News from Australia’s Solar Cities
In this issue:
• Welcome
Issue 5
Issue 6 • Carbon neutral roadmap for Moreland
June 2010 City Council
September 2010 • Sliver me timbers, Solar Cities in
Adelaide CBD
• Smart thinking in Alice Springs
Welcome
Welcome to the sixth edition of Solarise - the
newsletter for Australia’s Solar Cities.
Carbon neutral roadmap for
Moreland City Council
As part of the work for Moreland Solar City, the
Moreland Energy Foundation (MEFL) has completed
a carbon management strategy for the Moreland
City Council (MCC), which was formally adopted at
Council’s April 2010 meeting. In adopting the strategy,
Council recommitted to having zero net corporate
emissions by 2012.
Outcomes from the Carbon Management Strategy
include:
• Identification of projects that reduce Council’s
exposure to energy price increases and carbon
offset costs. (In 2007/08 MCC spent $3.1 million
on energy, fuel, and corporate waste disposal.)
• A Council commitment to increase investment
in energy efficiency measures and low carbon
energy sources. The strategy identified $5.2 million
of capital projects to be implemented over three
years, which will reduce Council’s emissions by 24
per cent and save up to $475,000 per annum in
energy costs.
• A commitment to better manage Council’s
energy utility data and to integrate it into existing
reporting systems.
• A strengthened commitment by MEFL and Council
to work together to achieve a Zero Carbon
Moreland.
MEFL is now working with MCC to finalise a
partnership agreement to implement the strategy. The
plan includes establishing an investment fund that can
capture and reinvest energy savings.
• Blacktown residents take action
• Savings for Magnetic Island residents
• Central Victoria Solar City puts some
HEAT into the market
• Spotlight
• Solar Cities websites
Sliver me timbers, Solar
Cities in Adelaide CBD
The heart of Adelaide city is soon to receive a
Solar Cities funded face-lift with the first stage of
Adelaide City Council’s innovative refurbishment
of Victoria Square. Senator Wong recently
announced that $900,000 from the Solar Cities
program would help fund the centrepiece of this
exciting redevelopment: two iconic photovoltaic
(PV) clad walkways or arbours that will generate
up to 150 kilowatts (kW) of energy in peak times.
Above: An artist’s representation of the project
This landmark project will deliver an architecturally
significant feature for central Adelaide, using 100
per cent “sliver” technology. Substantially thinner
than most solar cells at less than 70 microns,
Australian developed sliver cells use less silicon
in construction and have demonstrated high
efficiencies of over 19 per cent. This technology
will also provide filtered shade and much needed
shelter for park users.
This will be the seventh iconic PV project to be
installed in Adelaide as part of the Solar Cities
program. It will join innovative projects such
as Tindo the world’s first solar bus; the Rundle
Lantern, a 50kW PV array linked to an LED art
canvas in the heart of Adelaide’s restaurant
district; and a 50kW PV system on the roof of the
Detroit Diesel Building in the Keylink Industrial
Estate.
Smart thinking in Alice
Springs
Both Alice Springs residents and Alice Solar City
staff have been getting smarter lately, with two new
initiatives.
Almost 300 householders in Alice Springs became
smarter with their energy use in August when they
received new Alice Solar City in-house displays.
The displays allow them to monitor their energy
consumption and carbon dioxide emissions every day,
week or month.
For example, the display might show a householder
not only that they have consumed 22 kilowatt hours
(kWh) for the day, but also what they could aim for
to be considered an energy champion house in Alice
Springs (11 kWh).
Above: An In-house display
Meanwhile, Alice Solar City staff have conducted an
academic literature review comparing the Alice Solar
City project with findings from similar programs and
other research conducted worldwide in the energy
efficiency field.
The review looked at strategies to alter household
energy consumption including socio-demographic
factors and other influences on the knowledge of, and
attitudes towards energy efficiency.
For example, studies have shown that wealthier
households generally purchase or own more energy
efficient services and appliances than poorer
households. Interestingly 80 per cent of Alice Solar City
customers earn above $50,000 compared to only 55
per cent of Alice Springs residents.
“Comparing the strategies used to influence energy
behaviour change around the world, with those used in
the Alice Solar City project, will prove extremely useful
during our Monitoring and Evaluation phase”, said Alice
Solar City General Manager Brian Elmer.
A copy of the research paper can be obtained
from Alice Solar City. See contact details at
www.alicesolarcity.com.au
Blacktown residents
take action
Blacktown residents are doing things today that
just three years ago would have been considered
only for the serious conservationist. Of course
residents have recycled for years, conserve water
and have energy efficient lights. However, for the
first time, many are seriously thinking about their
daily electricity consumption and possibly even
installing a photovoltaic (PV) system. How did this
happen?
Since the Blacktown Solar City project was
launched in 2007 a dramatic shift has taken
place in the Blacktown community towards
environmental engagement.
The intense local focus provided by Blacktown
Solar City has ensured that the community has
maintained an awareness of environmental
issues. In addition, the project is helping the
community find ways to make tangible changes
in their daily lives to save money on their energy
bills.
Jody McGann, the Blacktown Solar City Project
Manager says that at the start of the project,
the Solar Home Offers were mostly taken up by
people who were already environmentally aware
early adopters.
With the decreased costs of solar, the NSW gross
feed-in tariff and ongoing Blacktown Solar City
community engagement activities, the number
of people considering household photovoltaic
systems continues to grow. Blacktown Solar City
staff hope that these changes will continue to
influence the rest of the community to look at their
energy behaviours.
