Agreement comes into force today. This is an even BIGGER DEAL than Elon’s latest announcement because, as reported in this article from The Guardian…

This is the first time that a legally-binding agreement, signed by all of the world’s functioning governments, has laid down a commitment to limit the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere with the goal of preventing global warming exceeding 2C above pre-industrial levels.

Let’s hope it works.

This week we present Episode 4 in our ongoing series of short videos on the Energy Retrofit of the old cottage next to the Greeny Flat. In last week’s video we were dealing with the ventilation of the under-floor area. This week we focus on relining the eaves and ventilating the attic. Ironically, in a well-sealed and energy efficient house, ventilation is extremely important. The adage that we used to work with in Montana was, ‘Build Tight, Vent Right’ and it’s just as true here. Properly venting an attic is essential for helping to keep the building cool in summer but more importantly, ensuring that there is no condensation issues in the attic in winter.

But just before we get to this week’s video, I wanted to share a delightful news story that appeared on page 2 of our local paper last week. The headline read….

‘Unprecedented Crime Rate’

…and the story was about the fact that there was absolutely no crime to report at all. The reporter stated that, ‘In all my time reviewing crime intelligence I’ve never witnessed such results’. I have to say that I am endlessly grateful to live in a place where this can make headline news. We are so incredibly blessed to be safe, comfortable, well-fed, and have ready access to fresh air, clean water, good food and such a delightful place to live as the Greeny Flat. I also greatly appreciate all of you who read this Newsletter. Thank you very much for your interest and support. Now on to this week’s little video…

Home Energy Retrofit – Episode 4 – Eave Linings and Attic Ventilation

Suncrowd Reminder

Once again, if you live in the Southern Highlands and are interested in solar power systems and battery storage you will probably want to come to one of the two upcoming (free) information sessions. The first will be at the Mittagong RSL Club on Wednesday, October 26th at 6pm and the second at Moss Vale Services Club on Tuesday, November 15th at 6pm. If you’re planning to come, Suncrowd would appreciate if you can RSVP on their website so that they know how many people to plan for. CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE RSVP PAGE. But don’t worry, if you don’t want to sign up on the website you can just come to one of the events and I guarantee they won’t turn you away. Just remember to bring your most recent electricity bill and a couple of photos, one of the inside of your meter box and a close-up of the meter itself. This is so they’ll be able to help you figure out whether you need to have your meter replaced. Already over 200 people have registered for the information sessions which promise to be both fun and informative evenings. I hope to see you there.

Catchpower Answers

In our Newsletter on Sept 23rd you may recall that I had some reservations and listed a number of questions about the Catchpower system. I had sent those questions to the developer of Catchpower but had not received the answers by the time the Newsletter went out. Well, Scott from Catchpower was kind enough to answer my questions and I have been slow in passing on his answers due to being preoccupied with house renovations. So, my apologies to Scott and, for anyone interested in the Catchpower system, please see Scott’s answers to my questions below…

ANDY: As I understand it, the CatchPower system costs $1,700 and does one simple thing… it diverts some of the excess power from a home’s rooftop solar system either to an electric water heater (resistance element, not heat pump) or to an electric in-floor heating system. Assuming this is correct, I have the following questions about the system:

1.       Most people who still have the old-style electric resistance water heaters are running them on off-peak at night and paying around 7cents/kWh for the electricity. If they have a solar system, after the end of this year they will get paid about 7c/kWh for any excess solar power that they produce. So where is the economic benefit for them in shifting their water heating to the middle of the day? Without Catchpower they simply export their excess energy to the grid and get paid the same price that they pay at night on off-peak. So how can they ever recoup the $1,700 cost of buying the Catchpower system?

 SCOTT: You are quite correct; the closer the price of off-peak power is to the rate of export the less value there is for CATCH.  This isn’t the case everywhere though.  In regional NSW the typical cost of off-peak power is $0.12/kWHr.  This means we are effectively doubling the value of that surplus energy.

