tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/off-grid-solar-pv-37402/articlesoff-grid solar PV – The Conversation2022-12-16T00:54:47Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1926102022-12-16T00:54:47Z2022-12-16T00:54:47ZThinking of buying a battery to help power your home? Here’s what you need to know<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500341/original/file-20221212-95892-9vw3eu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C6000%2C3979&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Batteries are undoubtedly part of our energy future. Should you put one in your home now to store solar output, manage your energy use and cut costs? It really depends on what you want to achieve.</p>
<p>Studies in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032116307559">2017</a> and <a href="https://arena.gov.au/projects/der-2-0-customer-focused-design-for-der-participation/">2021</a> identified key motivations for installing home batteries:</p>
<ul>
<li>using your own solar energy</li>
<li>good for environment</li>
<li>independence from the grid</li>
<li>saving money.</li>
</ul>
<p>With these goals in mind, our research suggests it’s hard to justify buying a battery right now on cost savings alone. If other reasons also matter to you, it might be justified.</p>
<h2>Using your own solar</h2>
<p><a href="https://arena.gov.au/renewable-energy/solar/">More than 30%</a> of Australian homes have solar systems. They typically generate more than is needed during the middle of the day, less than is needed during morning and evening demand peaks, and nothing at night.</p>
<p>If you don’t have a battery, when you need more power than your solar system generates it’s imported from the grid. You can also export surplus energy to the grid and be paid for it. </p>
<p>But, as solar capacity grows, the maximum power new solar system owners are allowed to export is being limited in many locations. And if too many people in your street are exporting, the local voltage will go high and solar inverters will curtail generation. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/solar-curtailment-is-emerging-as-a-new-challenge-to-overcome-as-australia-dashes-for-rooftop-solar-172152">Solar curtailment is emerging as a new challenge to overcome as Australia dashes for rooftop solar</a>
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<p>One way you can avoid curtailment is by shifting some of your energy use to the middle of the day. Significant loads that could be shifted include:</p>
<ul>
<li>water heating</li>
<li>pool pumps</li>
<li>air conditioning</li>
<li>appliances such as dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers</li>
<li>electric vehicle charging.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you still have surplus generation, it can be stored in a battery and used later to reduce the energy you import from the grid to cover loads you can’t shift. The energy you could transfer via a battery each day will be whichever is the minimum of your excess generation and the amount you normally import. For example, if you have 3 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of excess generation in a day but import only 2kWh to meet your overnight loads, the maximimum energy you can transfer via a battery is 2kWh.</p>
<p>The graph below shows an example of the energy that could be transferred each day of a year, averaged over 40 houses at <a href="https://renewalsa.sa.gov.au/projects/lochiel-park/">Lochiel Park</a>, a precinct of low-energy housing in Adelaide.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491149/original/file-20221022-37897-tqvnng.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491149/original/file-20221022-37897-tqvnng.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491149/original/file-20221022-37897-tqvnng.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491149/original/file-20221022-37897-tqvnng.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491149/original/file-20221022-37897-tqvnng.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491149/original/file-20221022-37897-tqvnng.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491149/original/file-20221022-37897-tqvnng.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Average energy transfer for each day of a year.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For these households, a battery with an 8kWh capacity could handle the energy transfer most days. However, the average energy transferred each day is only 4kWh because some days have low surplus generation or low overnight demand. Households with large solar systems and large daily energy imports from the grid can transfer more.</p>
<p>The battery itself will limit rates of charging and discharging. If you are generating more power than it can handle, some of the surplus will be exported or the solar output could be curtailed. If your load is more than it can handle, you will need extra power from the grid.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/when-the-heat-hits-how-to-make-our-homes-comfortable-without-cranking-up-the-aircon-110496">When the heat hits: how to make our homes comfortable without cranking up the aircon</a>
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<h2>Environmental benefits</h2>
<p>Storing surplus solar energy and using it instead of fossil-fuel energy from the grid will have environmental benefits.</p>
<p>Most home batteries are lithium-ion batteries. Despite <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01735-z">concerns about the environmental impacts</a> of a lithium-ion-led energy revolution, efforts are being made to <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/product-stewardship/products-schemes/battery-stewardship">reduce</a> these impacts.</p>
