Bringing Renewable Energy to Market

May 7, 2006 – Vol.11 No.7

BRINGING RENEWABLE ENERGY TO MARKETS.

The world absorbs far more energy from the Sun than it needs to keep economies moving and growing. The Sun, and the spinning planet, creates the winds, makes rain for hydropower, grows fuel for bio-power and, of course, can be converted directly to heat, cool and electrify.

But generally speaking, the best renewable energy sources are not near where most of the world’s people live. The deserts of the sun-baked US Southwest, for instance, are a long way from the heavily populated East Coast. Yet when like-minded companies get together, perhaps with the help of government, the problem of distance between renewable energy and customers can be solved.

The Australian island state of Tasmania has plenty of renewable energy (mostly hydro), some 60-percent of Australia’s total. But until now mainland Australia couldn’t benefit from Tasmania’s green energy wealth. The 224-mile (360-kilometer) Basslink, the undersea electric cable between Victoria on the mainland and the island, has been completed and connected to grids at either end.

Basslink is able to export 600 megawatts of power to Victoria and import 300 megawatts to Tasmania to displace power generated at the Hydro Tasmania’s hydroelectric facilities at times when water behind the dams is low, such as during a drought. The imported power gives the reservoirs time to recover.

Basslink also includes a fiber optic cable to shift information back and forth.

The recently finished cable will allow Hydro Tasmania to build its renewable energy generating capacity, such as wind energy, now that it can sell it to the mainland. Visit Hydro Tasmania at http://www.hydro.com.au/ and co-builder National Grid at http://www.nationalgrid.com.au/