The Steps Involved in Developing a Wind Farm in Victoria

Wind farm development in Victoria requires careful planning and adherence to local regulations. Most of the wind farms take a considerable amount of time (5 years or more) from land negotiation to commissioning. The process of development starts with site identification, land negotiation, design, wind resource assessment, through wind farm planning approval in Victoria, financial close, then the construction phase and then its operation. The following write-up indicates the steps that are typically involved in developing a wind farm. Each step can be considered a hold point at which the decision to proceed to next step is made.

Step 1

Initial research (1st year)

The desktop study identifies the windy regions with potentially appropriate access, topography and environmental overlays, and feasible connection to the electricity grid.

Decision point: Find a landholder(s), commence negotiations.

Step 2

Getting in touch with the landholder, data gathering as well as constraint mapping (1st and 2nd year)

Short-term contracts are sought with the landlords to enable exclusive access to the properties for wind measurements, initial environmental studies, understanding the limitations and other such works. The agreements may include long-term lease options as well, which are to be activated when the project reaches the construction phase or step 7.

Decision point: Refine the design and continue with more in depth wind and environmental studies

Step 3

Refine the project area, complete environmental assessment (2nd and 3rd year)

The area where the wind farm is supposed to develop in Victoria is refined and a thorough landscape, environmental, noise and such other assessment studies are done. These inform the development of the draft management and building plans and, with the community input and landholder liaison, help identify the prospective locations for turbines, access tracks, electrical connection lines and other layout details of the project.

Decision point: Move on to the submission of the planning application and formal grid connection application

Step 4

The submission of development application development (3rd year)

A complete development application document is produced for consideration by the community and the suitable planning authorities in the statutory development assessment procedure. The assessment process gives everyone the chance to make formal submissions concerning the final application, prior to it being evaluated. This process of assessment can see the application approved with or without conditions or even refused.  In Victoria, planning regulations around wind farms may change over time depending on the State government attitude towards wind farms.

Decision point: The result of the application development process considered

Step 5

Wind turbine tenders and the final agreement for the grid connection (3rd and 4th year)

If the application is approved with conditions accepted, a contract is made with the electricity network for the future grid connection. Tenders are also sought for the turbines, balance of plant and construction.

Step 6

Financial Close: Making the investment decision (4th year)

Following the approvals as well as the tenders, the people planning to make the investment, then consider whether to make expenses for construction and operation of the wind farm. It generally involves investing 2- 2.5 million dollars per MW installed. The final decision of whether to proceed or wait depends upon several business and economic issues.

Decision point: To build or not to proceed.

Step 7

Wind Farm Construction (4th and 5th year)

If the decision is made is to move ahead with the construction, orders are to be placed for turbines and transformers at this stage. A construction company is also engaged in developing the wind farm in Victoria. Long-term agreements with the landholders are made and a Community Fund is created it is commenced.

Step 8

Generation (5th year)

The wind farm that has been developed in Victoria starts to generate electricity for the national grid.

Benefits of Solar Farm Developing in Australia

Do you own a land in Australia? If you want to generate energy from it, without thinking much diversify into solar energy. Being a landowner you will get the opportunity to receive guaranteed, regular income for years without any extra labor or expense. You can earn money for hosting a commercial solar farm. Your income level will also be more. It will compensate the loss that you made for halting your agricultural production.
 

Basically, 10MW solar farm can produce enough electricity for supplying 2800 homes displacing 16,000 tonnes greenhouse gas emissions each year. This is equivalent of taking about five thousand cars off the road.  Solar power after all doesn’t produce greenhouse gases or any kind of hazardous waste.

Moreover, in response to the climatic change, the Australian government has set a renewable energy target for encouraging more electricity generation from the renewable energy sources. The aim is to get twenty percent share by next six years.
 

Australia has a great supply of sunlight and it shines brightly during daytime when electricity demand is at its height. Harnessing the solar power for generating electricity provides a clean source of energy which is secure, reliable and safe.
 

At Enhar we are going to carry out an assessment on your land. We will do solar monitoring to determine whether the land is suitable for developing of solar energy. If we find indications to be positive, we go ahead by providing a detailed solar feasibility report with view to submitting the planning application.
 

After the application gets approved, the solar farm will be established within a year. The process of construction is a series of activities that will be planned in association with the landowner in order to minimize any kind of disruption to farming or other kinds of activities. However, after its development, it will be fenced off for facilitating secure operation of equipment and for enduring safety of livestock and people. 

How Can Your Business Be Benefitted Using Solar Energy?

Solar energy is a good source of renewable energy. This is widely used in domestic purposes around the world but is generally not utilized vastly in commercial sectors. In Victoria region of Australia this trend is getting changed. Many business houses are installing solar panel for getting better benefits and interrupted flow of energy. Apart from providing unstoppable energy there are some other positive points as well. Australian Govt. provides energy efficiency grant in Victoria to encourage usability of the renewable energy. These grants come as some incentives or financial benefits for installing solar panel. Here I have discussed some of the benefits of using solar energy for businesses.
  

1. Solar power reduces the dependency on electrical supplies from power houses. The best benefit of using solar energy is producing your own electricity. You need not have to depend on any other resources. If your business needs constant flow of energy for smooth operation you can trust on solar power grids. These grids save the extra amount of solar energy which is not used in normal times.
   