 Also, people don’t always make decisions based solely on return on investment.  Some people don’t like the idea of giving away their power to the electricity retailers, they would prefer to store it and use it themselves.

Also, some people are attracted to the information that the CATCH login offers, in particular the system monitoring feature, which as you saw this morning, is quite sophisticated. I’d be happy to show you what the monitoring looks like and how in-depth you can go next time I’m in the Highlands if you like.

2.       For about the same amount of money the same customer could buy a heat pump water heater from an Australian company named Hydrotherm. These systems come with a built-in timer that the customer can easily set so that the heat pump only operates between 10am and 3pm (the time of peak solar output and warmest air temperature). This system is three to five times more efficient than their old electric resistance water heater and would end up costing the customer about a quarter as much to run as the Catchpower system. Wouldn’t that use less energy and make more sense?

This is true too.  It just comes down to personal preference and circumstances.  Not everyone likes the sound of a motor whirring away outside their window.  Heat pumps lose their effectiveness in colder climates and many of my customers, who are solar installers, generally don’t recommend them due to cost and failures.  This is the direct feedback I’ve got from them which may differ to your experience, but it’s what I am hearing from within the market.

If the customer already has solar installed, then CATCH means a genuine reduction of the total load of that house.  If you use that money to buy a heat pump then you are adding the load of the heat pump to the household load.  While it’s far less than an electric hot water service, it’s still a load. CATCH removes this load as much as it can, using the available infrastructure (solar array and hot water service).

3.       Some local friends of mine have an electric resistance in-floor heating system that operates on off-peak at night and uses about 60kWh/day to heat their house. In order to make enough solar power to run that heater using Catchpower they would need to spend about $30,000 on a 20kW solar power system (plus $1,700 for the Catchpower system). Alternatively they could install a high-efficiency reverse-cycle air conditioning system for about $10,000 and run that on a timer during the day. That system would be 3-5 times more energy efficient than the in-floor electric resistance heating they currently have so it would only require a solar system a third the size with a cost of about $10,000. So they could save approximately $11,700 compared to using their current system with Catchpower plus the running cost would be about a quarter as much. So why would they choose to install Catchpower?

We’re not telling people how to heat their homes. It’s true that underfloor heating isn’t a particularly energy efficient source of heating, however, some people love their floor heating and will opt for this over all other methods of heating.  If they want to use CATCH with solar panels they can, and regardless of the size of the array it would help in reducing the amount of power taken from the mains.  CATCH and solar isn’t a replacement power source, it is supplementary. ie. it works in conjunction with off-peak. Prior to CATCH there was no way of utilising both the power from solar AND continue to have off-peak.

4.       As far as I know, you can’t build a new house in NSW with either an electric resistance water heater or electric in-floor heat because they are outdated and inefficient technologies that won’t meet the BASIX requirements. So, just to confirm, Catchpower only works with those outmoded technologies, is that correct?

There is a points system used in the construction of new homes.  If you manage to reach the required points from, say solar and some other energy efficient methods, then you can install an electric hot water system and underfloor heating.  It just happens that solar and solar hot water are the most accessible to most people/builders.

5.       I’m looking into a system called Reposit Power that promises to be a complete home energy management system that can do much more than Catchpower and costs less than half as much to install. So why should I choose Catchpower over the Reposit Power system?

I’m not totally familiar with Reposit however my understanding is that it takes available stored energy and sells it on the open market when energy costs are high.  This makes great use of stored energy.  I don’t know if it is used to control loads in the house however. Carolyn made me aware that Reposit works better on flat tariffs than it does Time Of Use, due to on-selling surplus energy at a time that is most profitable to Reposit and not necessarily the customer.

6.       The two technologies that CatchPower work with, i.e. electric resistance water heaters and electric resistance in-floor heat, are very old technologies that are rapidly being phased out because they are such inefficient ways of using power. So how does CatchPower help people to use less energy?