Above: A household PV system in Blacktown
2
Savings for Magnetic Island
residents
More than 100 potential participants registered
their interest in the first week of recruitment for the
Peak Demand Reduction Trial, which will encourage
residents on Magnetic Island to use less electricity
between 6pm and 9pm when demand reaches its
daily peak. Reducing peak demand is a key aim of
the project as it reduces the reliance on further costly
infrastructure and emissions intensive generation.
As part of the peak demand reduction initiative, trial
participants who reduce their electricity consumption
between 6pm and 9pm by 15 per cent or more,
compared to the same period last year, can earn up to
$25 a month.
At its most effective, the trial will remove up to 100
kilowatts off the network peak each evening. This will
match the capacity of the Magnetic Island Solar Park
when it is constructed later this year and compares to
25 per cent of the capacity
of the solar panels already
installed during the project
(400 kilowatts).
Project manager for the
trial Wayne Preston said,
“The trial will demonstrate
that demand management
is equally as important as Above: A Townsville
generating renewable energy Solar City fridge magnet
for the project. Residents are
also supported to find ways of using electricity in the
home more efficiently and to change their behaviours.”
“The focus of the trial is to educate customers on
the effects of peak power demand on the electricity
network and encourage them to shift or lower their
average usage of electricity during the peak period,”
said Wayne.
Invitations to participate have been sent to 200
eligible Magnetic Island Ergon Energy customers with
the expectation that 150 customers will participate.
“Selection was based on the availability of 12 months
of smart meter interval data and household energy use
patterns,” Wayne explained.
“We will monitor the trial closely to determine its
effectiveness and possible scope for wider rollout on
the island and to other communities that may benefit
from similarly structured programs,” he added.
The peak demand reduction trial will run for 18 months
and is scheduled to commence in October 2010. It
is the first of several tariff trials to be conducted on
Magnetic Island as part of the Solar City project.
Central Victoria Solar City
puts some HEAT into the
market
Weeks of planning and preparation will culminate
in a significant scaling up of operations for Central
Victoria Solar City (CVSC), which is planning to
deliver to market a new household product suite from
1 November.
CVSC will be providing refined packages for its home
energy assessment, retrofit, smart rates, photovoltaics
(PV), solar hot water and solar park products to
residents in 14 regional Victorian municipalities.
Central to the success of this new phase in CVSC’s
progress will be the appointment of 14 Home Energy
Assessment Team (HEAT) officers.
The HEAT positions will be advertised shortly and
when staff are appointed it is expected that the team
will operate from the municipal offices of the local
government authorities participating in the project.
HEAT will be the face of the project for many CVSC
customers, as they provide end-to-end support
to customers, starting with CVSC’s welcome and
engagement (home energy assessment) processes,
securing the sale and ensuring a successful outcome
for the customer. The HEAT team will offer support
to regional and remote Victorian communities living
up to three hours away from the project office in
Castlemaine. Central Victoria Solar City operates
across a third of Victoria, servicing a large number
of remote communities as well as the larger regional
centres.
Above: Solar City staff visit the Ballarat Solar Park
3
Spotlight What energy saving measures have you
undertaken in your own home?
In this column, we introduce We recently moved into a new home and a
someone involved with Solar north facing aspect was a high priority. We
Cities and learn about their role immediately replaced all the existing lighting with
in the program. In this issue more energy efficient lighting, and are currently
we meet Andrew Blaver, from seriously considering installing a PV system. After
Western Power who is the Perth months of design excuses, I have finally started
Solar City Project Manager. construction of the family chicken run. My six year
old daughter has taken it upon herself to be the
How long have you been working on the Perth
family ‘energy monitor’, however sometimes we
Solar City project?
do have to tell her that we are allowed to have the
I came across to Perth Solar City in December lights on in the room we are actually in!
2009 from a project named Green Town which is
being implemented in the small southern coastal
communities of Denmark and Walpole in Western
Australia. Green Town focuses on reducing Solar Cities websites
electricity consumption at peak time in edge of Did you know that each Solar City has its own
grid communities via a combination of education, website? You can access these sites through the
technology and evaluation. My move to Perth Australian Government Solar Cities website. A number
Solar City largely coincided with the shift from of the cities are working on reformatting their websites
planning to implementation of the program. to reflect project progress. Alice Solar City’s new
What issues do you deal with in a typical working website is now live and includes lots of information
day? about different elements of the project.
We have a large consortium and balancing the
requirements of every consortium member as
they go about providing the Perth Solar City
products and services to the residents of Perth's
eastern region can take up a large part of the
day. Needless to say there is also a significant
reporting requirement which keeps the program
office well occupied.
What excites you most about your Solar City?
I believe Perth Solar City provides participants
with the tools necessary to achieve energy
efficiency in a real and lasting way. It's the
essential combination of education, technology
Above: A screen shot of the new look Alice Solar City
and evaluation that enables participants to not
website - www.alicesolarcity.com.au
only understand how they are using energy, but
also provides practical tools for achieving lasting
change.
I truly believe that Living Smart - a comprehensive Further Information
behaviour change program - provides a unique
opportunity among the Solar Cities programs for Visit the Solar Cities website:
the participant to experience the energy efficiency http://www.climatechange.gov.au/solarcities
journey.
I am also excited about the technical trials © Commonwealth of Australia, 2010

such as direct load control, photovolatic (PV) Information contained in this publication may be copied or
saturation, in-home displays, smart meters etc, reproduced for study, research, information or educational
and understanding which combination is the most purposes, subject to inclusion of an acknowledgement of the
effective in achieving energy efficiency. source.