<p>Other ways to reduce environmental impacts without a battery include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/energy-storage-is-crucial-but-its-not-the-only-piece-in-the-puzzle-41226">use less energy, and shift your load</a> to match your clean energy supply</p></li>
<li><p>choose a <a href="https://www.greenelectricityguide.org.au">green retailer</a> or buy <a href="https://www.greenpower.gov.au">GreenPower</a>.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Independence</h2>
<p>A <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032116307559">2017 study</a> found nearly 70% of respondents wanted to eventually disconnect from the grid. Remote households have done it for decades, but need large solar systems and large batteries backed up by diesel generators and gas for heating and cooking.</p>
<p>Being connected to a grid has significant benefits. When not generating enough solar power you can get energy from somewhere else. And when generating more than you need, you can send the surplus somewhere else that needs it. Connecting many loads to many generators increases flexibility and efficiency.</p>
<p>A home battery can let you run your home when the grid fails, but you may need extra equipment to isolate it from the grid at such times. Being off-grid means you may also need to manage your battery differently to keep enough energy in reserve to meet your needs during outages.</p>
<h2>Saving money</h2>
<p>You could use a battery to reduce costs in two ways:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>store surplus solar energy during periods of a low feed-in tariff (the money you receive for exporting energy to the grid), then use it later instead of importing energy when the price is high</p></li>
<li><p>join a virtual power plant (VPP).</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Let us explain further.</p>
<p>The cost of electricity varies throughout each day, <a href="https://www.aemo.com.au">depending on demand and on available generation</a>. If you have a meter that records when energy is used, time-of-use and dynamic tariffs will allow you to make the most of price fluctuations. </p>
<p>If the difference between your feed-in tariff and your peak import price is 40c/kWh, each kWh of solar energy you store then use during the peak period saves you 40c. The graph above showed an average daily transfer of 4kWh, saving $1.60 per day. But this household requires an 8kWh battery, costing about $9,600. The payback period is over 16 years – beyond the warrantied life of the battery.</p>
<p>In 2017 we simulated battery use for 38 houses with solar to determine the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038092X17306485">viability and payback period</a>. Each dot in the graph below indicates the payback period for a particular household with given battery size. The horizontal axis shows the annual surplus energy it generated. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490780/original/file-20221020-19-kwfzo9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490780/original/file-20221020-19-kwfzo9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490780/original/file-20221020-19-kwfzo9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490780/original/file-20221020-19-kwfzo9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490780/original/file-20221020-19-kwfzo9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490780/original/file-20221020-19-kwfzo9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490780/original/file-20221020-19-kwfzo9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Energy storage payback periods for 38 households.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The payback period is better for smaller batteries, which cost less, and for houses with larger annual export.</p>
<p>We assumed a price difference of 40c/kWh between import price and feed-in tariff. We also assumed a future battery price of $600/kWh – we are not there yet (unless you can get a generous subsidy).</p>
<p>The other way of reducing the payback period, and <a href="https://aemo.com.au/newsroom/news-updates/aemo-shares-fourth-and-final-vpp-knowledge-sharing-report-ahead-of-trial-conclusion">supporting the grid</a>, is to join a <a href="https://arena.gov.au/assets/2020/10/virtual-power-plant-in-south-australia.pdf">virtual power plant</a> (VPP). A VPP is a network of home solar batteries from which the electricity grid can draw energy in times of need.</p>
<p>VPP operators typically offer discounts on the battery cost, its management to take advantage of the retail tariffs on offer, and payments for allowing them to use your battery to trade energy on the electricity markets. <a href="https://www.solarquotes.com.au/battery-storage/vpp-comparison/">Subsidies and payments</a> vary across VPPs.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/teslas-virtual-power-plant-might-be-second-best-to-real-people-power-90319">Tesla's 'virtual power plant' might be second-best to real people power</a>
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<h2>Other options might be a better bet at this stage</h2>
<p>Understand why you want a battery before you start looking. There are other options for making better use of your solar generation, getting clean energy and reducing your costs. </p>
<p>If you have a large solar system, high grid imports and can get a good subsidy, or if you just want cutting-edge energy technology, then you might be able to justify a battery.</p>
