Big Business Turns To Solar

by Dean Mance | Jun 8, 2017 | Reduce Your Power Bill, Save Money, Solar Power

Government Lags Behind, As Usual

Last week Telstra signed a deal to purchase the entire output of a new 70MW solar farm to be built in Queensland.

Rapidly rising power costs have prompted the move as part of Telstra’s long term energy management strategy.

Telstra consumes about 1% of the nation’s electricity so rising power costs have negatively affected the company’s bottom line.

The unusual aspect of this deal is that Telstra has signed a contract with the developer directly, rather than through an energy retailer.

Telstra has plans for more solar farms as the cost of renewable energy falls, while power prices continue to rise.

Korean owned Sun Metals has also announced a new 125MW solar farm for its Townsville zinc refinery. The facility is expected to provide about 30% of the refinery’s power requirements.

Both these projects are expected to be completed and delivering power in 2018.

That’s one of the great benefits of solar power. An installation can be up and running quickly, without long design and construction phases.

Monash University has also called for tenders for a 40MW wind or solar farm to supply their on-going power needs.

Both the Telstra and Monash projects can be built in locations that are remote from their own facilities. The power output from the farms can be sold to other users, and that income used to offset the power costs of Telstra and Monash.

Australia’s biggest horticultural company Costa Group has identified power costs and reliability of supply as major risks to their business.

They are currently reviewing plans for a solar farm and battery storage facility at their South Australian mushroom farm.

We know that Australians love solar power.

Now Big Business has done the sums and they are voting with their wallets.

We expect to see more businesses follow Telstra’s example and probably groups of smaller businesses forming consortiums to build their own power plants to manage their energy costs.

The federal government is out of step with the Australian community, with its’ continuing support for the coal industry, and constant attacks on renewables.

More and more, consumers and business are turning to wind and solar energy and that trend will only continue.

Solar power is here to stay and will only get bigger, better and stronger, whether the government supports it or not.

For a free on-site inspection and a detailed proposal by the guy who will actually install your solar panels phone Mance Electrical on 6331 4711

Or send us a message using the form below

Generators Are Lost Opportunity For Tasmania

by Dean Mance | May 15, 2016 | Home Heating, Keep Your Family Safe, Solar Power

Hydro Tasmania’s greed and mismanagement, the failure of the Basslink cable and an unexpected drought have brought power generation in Tasmania to a crisis point.

We are now in panic mode with large industrial users cutting production and emergency measures in place.

Hydro Tasmania has committed $44 million to hire up to 200 hundred diesel generators and has predicted up to $22 million a month for fuel to run them.

If those figures are correct, after 3 months running the generators we will have spent $110 million. And what will we have to show for it? The generators will still belong to someone else and the diesel will have all gone up in smoke.

Imagine if Hydro Tasmania spent $110 million on solar panel installations across Tasmania.

That amount of money would be enough to put a 5.0kw system on over 12,200 homes across the state.

Or make every single government building, every hospital, every school, college and university, every local council building, all the museums and libraries, and every sports ground and community centre in the state, self sufficient in electricity for the next 25 years.

Spending the money in Tasmania would create hundreds of new jobs with a massive amount of work for solar installers, wholesalers and distributers, truck drivers, etc with the usual flow on effects running through the state economy. The power saved by using solar generation could then be sold to the mainland, meaning no loss of revenue for the Hydro.

Under the present scheme, most of the money leaves the state.

The dire state of our water storages means there isn’t time to install that many panels before the water runs out. Recent rains have been welcome but are only a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed.

Lake Gordon for example covers 272 square kilometres and is 43 metres down from it’s full level. That is an absolutely colossal amount of water and will take years to refill.

The same weather that has brought the rain is also delaying the repair of the Basslink cable.

If the rain continues, we may just avoid the rolling power blackouts that will otherwise be required. If power cuts do occur it will be a disaster for families and businesses alike.

How many people are well prepared to face a Tasmanian winter without power?

Some people are preparing by buying their own generators, but just owning a generator is not a straight forward replacement for mains power.

The small handyman generator will not power much more than your lights and your toaster. It certainly won’t run your electric heater.

A generator large enough to run your home, including some of your heating, can be sourced for around $2,000. That’s fine if you can afford it, but you can’t just run a cord out and plug it into your heat pump.

In order to use the power from your generator you need a generator inlet connected to your switchboard and a proper isolation switch to select between mains and generator power and avoid causing safety issues for your neighbours.

Click here for more info on generators and generator inlets.

Click here for more info on solar panel installation.

There is no easy fix to the power problems we face at the moment. Let’s hope the rain continues, the Basslink cable is repaired and that those responsible for this debacle are held properly accountable.

For advice and quotes on solar panels and generator inlets phone Mance Electrical on 6331 4711.

