Posted in Sustainable Building Practices

What’s wrong with big solar in cities? Nothing, if it’s done right

Many of us are familiar with developments of big solar farms in rural and regional areas. These are often welcomed as a positive sign of our transition towards a low-carbon economy. But do large-scale solar installations have a place in our cities?

The City of Fremantle in Western Australia is considering a proposal to use a former landfill site for a large-scale solar farm. The reportedly 4.9 megawatt solar power station on an eight-hectare site would be, it’s said, Australia’s largest urban solar farm. The initiative is part of Fremantle’s ambition to be powered by 100% clean energy within a decade.

The proposal is facing some community opposition, however. Residents are reportedly alarmed by the potential public health consequences of building on a rubbish dump, which risks releasing toxic contaminants such as asbestos into the environment. Other concerns include glare from the solar panels, or excessive noise.

Similar complaints about solar panels in cities are being seen all over the world, with opponents generally of the view “they do not belong in residential areas”. So what are the planning issues associated with large-scale solar installations in cities? And should we be concerned about possible negative impacts?

What is large-scale solar?

According to the Australian Clean Energy Regulator, large-scale solar refers to “a device with a kilowatt (kW) rating of more than 100 kilowatts”. A kilowatt is a measure of power – the rate of energy delivery at a given moment – whereas a kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a measure of the total energy produced (so a 100kW device operating for one hour would produce 100kWh of electricity).

Device here refers to not only the photovoltaic (PV) panels – the actual panels used in solar energy – but also to the infrastructure “behind the electricity meter”. So interconnected panels may still constitute a single device.

By this definition, there may already be large-scale solar installations in Australian cities. In Sydney for example, the recently opened system on top of the Alexandra Canal Transport Depot is by all accounts a large-scale solar system. It combines around 1,600 solar panels with enough battery storage for 500kWh of electricity.

But this is not Sydney’s largest solar installation. That honour is presently held by the Sydney Markets in Flemington, among Australia’s largest rooftop solar installations, which generates around 3 megawatts (that’s 3,000kW). To date, there have been no publicly disclosed complaints received about these facilities.

Large-scale solar (sometimes called “big solar”) can also refer to solar arrays that use mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto solar PV panels. This is different to concentrated thermal solar, which uses mirrors to focus sunlight onto the top of a tower to heat salt, oil or other materials that can then be used to generate steam to power turbines for electricity generation.

What’s the problem with solar in cities?

Internationally, there is increasing recognition cities could be ideal locations for large-scale solar installations due to the amounts of unused land. This includes land alongside freeways and main roads, flood-prone land, and rooftops on factories, warehouses and residences. And locating big solar in cities can also reduce the energy losses that occur with transmitting electricity over long distances.

Australia’s combined rooftop solar installations already supply the equivalent of enough power for all the homes in Sydney. And even former landfill sites – which have few uses other than parkland and are often too contaminated to sustain other land uses such as residential development – can be a good use of space for solar farms. But such sites would need to be carefully managed so contaminants are not released during construction.Large-scale solar installations can present some challenges for urban planning. For instance, mirrors can cause problems with glare, or even damage if they were misaligned (problems thus far have been in solar thermal plants). Maintenance vehicles may increase traffic in neighbourhoods. Installing solar panels could cause temporary problems with noise and lighting. And views could potentially be disrupted if adjoining residents overlook a large-scale solar installation.

Originally Published by The Conversation, continue reading here.

Lessons from Sweden in Sustainable Business

There is an increasing trend among companies across the globe to report on their sustainability. As well as information on the company’s economic performance, this includes information on how it is handling social, ethical and environmental concerns. It is a trend driven by customers, suppliers, employees and banks in recognition that these are just as important elements of any business.

Often, the level of information provided by companies is criticised for being inadequate. But my recent research into Swedish companies shows that the quality of information does appear to be increasing. It also shows what areas are in need of further improvements to make this practice worthwhile.

Lessons from Sweden in Sustainable Business | Sustainability in Business

Image: article supplied

For years Swedish companies have been regarded as among the best in corporate communication – in general and in sustainability reporting in particular. Their excellence in disclosing information on their performance on the sustainability arena is confirmed in both academic research and comprehensive reports like major accountancy firm KPMG’s on global sustainability trends.

Until recently, whether or not a company reported on its sustainability was voluntary in most countries. But from the financial year 2017, a new EU directive requires every so-called “public interest entity” to report on the social and environmental impact of its business model.

Having recently studied sustainability reports from the 30 largest listed Swedish companies over the period 2008-2015, there’s a lot to be learned from them. It includes household names like retailer H&M, telecomms company Ericsson and car maker Volvo. It makes clear that big and profitable companies can be more accountable when it comes to sustainability reporting.

None of these companies is perfect. My research shows that they too are learning all the time when it comes to their sustainability reporting. Over the seven-year period that I looked at, the information goes from being quite brief and general to more elaborate and detailed.

This is an increasingly important part of demonstrating business ethics. In these sustainability reports companies communicate how they take responsibility for their impact on society. This is done by disclosing their efforts to integrate social, environmental and ethical concerns into their business practices.

Most importantly, my research shows that Sweden’s biggest companies have started to integrate sustainability into their business models. Volvo’s business model is built on three pillars: economic, social and environmental. This holds true for large companies that you may not have heard of too. Take Assa Abloy – it’s the world’s largest lock manufacturer and has a market cap of US$22.6 billion. In its business model, sustainability is accentuated in all processes from innovation and product development to logistics and sales.

This was originally published by The Conversation.

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Sustainable Building Practices Using the Green Star Certification Tool

The National Sustainability in Business Conference will be held in Brisbane from the 23-24 March 2017.

Mr Adriaan Window, Sustainable Consulting Engineer at the University of Queensland and Umow Lai QLD Pty Ltd joins us to discuss ‘A Social and Environmental Cost-Benefit Analysis of Sustainable Building Practices Using the Green Star Certification Tool’.

This research aims to create a cost-benefit analysis framework for evaluating the social and environmental factors that result from the implementation of the Australian Green Star certification scheme. Specifically, the framework is used to evaluate economic efficiency as a net present value of the marginal costs and benefits derived from sustainable design and construction practices over the typical building lifetime. Results of sensitivity testing of input data are provided and commentary on the potential impact to building regulations and policy are provided.

2017 Conference Topics Include:

  • Renewable Energy Systems and Sources – Biofuel, Biomass, Hydrogen & Fuel Cells, Hydropower, Solar Energy, Geothermal Energy, Wave Energy, Tidal energy, Energy Storage and Wind Power. This can also include energy transformation from renewable energy system to grid.
  • Think Local First –  development of the local economy and community, urban agriculture, Buy Local.
  • Innovative Business Opportunities – Incubators, Start Ups, Venture Capital / Entrepreneurs.
  • The Energy Market –  Regulators, Wholesale and Supply Chain, Retailers, Consumer Demand, Carbon trading, Emissions.
  • Trends, Policies and Strategies – current and emerging trends, technologies, research, government policies and industry initiatives within the environmental and sustainability sector
  • Financial Impact – social and environmental risk, industry development, operational and managerial impact, market risk and opportunity, stakeholder issues
  • Innovation – energy transition, application and feasibility, social and economic change, research & development opportunities

For more information on the 2017 National Sustainability in Business Conference and to secure your spot today, please visit the conference website.