<p>If you don’t have solar already, the economics of a solar system with a battery can look attractive. But the solar panels will provide most of the savings.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192610/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Pudney received funding from the Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrian Grantham works for APG Insights and CXC - undertaking contract work for AEMO.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heather Smith chairs the Coalition for Community Energy. She has received funding from the Australian Government's Remote and Regional Microgrids and Preparing Communities programs and CSIRO. She consults as Changing Weather to community energy groups. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Boland receives funding from the Regional and Remote Communities reliability Fund, and has in the past received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.</span></em></p>it’s hard to justify buying a battery right now on cost savings alone. If other reasons also matter to you, it’s easier to justify.Peter Pudney, Associate Professor of Industrial and Applied Mathematics, University of South AustraliaAdrian Grantham, Adjunct Research Associate, University of South AustraliaHeather Smith, PhD Candidate, Industrial AI Research Centre, University of South AustraliaJohn Boland, Professor of Environmental Mathematics, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/980582018-08-30T21:53:13Z2018-08-30T21:53:13ZWater access may be more important than electricity for sub-Saharan Africa<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230093/original/file-20180731-136667-nsa66y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Access to water -- not electricity -- can have larger gains for health and well-being. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For nearly two decades, the United States has strongly pushed for the electrification of rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa to raise the standard of living. It has carried out these goals via the USAID’s <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/powerafrica">Power Africa</a> and the World Bank, and under the UN Sustainable Development Goal on Energy (SDG7).</p>
<p>And yet, it remains unclear whether electrification can actually improve living standards in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. </p>
<p>As researchers, we have previously documented the positive effects of electrification schemes. Still, we think that money earmarked for rural electrification in sub-Saharan Africa might be better spent elsewhere. </p>
<p>Providing people with clean drinking water and sanitation infrastructure may do more to improve living standards than providing them with electricity. </p>
<p>In addition, water and sanitation provisions are generally less expensive than rural electrification. They could improve many more lives at the same cost. </p>
<h2>Power versus water</h2>
<p>The electrification of <a href="https://ac.els-cdn.com/S0305750X1200215X/1-s2.0-S0305750X1200215X-main.pdf?_tid=0a28df19-47bd-4c7a-ac34-33bcb456c96e&acdnat=1529075395_a0426ba350b42321fdd77e693b77cea8">low-density rural areas in Nicaragua</a>, <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2717483">Guatemala</a> and <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.101.7.3078">KwaZulu-Natal</a> has increased the number of working women. Rural electrification substantially <a href="https://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/abs/10.1093/wber/lhv057">increased household living standards in India</a></p>
<p>However, South Asian rural electrification schemes often <a href="https://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTRURELECT/Resources/full_doc.pdf">did not reach the poor</a>. Similarly, in <a href="https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2013/04/15/ghanas-rural-electrification-programme-is-insane-world-bank-official/">Ghana</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-electricity-changes-lives-a-rwandan-case-study-91018">Rwanda</a>, economic opportunities were not obviously increased. In Ghana, electricity remains <a href="https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/61277/1/Thesis_2016-Anthony_Amoah_CORRECTED.pdf">prohibitively expensive for newly connected rural households</a>. In Rwanda, <a href="http://anon-ftp.iza.org/dp6195.pdf">grid electrification did not result in significant new income generation in rural areas</a>.</p>
<p>While there is some potential for off-grid solar energy to <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/how-can-solar-energy-help-indias-farmers/">improve agricultural productivity in Africa</a>, very small-scale solar provisions are unlikely to do so. </p>
<p>Solar provisions may be commercially viable, but <a href="https://www.pv-tech.org/news/bill-gates-solar-is-not-the-energy-solution-africa-needs">they are not necessarily the most cost-effective source of clean energy</a>. A home installation in sub-Saharan Africa may <a href="https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/october-2006/solar-power-cheap-energy-source-africa">cost US$500-1,000, far above what most rural households can pay</a>.</p>
<h2>Dirty drinking water</h2>
<p>Electrification of rural areas may not be the most cost-effective way of improving health and wellbeing. </p>
<p>In sub-Saharan Africa, <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/powerafrica">two out of three people lack access to electricity</a>, but <a href="http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/africa.shtml">40 per cent do not have clean drinking water</a> and <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/sanitation">70 per cent lack adequate sanitation</a>.</p>