The reality is that electric hot water is by far the most common means used for heating water in NSW (65% +).  It’s also the cheapest way of replacing a hot water system that has failed (hot water systems are cheap!), so they’ll continue to be a part of our landscape for the foreseeable future.

Whatever the technologies that are deployed, heating water (or floors) is a high energy process. CATCH just makes use of the available solar to help do that job.  We don’t have a strong view of how that’s done, we are just being practical and offering a product that works with what is predominantly out there.

7.       The only real benefit I can see in the Catchpower system is its ability to incrementally adjust the amount of excess power it diverts from a solar system to a resistance heating element (which is, of course, is the reason why it can only work with resistance devices). So, while I don’t see any cost advantage to the customer in this (see items 1 and 3 above) I do acknowledge that it does allow a home to use more of its own renewable energy and less fossil fuel generated power. So there is a bit of an environmental benefit there. However, isn’t there a bigger environmental benefit plus a potential economic benefit to the customer from installing energy efficient heat pump water heating or reverse-cycle air-conditioning and simply running it on a timer to coincide with the period of maximum solar production?

It all comes down to what the customer has and what they want.  If they have an existing solar system and they have electric hot water CATCH is a very good fit.  The more hot water they use and they dearer the power is to heat that water the better the story is for CATCH.  These circumstances vary right across the country.  If it isn’t a compelling argument for your customer then that’s what it is, however there are many, many cases where CATCH will make a huge difference to the amount of energy a household uses and the cost in using that power.

Also, some people really like the online information that CATCH offers.  On a central page you can see the total amount of solar generated, the hot water used, plus the total loads in the house.  You also have the ability to see how much power is being exported and so making an informed decision about whether batteries are a viable alternative for the home.  In addition, there is the system monitoring aspect of the system.  Being informed that your solar is no longer functioning as expected or ailed completely is useful information.  We have sold units purely on this basis alone.

And on top of all this the owner of CATCH has the ability to control the use of hot water if they need or want to, including disconnecting from the use of mains altogether!

Using a timer for either function (hot water or floor heating) will almost invariably lead to an increase in the electricity bill for most people.  There are a number of reasons why and I am happy to detail these for you if you would like, but be reassured that timers are definitely NOT the answer to making use of available solar power.

So there you have it. If Scott’s answers have convinced you that Catchpower is the right thing for you then you can contact Catchpower via their website at catchpower.com.au or by calling 1 300 131 995.

Insulating and sarking the exterior walls of the old house next to the Greeny Flat

In last week’s Newsletter we presented Episode 1 of a series of YouTube videos documenting the process of renovating the old house next to the Greeny Flat. This week, in Episode 2 we continue with insulating and sarking (Building Wrap for our US readers) the exterior walls and refinishing the interior of the laundry. We had one week, while the tenant’s children were away for school holidays, to get rid of the asbestos and get the house back to a safe and functioning state. So the priorities have been to weather-proof the exterior and get the laundry working. I’m happy to report that the kids just got back and we managed to complete the critical items just in time. You can follow the progress in the video below.

We now have about three weeks before the replacement windows are due to arrive and we have lots of little jobs to do which we’ll continue to record in video form and post each week…. Stay Tuned!

SunCrowd Invitation

In our September 16th Newlsetter about “What To Do at the End of the 60c Feed-in Tariff” I mentioned an upcoming event that I’m helping to organise called SunCrowd. This is a Community Bulk-buy program for solar and storage systems. There will be two information session in our area, one in Mittagong on October 26th and one in Moss Vale on November 15th. If you live in the Southern Highlands of NSW and are at all interested in solar power systems and/or battery storage I encourage you to come along to one of these sessions to learn about your options. If you decide that you’re ready to install photovoltaic (PV) panels or a lithium-ion battery, there will be the opportunity to join a large group of citizens across the south-east of NSW to bulk-buy the equipment and get a really good deal on a quality system.

