Small steps ... 13 May 2010
Maths has never been my strong point, so I have sat on the sidelines over the past couple of weeks as the sums and trigonometry have gradually come together to produce a picture of our planned solar panels. We're going to get 12 solar panels to produce a 2 kilowatt system, which will give us approximately 65 per cent of our annual power usage. With the gross feed-in tariff that is now available, the system will pay for itself in about four years. After that, we'll actually make a profit of about $900 a year until the end of 2016, when the gross feed in tariff scheme ends. After that, if nothing else changes, we'll be at least be producing 65 per cent of our power (more if we bring in some household efficiencies). The total initial cost of set-up will be less than $4000. The panels won't fit on our roof, so they'll probably sit on the shed out the back, feeding power to the house through an underground cable.
It is very satisfying to know that through our renovations we have not only rehabilitated an old workers' cottage in desperate need of TLC, but we have given it a green, future-friendly power source. If you are lucky enough to have enough money to invest in solar panels, right now is probably the best time to act because the longer they are up before the end of the gross feed-in tariff scheme, the more financially worth-while it will be.
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As Neil Armstrong said, it's only one small step. But the good news – despite all the bad news out there – is that small steps are being taken almost everywhere you look. I teach at Charles Sturt University a couple of days a week, where they are taking great strides in energy and water efficiency. William Adlong from the university's CSU Green project notes that while new buildings added about 16 per cent to the floor area from 2006 to 2009, emissions from energy use increased only 1.3 per cent in that time. Water use across the university has dropped by 32 per cent since 2006. The CSU's transport fleet, which now includes more fuel efficient, hybrid or diesel vehicles, shows a reduction of nearly 20 per cent in fuel use per kilometre in 2009 compared to 2008. Well done!