<p>The burden of <a href="http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/251181468140658232/pdf/364010PAPER0Gl101OFFICIAL0USE0ONLY1.pdf">waterborne childhood diseases is great</a>. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/diarrhea-burden.html">One in nine children under age five dies every year in sub-Saharan Africa</a>. Diarrhea from dirty drinking water is the second major cause of death, after malaria. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/wsh0404.pdf">Drilling wells, disinfecting water and providing sealed sewerage services</a> improve population health remarkably. A reduction in the incidence of childhood diarrhea lowers the likelihood of childhood stunting (impaired growth and development), being underweight and susceptibility to other disease.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/africa-is-failing-to-close-the-gap-on-providing-water-and-sanitation-58820">Africa is failing to close the gap on providing water and sanitation</a>
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<p>Water and sanitation provisions might save or improve many more lives for the same cost as either grid or solar electricity.</p>
<h2>Soft power and local politics</h2>
<p>The push for electricity may be more about soft power than it is about empowerment. </p>
<p>The World Bank and the UN agencies aim to pre-empt <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/nov/05/china-africa-aid-investment-fear">Chinese control over strategic infrastructure in Africa</a>. Household water pipes and improved sanitation do not hold the same strategic importance as electricity. But these international taxpayer-financed infrastructure investments may not reflect <a href="https://www.aspeninstitute.it/aspenia-online/article/chinese-presence-africa-pure-economic-geopolitics">the population’s priorities</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-foreign-investment-is-no-easy-fix-for-africas-energy-needs-94049">Why foreign investment is no easy fix for Africa's energy needs</a>
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<p>It may also be influenced by the local political economy. As part of a post-civil war peace dividend, the rural electrification plan in Guatemala connected Indigenous households. </p>
<p>Electrification increased the amount of time Indigenous women spent earning money outside of the home. Still, the real winners may have been the two privately owned electricity companies, which received <a href="https://www.esc-pau.fr/ppp/documents/featured_projects/guatemala.pdf">US$650 from the government for each new household connection</a>. </p>
<p>The willingness of African governments to engage in electricity projects may depend on potential gains realized by key players in state-owned enterprises or government. These considerations can easily be hidden behind a humanitarian veneer. </p>
<h2>Your tax dollars at work</h2>
<p>International taxpayer-supported investments in rural areas in Africa should prioritize infrastructure that will result in the greatest improvement in living standards for a given outlay. In many remote rural areas, this may not be electrification.</p>
<p>As a member of the United Nations, Canada contributes taxpayer money to the loans and grants provided to the governments of developing countries, often at below-market interest rates. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/lessons-from-kenya-about-whats-holding-back-solar-technology-in-africa-64185">Lessons from Kenya about what’s holding back solar technology in Africa</a>
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<p>But the fixed costs of grid electrification are very high. Local economic activities may never pay enough to support the full cost of providing even a minimal level of grid electricity service. Governments and international <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w22292">taxpayers may need to continuously subsidize electricity provision to rural households</a>. Even when electrification is solar, <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/4222#abstract">the need for subsidies may remain</a>.</p>
<p>International taxpayers could have instead contributed that same tax dollar to a more effective intervention.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/98058/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Providing people with clean drinking water and sanitation is less expensive than grid electrification and it could improve more lives.Louise Grogan, Professor, University of GuelphTselmuun Tserenkhuu, PhD student, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/763982017-04-25T19:54:49Z2017-04-25T19:54:49ZFive things the east coast can learn from WA about energy<p>It’s an interesting time to be involved in energy policy. Thanks to the east coast <a href="https://theconversation.com/gas-crisis-energy-crisis-the-real-problem-is-lack-of-long-term-planning-74705">energy crisis</a>, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/hazelwoods-closure-wont-affect-power-prices-as-much-as-you-might-think-67773">closure of Hazelwood power station</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-did-energy-regulators-deliberately-turn-out-the-lights-in-south-australia-72729">South Australia’s blackouts</a>, the broadsheet-reading public suddenly finds itself conversant with all sorts of esoteric concepts, from <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-real-reason-our-power-companies-block-battery-systems-20170329-gv8ybe.html">gas peaking to five-minute price settlements</a>.</p>