Or email us at admin@manceelectrical.com.au

Solar Power For Business – Still A Great Idea

by Dean Mance | Feb 17, 2016 | Reduce Your Power Bill, Solar Power

Despite the low feed-in tariff, solar power can still be a great idea for your business.

A business that operates mainly during daylight hours can get a good return on a solar system because they make and use their own power during business hours and then go home and turn off most of their equipment at the end of the day.

Any power generated by a solar panel system is used before power is drawn from the grid, so the benefit you get from that power is equivalent to the full commercial tariff of between $0.24 and $0.34 per kilowatt hour.

This compares very favourably to the current feed-in tariff of just 5.5 cents. Even though the feed-in tariff is small, you will still earn some credits on weekends and holidays, further reducing your power bill.

A business should also be able to claim back the GST expense of the installation and also claim a deduction of some type for the installation itself. Interest on money borrowed to finance a solar power for business installation should also be tax deductible.

(Check with your accountant for details that relate to your particular circumstances)

Given the energy savings and reduction to your power bill and the potential tax advantages, solar power for business is definitely still a great idea.

For free advice, a free on-site inspection and proposal tailored to your specific requirements, phone Mance Electrical on 6331 4711

How The Blazing Hot Summer Sun Can Keep You Cool

by Dean Mance | Feb 5, 2016 | Fun Ideas For Your Home, Reduce Your Power Bill, Solar Power

It’s 34 degrees outside the sun is beating down fiercely and you can feel your skin starting to burn after just a couple of minutes exposure.

So how can this hot, hot summer sun actually keep you cool?

You can be cool and comfortable by running your air-conditioner on solar power!

Air-conditioning is an ideal appliance for solar power because you are using your electricity as you make it, right when you need it the most.

With solar panels on your roof you can use your own power as you make it and run your air conditioning so you can remain cool and comfortable during even the hottest days.

In fact the hotter it gets the more power you make and the cooler you can be!

Your solar panel system is set up so that the solar power is used first and power from the grid is only used when there isn’t enough solar power available.

It makes good sense to use your own power first and effectively get paid 15.197 cents per kw hour, rather than try to build up credits at a measly 5.5 cents per kw hour of the current feed-in tariff.

You will be 3 times better off by using your own power than you would selling it back to the grid.

Solar power still works well, however these days, the lower feed-in tariffs means it takes longer to build up credits by selling your excess power back to the grid.

Despite the low feed in tariff, solar power is still a great investment. Any power you make and use yourself is power you don’t have to pay for.

Payback times are longer with the lower tariff, but you will still be better off with a solar system on the roof.

There are also finance options for those wanting to go solar without having to pay the full installation cost up front.

Phone us to find out more about how the sun can keep you cool.

For a free quotation based on an on-site inspection by a qualified solar installer, phone Mance Electrical Launceston on 6331 4711

Israel Plants Solar Trees

by Dean Mance | Aug 17, 2015 | Solar Power

Solar Trees Provide Shade And Power

Israeli inventor, Michael Lasry has created a “solar tree” which collects solar power and provides a shaded seating area with outlets for charging mobile phones and a screen for accessing the internet.

The solar tree also provides chilled drinking water and is a wi-fi hotspot. Excess power produced by the tree is stored in a battery which then powers LED lights at night and provides back up power on cloudy days.

The seven solar panels on the tree produce 1.4 kilowatts of power which is enough to run 35 laptop computers.

The solar trees are a stand-alone installation, not connected to the electricity grid. The $100,000 price tag means there may not be a solar tree in every park any time soon, but they are a great example of what is possible with small scale solar installations.

The inventor also plans to install internet connected cameras in the trees allowing communication between tree users across the world.

If you’d like to join the thousands of Aussies who enjoy the benefits of a small scale solar panel installation give us a call for a free on-site inspection and a detailed proposal tailored to your specific site.

Phone Mance Electrical on 6331 4711

Nyngan Solar Power Plant Largest In Southern Hemisphere

by Dean Mance | Jul 20, 2015 | Reduce Your Power Bill, Solar Power

1,366,380 Solar Panels, 102 Megawatts of Power

Enough To Power 33,000 Homes For A Year

The statistics are amazing, the scale is huge. AGL have just completed their biggest ever solar project at Nyngan in western New South Wales.

The last panel was installed in April 2015 and a ceremony to mark the event was attended by the CEOs of AGL and First Solar and ministers from the NSW state government – but not the federal government.

By the end of July the plant is expected to be fully connected and producing at full capacity. The more than 1.36 million panels cover 240 hectares and will provide enough energy to power 33,000 homes for an entire year.

Despite the federal government’s attack on the solar power industry, the installation of panels continues all across the country. Australians love solar power and will not be deterred from accessing this abundant, clean and cost effective source of energy.

For more information on how you can get your power free from the sun, including an on-site inspection, customised installation plan, system performance estimate and a free, no obligation quotation, phone your Launceston solar experts, Mance Electrical on 6331 4711.

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