If you want to come to a session, simply visit suncrowd.com.au, click on the appropriate box for your area (“Southern Highlands” in our case) and register your interest. All the details about the events will be emailed to you. If you’re in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, Goulburn or Blue Mountains areas there will be sessions near you which you can register for on the website.

SunCrowd is a social enterprise dedicated to educating homeowners about renewable energy options and encouraging households to add solar panels and/or battery storage by organising the best deals on the best equipment available. They will not pressure anyone into buying anything, they will simply present the information and allow you to decide for yourself.

SunCrowd is a community-based organisation so I would like to ask you, dear reader, to help us spread the word by forwarding this email to anyone you know who might be interested in learning more and getting a great deal on solar power and/or batteries.

We’re hoping for a big turnout so your help is greatly appreciated.

In last week’s Newsletter I mentioned a sort of simplified Energy Management System called Catch Power. If you happen to live in the Southern Highlands of NSW you may have heard about a seminar on Monday offering information for people coming off the 60c Feed-in Tariff. This seminar will be promoting the Catch Power system. If you happen to be going to the seminar (or if you live elsewhere and are interested in the Catch Power system), the following are some questions you might want to get answered before signing a big cheque to Catch Power. I have sent these questions to the company but I have not received the answers yet. I could be wrong and will try to keep an open mind, meanwhile I encourage you to proceed with caution.

Questions About Catch Power

As I understand it, the Catch Power system costs $1,700 and does one simple thing… it diverts some of the excess power from a home’s rooftop solar system either to an electric water heater (resistance element, not heat pump) or to an electric in-floor heating system. Assuming this is correct, I have the following questions about the system:

1. Most people who still have the old-style electric resistance water heaters are running them on off-peak at night and paying around 7cents/kWh for the electricity. If they have a solar system, after the end of this year they will get paid about 7c/kWh for any excess solar power that they export to the grid. So where is the economic benefit for them in shifting their water heating to the middle of the day? Without Catch Power they simply export their excess energy to the grid and get paid the same price that they pay at night on off-peak. So how can they ever recoup the $1,700 cost of buying the Catch Power system?
2. For about the same amount of money the same customer could buy a heat pump water heater from an Australian company named Hydrotherm. These systems come with a built-in timer that the customer can easily set so the heat pump only operates between 10am and 3pm (the time of peak solar output and warmest air temperature). This system is three to five times more efficient than their old electric resistance water heater and would end up costing the customer about a quarter as much to run as the Catch Power system. Wouldn’t that use less energy and make more sense?
3. Some local friends of mine have an electric resistance in-floor heating system that operates on off-peak at night and uses about 60kWh/day to heat their house. In order to make enough solar power to run that heater using Catch Power they would need to spend about $30,000 on a 20kW solar power system (plus $1,700 for the Catch Power system). Alternatively they could install a high-efficiency reverse-cycle air conditioning system for about $10,000 and run that on a timer during the day. That system would be 3-5 times more energy efficient than the in-floor electric resistance heating they currently have so it would only require a solar system a third the size with a cost of about $10,000. So they could save approximately $11,700 compared to using their current system with Catch Power plus the running cost would be about a quarter as much. So why would they choose to install Catch Power?
4. As far as I know, you can’t build a new house in NSW with either an electric resistance water heater or electric in-floor heat because they are outdated and inefficient technologies that won’t meet the BASIX requirements. So, just to confirm, Catch Power only works with those outmoded technologies, is that correct?
5. I’m looking into a system called Reposit Power that promises to be a complete home energy management system that can do much more than Catch Power and costs less than half as much to install. So why should I choose Catch Power over the Reposit Power system?
6. The two technologies that Catch Power work with, i.e. electric resistance water heaters and electric resistance in-floor heat, are very old technologies that are rapidly being phased out because they are such inefficient ways of using power. So how does Catch Power help people to use less energy?
7. The only real benefit I can see in the Catch Power system is its ability to incrementally adjust the amount of excess power it diverts from a solar system to a resistance heating element (which is, of course, is the reason why it can only work with resistance devices). So, while I don’t see any cost advantage to the customer in this (see items 1 and 3 above) I do acknowledge that it does allow a home to use more of its own renewable energy and less fossil fuel generated power. So there is a bit of an environmental benefit there. However, isn’t there a bigger environmental benefit plus a potential economic benefit to the customer from installing energy efficient heat pump water heating or reverse-cycle air-conditioning and simply running it on a timer to coincide with the period of maximum solar production?