<p>Amid all the disruption, it’s perhaps not surprising that a long-term, coherent national energy policy remains as elusive as ever. Instead we see piecemeal announcements like <a>pumped hydro</a> and <a href="http://www.joshfrydenberg.com.au/siteData/uploadedData/Minister%20Frydenberg%20-%20Media%20Release-%20CEFC%20and%20ARENA%20Storage%20(1%20February%202017)_d030bb5e-5e01-41e5-b8bd-89cd05aaa58b.pdf">battery storage</a>, none of which is itself a panacea. Some innovations can <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-13/tesla-power-fix-unlikely-despite-elon-musk-pitch/8350026">hinge on a single tweet</a> which, while exciting, hardly gives the impression of joined-up policymaking.</p>
<p>Despite its name, the much-maligned <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/national-electricity-market-2810">National Electricity Market</a> doesn’t extend to Western Australia, which means that federal energy policy discussions don’t always reach across the Nullarbor.</p>
<p>But we suggest looking west for inspiration. In our view, WA is well placed to research, develop and deploy the energy solutions that the whole country could ultimately use. Here are five reasons why.</p>
<p><strong>1. An appetite for change</strong> </p>
<p>WA electricity customers have long recognised the advantages that energy innovations provide. More than 200,000 homes have solar panels (rapidly closing in on the <a href="http://reneweconomy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/state2.png">penetration levels of Queensland and South Australia</a>), and the appetite for residential battery storage is steadily growing.</p>
<p>This is due to a combination of factors. First, there’s the consistently sunny weather. Then there’s the fact that WA customers cannot yet choose their electricity retailer, meaning that households are more motivated to shop for solar panels to gain independence from government owned monopoly utilities, and can’t simply rely on the innovative price deals of the more nimble retailers found over east. </p>
<p>The vast distance and separation from the rest of Australia’s network means the WA grid won’t be joined to the NEM any time soon, meaning it will need to address the issues for itself, hopefully aided by a <a href="https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/wyatt-faces-energy-price-gap-dilemma-ng-b88424404z">newly elected state government</a> with the political capital to reform energy markets.</p>
<p><strong>2. Micro grids, maximum resilience</strong></p>
<p>To move successfully away from the traditional, centralised model of electricity generation, you need to maintain one of its cornerstone qualities: resilience. Being so far from literally everywhere else on the planet has embedded these traits into WA’s energy network, but has also reinforced the need to incorporate “microgrids” into network planning.</p>
<p>Microgrids are best thought of as small electricity sub-grids, able to function in concert with the main grid or in isolation if necessary. This increases the entire network’s resilience – you can’t have a state-wide blackout if you have plenty of microgrids. </p>
<p>WA currently has <a href="https://horizonpower.com.au/news-events/news/wa-leads-the-way-in-energy-transformation">over 30 isolated microgrids</a>, and is in prime position to be a test bed for more complex systems of network control, which will become necessary as these grids attempt to incorporate ever higher levels of distributed renewable energy from solar panels and other sources. </p>
<p><strong>3. Trials and tests beat reviews and reports</strong></p>
<p>The forthcoming <a href="https://theconversation.com/chief-scientists-report-lays-a-solid-foundation-for-reforming-australias-electricity-network-70268">Finkel Review</a> of the National Electricity Market is clearly necessary and welcome. But while the media and political circus focuses on it, the utilities in WA are already out there testing the solutions.</p>
<p>The government-owned retailer <a href="https://www.synergy.net.au/">Synergy</a> and network operators <a href="https://www.westernpower.com.au/">Western Power</a>have helped to investigate a range of innovations, such as <a href="https://www.landcorp.com.au/genyhouse/">strata peer-to-peer electricity trading</a>, <a href="https://arena.gov.au/project/garden-island-microgrid-project/">microgrids</a>, <a href="https://www.westernpower.com.au/about/media/western-power-to-install-first-utility-scale-battery-in-mid-west/">utility-scale battery storage</a>, <a href="https://www.westernpower.com.au/about/media/submissions-sought-on-new-approach-to-power-planning/">demand-management</a>, and <a href="https://www.westernpower.com.au/about/electricity-innovation/stand-alone-power-systems/">standalone power systems for fringe-of-grid areas</a>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the state-owned regional provider <a href="https://horizonpower.com.au/">Horizon Power</a> provides several <a href="http://reneweconomy.com.au/how-horizon-power-plans-to-remove-worlds-biggest-fossil-fuel-subsidy-58724/">valuable test case opportunities</a> to understand how future grids and networks will need to operate in more remote areas. For example, it has successfully installed advanced metering infrastructure (‘smart meters’) for every one of its 47,000 customers, spread over 2.3 million square kilometres, no less.</p>
<p><strong>4. Skilled labour is plentiful</strong></p>
