Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: What Are We Waiting For?

Speaker: Dr Alistair Sproul

Alistair Sproul is an Associate Professor within the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW. His current research interests are in the area of PV/energy systems for low energy buildings and highly efficient water pumping systems. Alistair has worked in the area of photovoltaic research and R&D since 1985 in a range of positions with various companies (BP Solar, Pacific Solar) and research institutions (UNSW, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems). Since 2001 he has been strongly involved in developing and delivering the undergraduate program within the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW.

Residential energy consumption in Australia makes a significant contribution to Australia's greenhouse emissions. Typically Australian households are very inefficient. Recent studies have shown that about 30% of this energy could be saved by implementing energy efficient technologies with an average 4 year payback. Perhaps surprisingly 70% of a household's energy could be saved with additional expenditure and an 8 year payback. This can be achieved most notably by implementing solar hot water systems, plus energy efficient appliances, lighting, and improvements to the building fabric to improve thermal performance ( eg insulation, double glazing and shading).

What this means is that what we are doing now is living in energy inefficient houses, with inefficient appliances, energy unconscious lifestyles and we dig up and burn fossil fuels to keep things running, when in fact by being more efficient we could do away with 70% of that energy and after 8 years we would be saving money! Not only could we reduce our greenhouse emissions it is cost effective!

Once we have made our homes more energy efficient what should we do with the money we are saving on our energy bills? Well once we have paid back the energy efficiency and solar hot water upgrades, there is still money being saved and we can use that to purchase "Green Power" or photovoltaic systems on the roof of our houses. Photovoltaics is usually one of the most expensive options for reducing greenhouse emissions. However in combination with cost-effective energy efficiency, the remaining power requirements of a home can typically be met by a 2 kW photovoltaic system which should last 25 years. Given the inevitable rise of electricity and energy prices, even just with inflation, it is possible to use the money being saved by being more efficient, to pay off the PV system over a 25 year period.

So in conclusion we have a choice in Australia with our residential greenhouse gas emissisons. We can continue our energy inefficient lifestyles which are maintained by burning fossil fuels OR we can revolutionize the way we use energy in our homes by being 70% more efficient and with the money we save on energy we can invest in more renewable energy and achieve a zero-carbon home. Not in 10 to 15 years, when "clean coal" technology will supposedly be ready, but right here right now we can go clean and green with energy efficiency and renewable energy and reduce our emissions today. What are we waiting for?