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Engaging the community with our renewable future
Apr 16, 2024
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We invited community members out to the Desert Knowledge Precinct this month to hear about the work that’s gone into the Alice Springs Future Grid project, what we’ve learned, and what could be next for renewable energy in Alice Springs. It was well attended, with nearly 40 engaged community members and sector experts joining for the talk and a picturesque evening tour of the DKA Solar Centre.
A roadmap to 50% renewables
They were here to discuss the Roadmap to 2030, a new report published by the Alice Springs Future Grid project which brings together three years of learnings from five sub-projects, including real-world trials and investigations.
The report sets the scene, talking through the current energy system in Alice Springs, and how the input of solar, which currently accounts for 13% of all energy use, is making the system unstable. If no changes are made, it will become more unstable as the input of solar grows. So, the system needs an update if we’re to hit to the 50% renewable target by 2030.
Alice Springs is also likely to reach this point of instability before most other places in the territory and beyond. And while here it could mean losing power for a short while, the implications could be far greater if larger grids face the same problem.
“This is why what we’re doing is so important nationally. The eyes of the nation are on us. Ministers lose their jobs for that sort of thing,” said Lyndon Frearson at the community event, CEO of project partner Ekistica.
The report goes on to lay out four different pathways to meeting this 50% target, based on what has been observed during the research period. You can read the full report here.
Everything, everywhere, all at once
Lyndon started his talk at the Precinct with what made the Future Grid project different. While some of the trials have been conducted before, Future Grid was unique in testing everything all at the same time, and therefore more closely mirroring reality.
“The challenge of the real world is that it’s messy and difficult,” he said.
This is why the Roadmap looked at different variables when thinking through possible pathways to a renewable future.
A changing energy consumer
Lyndon also spoke about how the average energy consumer has changed over the last two decades. In general, now we are more demanding. Not only do we want energy to be cheap and reliable, but we’d also like it to be sustainable, equitable, empowering.
And from other Future Grid trials, it’s clear that we’re reluctant to limit our energy use. If we need to use energy, we’ll go ahead and use it, and incentives or variable tariffs make little impact on our behaviour.
That being said, there is a high level of support for renewables in Alice Springs, with 85% wanting the government to invest in their development.
Collaboration is key
Lyndon also made a point about the importance of working together, during the Future Grid project and as we take our next steps.
“Future Grid has been an opportunity for people to work together in ways they never have before. That’s why the consumer’s input is so important. Everyone should feed in as community members,” he said.
He also talked about the question of funding, stressing that the most efficient outcome would be more private investment. This would help spread the cost, as more people install solar panels and batteries at their homes and commercial properties.
“We’re all in charge. We’re all in this together,” he said.
What’s next?
Although we don’t know what the future has in store for us, the Roadmap gives us a few different options, and a series of steps to follow right now.
One of these is impressing upon the government the need to remove barriers by introducing enabling frameworks. Another is asking for input from the community and other concerned parties.
“None of the solutions are the solution,” Lyndon said. “They’re all part of it.”
We’re inviting responses to the Roadmap by email at info@dka.com.au
Exploring the DKA Solar Centre
Lyndon also took the group on a walking tour of the solar centre here at the Precinct, a collection of prototype solar panels, many of which have been here for many years.
He talked through the different technologies displayed, the data being recorded, and the experiments that have taken place. There are solar panels which follow the sun, for example, and the impact dust can have on functionality has been tested. Often, it’s not worth cleaning solar panels in this climate, as the risk of damaging them is too great and not worth the pay off.
The advantage of having some of the older models here is we can collect data about their degradation and map this in line with what the manufacturers have predicted.
“There’s nowhere else in the world you have 15 years of this data,” said Lyndon. “What we’ve learned is there is no panacea. Things work differently in different circumstances.”
The solar centre is free to visit during the week between 8am and 5pm, or at other times by prior arrangement – and you can look at the live data from the solar panels and battery on the website.
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