<p>During WA’s decade-long mining boom, technical skills were in high demand and short supply. It’s fair to say the opposite is now the case. Meanwhile, the state government has <a href="Www.mediastatememts.wa.gov.au/pages/Barnett/2016/04/electricity-reforms-ensure-fairer-system-for-all.aspx">committed to removing 380 megawatts of fossil-fuel generation capacity from the WA energy market</a>, most of which is situated around Collie, south of Perth. </p>
<p>If this pledge leads to greater opportunities for new renewable energy infrastructure it would provide welcome relief for a job market awash with underemployed technical experts, still reeling from the mining downturn. </p>
<p>WA’s <a href="http://www.afr.com/business/mining/china-to-build-400m-lithium-plant-in-wa-expand-major-mine-20160906-gr9lsq">world-leading reserves of lithium ore</a> also offer a significance chance to join in the burgeoning battery storage industry. </p>
<p>With the recent closure of Hazelwood’s ancient coal-fired power station, Victoria’s Latrobe valley will no doubt be investigating similar opportunities, and the coal regions of Queensland and New South Wales should not be too far behind.</p>
<p><strong>5. Strong links between government and experts</strong></p>
<p>For WA, the disruptive transition in the energy sector is more acute, partly because its market is dominated by government-owned monopoly utilities that rely heavily on subsidies to ensure consistent power prices. But mostly because in WA there is a very direct link between power prices and politics, and electricity is always a hot topic at state elections. </p>
<p>Because of its physical isolation, WA’s energy policies are also largely independent from the rest of the <a href="http://www.coagenergycouncil.gov.au/">COAG Energy Council</a>.</p>
<p>As described in point 3 above, utilities will need to be prepared to spend significantly on research and development if they want to survive. WA’s utilities already rely heavily on state government support for technology innovation, but also have strong networks of local experts that are able to bridge the silos across academia, industry and government and keep the momentum going in WA’s smaller markets and grids.</p>
<p>So that was five reasons, among many more, why we think WA has a chance for not just Australian, but global leadership in the renewable power transition. As the rest of the country grapples with its energy headaches, it should consider looking west once in a while.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/76398/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Despite its name, the National Electricity Market doesn’t reach WA. But those charged with guiding the eastern states’ energy transition should look west once in a while.Dev Tayal, Policy Adviser and Researcher, Curtin UniversityPeter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/754982017-04-04T14:04:33Z2017-04-04T14:04:33ZProviding sustainable energy isn’t just about gadgets and dollars<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163454/original/image-20170331-31733-lkjdlp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">World Environment Day 2016 in Nairobi celebrated under solar-powered floodlights.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Daniel Irungu</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Around the world, 1.1 billion people <a href="https://www.iea.org/topics/energypoverty/">have no electricity</a> and 2.9 billion can’t cook with <a href="http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/resources/energydevelopment/energyaccessdatabase/">“clean” energy</a>. The international community has big aspirations to tackle this challenge, and its focus is on sustainable energy. </p>
<p>This involves providing poor women and men with affordable access to electricity for modern energy services like lighting and communications. The needs also extend to clean cooking options to mitigate the negative health effects of cooking with wood, charcoal, coal or animal waste. Many of these people live in remote locations with no access to electricity grids, or live within reach of the grid but cannot afford to connect. This has led to a focus on the potential of off-grid, renewable energy options.</p>
<p>A UN scheme – called the <a href="http://www.se4all.org/">UN Sustainable Energy for All initiative</a> – has set itself the goal of ensuring that everyone in the world has access to sustainable energy for all by 2030. This is a big ambition. Yet the international community still doesn’t understand enough about how to overcome the problem of energy access, and what’s needed to deliver it for everyone.</p>
<p>Two dimensions have dominated the debate: hardware and finance. We need technological hardware (for instance solar PV or wind turbines) and we need finance to pay for it. Much of the <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?id=_afgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT42&lpg=PT42&dq=hardware+and+finance+for+sustainable+energy&source=bl&ots=LBBjeQ1mF8&sig=CVIK9wJKOq8bs4WdkeXE28Calek&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjIpsXe84fTAhUsBcAKHUIoC3UQ6AEIPzAA#v=onepage&q=hardware%20and%20finance%20for%20sustainable%20energy&f=false">research</a> on the problem has come from engineers and economists, informing policy agendas that respond to their concerns.</p>
<p>But there are three other dimensions that have been largely ignored in research and policy. These are culture, politics, and innovation. Looking at past successes in sustainable energy shows why they are crucial, and why ignoring them could lead to disappointment or failure.</p>