Do Not Press For 90# Anyone

I just received this message from a regular reader about a rampant phone scam so I thought I’d better pass it on:

‘Got a call last night from an individual identifying himself as a Telstra Service technician who was conducting a test on our Telephone lines. He stated that to complete the test I should touch nine(9),zero ( 0), hash (#) and then hang up. Luckily, I was suspicious and refused.

Upon contacting the telephone company, I was informed that by pushing  90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone  line, which allows them to place long distance telephone calls billed to your home phone number. I was further informed that this scam has been originating from many of the local Jails/prisons.

DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE. PLEASE pass this on to your friends. If you have mailing lists and/or newsletters from organizations you  are connected with, I encourage you to pass this on.’

Stephen Cooper
Detective Senior Constable 29748
Victoria Police State Crime Squads

New Developments in Sustainable Transportation

Over the last week I’ve come across some excellent articles about new forms of sustainable transportation including:

The Scion Crowdfunded Solar Car – ‘The Sion is an innovative electric car with integrated solar cells in the body, a range of 250km and a price of less than € 16,000. 30 free kilometers per day are possible with electricity generated by the sun. The stored energy can be used through bidirectional charging for all common electronic devices. Sion is a family friendly vehicle, thanks to 6 seats and optional trailer coupling. In Short: A self-charging electric car for infinite, sustainable driving.’

The Proterra 1000km Electric Bus – ‘Cars aren’t the only form of transport moving towards the zero-local emissions benefits of electric power. Proterra has been working on its pure electric buses for some time and the latest addition to its stable, the Catalyst E2, has logged more the 600 miles (966 km) on a single charge under test conditions at the Michelin proving grounds in South Carolina.

Although that kind of range is not necessarily possible in regular day-to-day driving conditions, the Catalyst E2 with its storage capacity of 440 – 660 kWh is still capable of posting some pretty impressive figures. According to Proterra, its claimed nominal range of 194 to 350 miles (312 to 563 km) makes it capable of covering most daily American mass transit routes on a single charge, meaning it could directly replace the current fossil fuel buses in service across the country (and the world).’

And the Vello Bike+ Folding Electric Bike – ‘Between its quick-fold mechanisms, compact folded size, light weight and versatile electric drive, the Vello Bike+ looks like one of the most convenient electric city folders out there. It certainly seems like a good way of commuting around tight city spaces, from small apartment, to public transit, to office cubicle, and back again.’

General Motors Commits to 100% Renewable Energy by 2050

My how things have changed! You’ve probably all heard the rumours about General Motors (GM – the American parent company behind the good-old iconic ‘Aussie’ Holden)… how they bought up the Los Angeles tram system in the 1940’s and scrapped it in order to force people to buy their cars and buses… or how they manipulated the Californian government in the 1980’s to stop the development of electric cars (I recommend watching ‘Who Killed The Electric Car’ if you haven’t seen it already). So I was quite amazed when I read this New Atlas article outlining how ‘GM has promised to use only renewable energy in its global operations by 2050.

True, 2050 is some way off, but with 350 operations spanning 59 countries General Motors faces a huge task if it is to make good on the pledge.

All those factories, offices and workshops required around 9 terawatt hours of energy in 2015, although the company does expect that figure to fall as its facilities slowly adopt more energy-efficient technologies.’

Who would have thought we’d see the day….

Anyway, next week we start on the energy retrofit of the old fibro cottage next to the Greeny Flat so I hope to be reporting on some good progress over the coming weeks.

Thanks for reading.