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https://theconversation.com/solar-above-batteries-below-heres-how-warehouses-and-shopping-centres-could-produce-25-of-australias-power-236317>
"Imagine if Australian cities became major producers of clean energy, rather
than relying on far-flung solar and wind farms.
Far fetched? Hardly. Our cities and towns are full of warehouses, commercial
areas, shopping centres and factories. These types of buildings have one very
important underutilised resource – large expanses of unoccupied rooftops,
perfect for solar and battery power stations.
If our commercial and industrial areas took up solar and storage, it would be
revolutionary. Electricity could be produced in cities and used in cities,
reducing transmission losses. Commercial businesses could generate solar power
during the day, store it in batteries on site and sell it back to the grid
during the evening peak.
Our calculations show Australia has enough unused commercial and industrial
rooftop space to supply at least 25% of our annual electricity use – five times
as much as currently supplied by gas-fired generators.
Australia is already the world’s top rooftop solar nation, per capita. But our
solar is largely on our houses. We have four times as much residential solar as
we do on commercial buildings. In Europe, it’s the opposite – there’s 1.5 times
as much solar on businesses as on houses. The EU’s new Solar Energy Standard is
expected to double rooftop solar capacity in four years.
In our new discussion paper, we make the case for a massive expansion of
battery-backed solar photovoltaic power on Australian business premises. Call
it “business power”.
There are excellent reasons for policymakers and building owners to look at
this. It offers a potentially large new source of cheap, reliable, clean
electricity with little downside risk."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