<h2>Behind Kenya’s incredible success story</h2>
<p>A key “transformational” example often referred to by international policy makers and researchers is the <a href="http://steps-centre.org/publication/energyaccess/">incredible success</a> of the off-grid solar PV market in Kenya. This includes solar home systems, for which Kenya is estimated to have one of the largest per capita markets in the world. There’s also a rapidly expanding market for solar portable lanterns. It also includes the rapidly emerging phenomenon of pay as you go, mobile-enabled solar PV.</p>
<p>In our <a href="http://steps-centre.org/publication/sustainable-energy-for-all-innovation-technology-and-pro-poor-green-transformations/">recent book</a>, we have constructed the most detailed account to date of the history of the off-grid solar PV market in Kenya – drawing on a decade of empirical research, including over 100 hours of interviews and workshops in the country.</p>
<p>This market is often described – wrongly – as an “unsubsidised”, <a href="http://users.humboldt.edu/arne/AJacobson_PhD_Diss_final04.pdf">“free market success story”</a>
Supposedly, as the technological hardware emerged, it became cheap and reliable enough and, thanks to a lack of any government meddling, private sector entrepreneurs grew the market to what it is today.</p>
<p>Our research reveals a very different story, dating back several decades. Back then, a few early champions saw the opportunities for solar PV to provide energy access in Kenya.</p>
<p>Besides some shrewd <a href="http://steps-centre.org/publication/energyaccess/">political manoeuvring</a>, these pioneers also had to understand the social and cultural reasons behind the ways that households, schools and hospitals consumed and paid for energy services. They also had to use the right language to persuade donors, obsessed with ‘fixing’ market failures, to support long-term capacity building. </p>
<p>This included market research, training for local technicians, installing demonstration solar home systems, helping vendors to understand systems and how to support customers.</p>
<p>The result was a thriving innovation system around solar PV. The early pioneers, who understood the importance not just of tech and finance, but also politics, culture and innovation, used these insights to build the foundations for the private sector growth we see today in Kenya. Lighting Africa, a later initiative, seems to have taken these political, social and cultural aspects seriously too, which has been material to its success in Kenya.</p>
<p>Now, another new form of energy access has built on these foundations: mobile payments for solar PV. This <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0308518X15615368">“pay as you go”</a> model for solar electricity relies on the combination of two technologies: cheap Chinese solar PV and mobile banking. It has been held up as a transformational new technology and, on the surface, it looks like a mainly technical achievement.</p>
<h2>Why culture and politics too</h2>
<p>But when you dig down deeper, a <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0308518X15615368">better understanding</a> begins to emerge of the early development of pay as you go solar PV models. You learn how much time these early innovators spent understanding the socio-cultural dimension of this issue. </p>
<p>People who are now CEOs of booming pay as you go solar companies spent years living with local people and developing in-depth knowledge of how culture, and even gender, affected how people paid for and consumed energy. To be successful at meeting people’s needs, they had to think through and experiment with how to structure these payments.</p>
<p>There are also clear political dimensions to the pay as you go solar PV phenomenon. For example, the UK’s Department for International Development was only able to help develop the M-Pesa mobile banking system in Kenya because of political relationships and the government’s willingness to work with donors around a “private sector entrepreneurship” agenda. But if mobile payments for solar PV began to look like a serious challenge to the central government’s investments, the Kenyan story might look very different.</p>
<p>Understanding these deeper aspects of innovation could help donors who are now looking to support Sustainable Energy for All. Of course, technology and finance are crucial to making it happen. But so are culture, politics and the broader sense in which innovation happens.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/75498/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Ockwell receives funding from HEFCE and ESRC and has received funding from the Climate Development Knowledge Network and DFID in the past. He is affiliated with the Low Carbon Energy for Development Network. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rob Byrne receives funding from HEFCE and the ESRC. He has also received funding from the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN). The funding provided by both the ESRC and CDKN supported the research underpinning this article. Rob is affiliated with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Low Carbon Energy for Development Network and Climate Strategies.</span></em></p>The UN Sustainable Energy initiative has set the goal of ensuring sustainable energy for all by 2030. However, the international community still can’t overcome the problem of energy access.David Ockwell, Reader in Geography, University of SussexRob Byrne, Lecturer, SPRU, University of Sussex Business School, University of SussexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.