From solar to geothermal and the emerging solar-thermal, Queensland councils along the coast to the country are powering ahead with renewable energy.
Sunshine Coast Council's 15MW solar farm
There’s no doubt renewable energy is the future of electricity supply the world over.
Local governments across Queensland are powering ahead with world-class renewable energy initiatives that will not only save councils millions of dollars, but have the potential to generate revenue and boost reliability.
As local governments grapple with tight budgets and the constant search for innovative solutions to old problems, generating their own energy – to power council assets, an entire town or to feed into the national grid – is a massive win-win.
The initial investments may be large but according to Local Government Infrastructure Services (LGIS) director of energy projects Daniel Westall, the benefits far outweigh the costs.
“By generating their own energy, councils are setting themselves up to save millions of dollars over many years,” he says.
“The geothermal power plants we are working on in regional Queensland above the Great Artesian Basin have the potential to save each council up to $20 million over 20 years.
“This approach to generating energy not only creates efficiencies but provides a more reliable source of electricity. It’s far less likely to be impacted by events like storms and floods, and the common issue of network overloading.”
Generating reliable electricity
The reliability of electricity is a major issue in many Queensland communities, and it may be preventing economic development in the places that need it most.
“Many of our regional towns need more people, and having reliable energy is a great way to get them there and encourage new businesses,” Mr Westall said.
“Overloading is a big issue in many towns, with frequent black outs or ‘brown outs’ affecting local supply.”
One answer to reliable electricity is the concept behind many renewable energy projects springing up across Queensland: micro-grids.
Micro grids aren’t just for isolated towns; New York is working on a series of micro-grids following the major power outages post Hurricane Sandy.
“The idea is that the power being generated by a town or region goes directly into their own grid, rather than the national grid, supporting that community directly,” he said.
“A micro-grid approach protects localised supply from being cut off if major infrastructure fails.”
Closer to home we’re already seeing communities and new housing developments adopt a micro-grid approach, including at Springfield Lakes in Ipswich.
Two birds, one stone
Towns across much of the state get their drinking water from the Great Artesian Basin, but often this water needs to be heated or cooled before use.
Winton Shire Council will be the first local government in Queensland to harness the natural heat from the Basin to generate geothermal energy, with their plant set to be operational by mid this year.
Winton’s plant will have dual benefit in that it will cool the town’s drinking water while generating revenue for council through selling the power for the national grid.
19 other councils across Queensland are now keeping a close eye on Winton as the prototype for this technology.
For those regions with cooler bore water, enter solar thermal.
This technology can be seen in places like Denmark, Italy and Port Augusta in South Australia, where concentrated solar is used to heat water, oil, even sand, with that heat ultimately generating electricity.
Regional Queensland councils are already eyeing the possibilities for this multi-use technology.
Follow the sun
Microgrids are ideal for Queensland’s regional towns and communities, but they’re not the only solution to driving efficiencies and generating energy for council assets, businesses and homes.
On track to be operational by mid this year, the Sunshine Coast’s 15 megawatt solar farm will see Council become one of Australia’s first local governments to offset more than 100 percent of its electricity consumption across all its facilities and operations.
From administration buildings to swimming pools, libraries, sporting facilities and performance venues, all the Sunshine Coast’s council facilities will be offset by solar.
Council has predicted it will save $22 million over 30 years, after costs, and this will only continue to rise.
Generating revenue from solar power is another approach for solar farms in Queensland.
Stretching 540 hectares between Miles and Chinchilla, Western Downs Regional Council recently approved what will become one of Australia’s largest solar farms.
The 300-megawatt project will initially create 400 construction jobs and will have the capacity to power around 110,000 homes.
Western Downs Regional Council spokesperson for planning and environment Councillor Andrew Smith said the solar farm will have a big impact on the region – in more ways than one.
“It’s a massive project, not only in terms of economic benefit and local job creation but also in the flow-on business development opportunities for associated renewable energy industries,” Cr Smith said.
McKinlay Shire Council took an innovative approach to solar power, partnering with local businesses to drive renewable energy – and economic development – in the town of Julia Creek.
Council procured and installed solar panels on many buildings in town, allowing businesses to skip the upfront costs and reimburse Council through their rates.
The Julia Creek Hotel has had solar installed for about five months, and they are already making big savings.
“We were paying about $1800 a week for electricity and now it’s down to $1000,” Julia Creek Hotel manager David Wyld said.
“It is a good idea, they just put it on our rates and it saved me forking out the money myself.”
The opportunities are almost endless for councils when it comes to renewable energy.
The efficiencies are driving both economic and environmental sustainability – and we’re only just seeing the start of the journey.
