Clean Energy For Eternity: April 09

: Members of the Tathra RFS station at the public meeting in Tathra April 09

This is how the bulk deal for solar panels will work.

A 1kw system of solar photovoltaic cells, installed, grid connected, and producing electricity, will cost between $1000 and $2000 for individual households. To qualify, the household income must be less than $100 000 as per last years tax return. This is to take advantage of the Federal Government rebates which, in their current form, will run out on 1/7/09. We need names and money by the end of May at the latest so that the paper work can be processed before 1 July. For every 30 installations within a 25 km radius of a town centre, a free 2kw solar array will be donated to a community building. CEFE are working with Pyramid Power to try and roll out 1000 installations across SE NSW. We are keen to talk to anyone who can offer a bulk deal on solar panels. The bulk buy solar panels are top quality, with a 25 year warranty, and will reduce your electricity bill by roughly $300 per year for the next 30 years. That's a saving of $10 000 over 30 years, and that is before you factor in the rising cost of electricity. And before you factor in the benefits of a feed- in-tarrif that is sure to be introduced into NSW soon.

If you think that you can't afford to tackle climate change, I would say that you can't afford not to.

The first centre to reach the 30 household threshold for a community installation was Bermagui. A 2KW solar system will be installed on Little Yuin primary school before the end of the year.
Tathra has just about reached the 30 threshold, and we will have a 2kw system on the roof of the Tathra RFS shed in the near future. If we get another 30 installations in Tathra, we will have to start thinking about a second community building in Tathra. There is a new Tathra Information Centre about to open on the beachfront at Tathra. That has got to be the place to put an array of solar cells.

Each town in SE NSW has a group leader, who will assist in providing information, and getting the paper work done. For contact information, go to the www.cleanenergyforeternity.net.au web site.
Matthew Nott

Economic Stimulus

There is no underground coal in Eden Monaro. There are no coal mines, and no coal-fired power stations. No-one in Eden Monaro is employed by the coal industry. There is no trade exposed emission intensive industry in our part of the world. If we want to meet an emissions reduction target of 50/50 by 2020, we don't need to shut anything down. No jobs will be lost, and no infrastructure will go. The only way we are going to do it is by attracting renewable energy business to our region. There is huge economic advantage to our region being proactive about climate change.

What better way to demonstrate the economic advantage that climate change presents us than the solar bulk buy deal? For a cost of between $1000 and $2000, you can have a 1kw solar photovoltaic system fully installed on your roof top. This will save you about $300 a year, or $10 000 over the 30 year lifespan of the panels. This a good investment, whatever you think about climate change.

For every group of 30 people to sign up, a free 2kw solar panel will be installed on a community building. The first group of 30 has been formed in Bermagui. They will get the first community installation, and their free 2 kw system will go onto the roof on the Little Yuin pre-school. The primary-school will save about $700 a year on electricity bills.

There are well over 30 centres in SE NSW aiming to get involved in this bulk buy deal. More than one company is involved in a bulk buy deal, and competition is keeping the price at an extremely competitive level. Prices that are currently on offer for renewable energy are lower than anyone would have dreamed of a year ago. Local jobs will be created by this bulk buy deal, and households will save money.

If you think climate change is too expensive to fix, think again! Our 50/50 by 2020 target is achievable, and achieving it will be a huge economic stimulus to our region. If you think that an atmospheric CO2 that is increasing by 2 parts per million per year is nothing to worry about, who cares. Renewable energy is an economic stimulus, whatever your views on climate change.

Matthew Nott
CEFE

Solar Bulk Buy

Economic Stimulus