   
2. Solar energy is a cleaner source of energy. It does not emit green house gases. Thus you can proclaim your business as a green business. This feature will add extra goodwill to the brand name of your products. More people will be interested in buying products from your organization.
   
   
3. Modern solar panels are easy to maintain. Though the older ones still require a great deal of maintenance, the latest panels are easy to maintain. You just need to install it properly to get the utmost amount of energy.
   
   
4. You can get good amount of deductions from government ends if you use solar panel for your business. There is a solar credit scheme available in Australia introduced by Government. This scheme helps to save some money and make the world a better place to live in.
   
   
5. If you do not want to install your own solar panel then you can subscribe it from various solar power suppliers in Victoria. You need to pay a monthly rate which is still much less than your normal electricity bills. 

Above all are some good benefits of having solar power supply for your business. It will be a smart business decision to utilize the solar power for producing manufacturing products, lighting up the business areas and many more. 

Why Should You Choose Solar Power for Your Commercial Establishment?

There are a number of reasons why you must choose solar energy for your business. Given below are the reasons.

Feel secure that you are protected from the rising prices of energy

Once you have the solar system installed on the roof of your office building, you will see that it will keep on producing free electricity from sun, which means you can significantly reduce or eliminate the electricity bills to a great extent. This is going to give you a peace o mind that you are doing whatever is good for the environment and that you are able to keep the bills low while still enjoying the advantages of all devices which electricity powers.

Incentives from government

The government may pay you for the extra electricity that you produce and is not able to use. The government sometimes even provides thousands of dollars in buying a system for commercial use. If you stay in Victoria, you can make use of these government grants by taking the assistance of Enhar. This company generally helps with preparing application related to energy efficient grant in Victoria.

Substantial investment returns

There is not any financial investment better than solar. From the first day of installation you will be able to save on your electricity bills. This translates into a return on an initial investment of fifteen to thirty percent per year for several years to come and the solar energy is going to pay for itself in about three to six years, depending on the size of the system.

Increases your property’s value

Energy efficient office buildings are sold at a large premium in comparison to the commercial establishments that are less efficient. Imagine telling the buyer that they are going to receive cheques every two months rather than an electricity bill. With the rise of prices in electricity, the buyer is surely going to increase his or her focus on energy efficiency and solar while considering which commercial establishment to purchase.

Being environment friendly

Less energy from grid is drawn when electricity in your office is generated through the solar system. This means less amount of coal will get burnt at the power stations reducing use of biggest source of pollution. Installing a solar panel is the most efficient step that can be taken to reduce the carbon footprint. 

Top 3 Benefits of Solar Energy

According to the modern lifestyle, energy has become an integral part of our lives. Right now we cannot make a single step forward without the help of energy. Modern technology and advanced mechanism has led our life more convenient and easier than ever. Energy is required to charge our latest gadgets, browse through online, watching TV at home or cooking in the kitchen.

There are two basic kinds of energies available to the consumers. One is electrical energy and another one is renewable energy. Electrical energy is the one that we get from the power stations. There are various types of electrical energy like thermal, hydro etc. Renewable energy is a better option to use for commercial and domestic houses. Among all renewable sources, solar energy is the most popular one and is being widely used too. There are various benefits of using solar energy. In this article you shall see 3 major benefits of using solar energy.

Saving money in long run:

Initial cost of installing solar panel might be higher. But it will definitely payoff in long run. Before installing please check the solar feasibility report. If you generate more energy than your requirement then you can sell them through the grid that is attached with your solar system. Many houses in Victoria are saving good number of dollars by selling extra electricity. Also there are some rebates and tax exemptions available if you install a solar panel on your house. 

No more power shortage:

Most of us face power outage in our homes, offices, shops etc. If you install a solar panel on your house you need not have to think about any power shortage or cut off ever. It will provide constant flow of electricity to run all the appliances, gadgets and electronic goods. Even if there is lack of sunlight during winter and rainy season you can use the excess electricity which is saved in the grid of your own solar system. 

Protect environment:

The benefit of using solar energy is the protection of the environment. It reduces our dependency on burning of fossil fuels. Thus by using it we give our future generation an opportunity to utilize natural resources in a convenient way. 

Common Mistakes That Home Owners Do While Buying Solar Panel

It is always special to have installed a solar panel on the roof of your house. By doing it you can reduce your electricity bill. You can even show how environment friendly you are. The decision of installing solar panel is a noble one but you should know the norms and the regulations from a solar energy grant in Victoria before making the final decision of installing it. If you take the decision of installing it, you must know the common mistakes that people make when they go solar.

Do not reduce consumption before going solar:

Installation of solar panel is a costly affair. After installing it you need to reduce the consumption of the energy to save the cost of installation. But most of us do not go in that way. You should also do home energy audits by a certified agency to identify your biggest energy losses and how to minimize them.  Good behavioral can save up to 30% of the energy. That will indirectly save your money.

Buying cheap quality items:

With the increased craze of solar energy there is no lack of supplier of solar panels. People tend to go for the options which are cheaper and come with a discounted price. These are cheap initially but on long run they suck hell lot of money from pocket. Sometimes they come with flaunty promises (works on cloudy weather). Take a full survey before buying them. Look for third party approval or certifications etc before paying for them.

Buying before setting the load:

While deciding the load of the unit people make a roughly calculation based on previous months’ consumption. This is not the right way to do it. Electricity consumption is not same throughout the year. If logically calculated you can see there is a constant growth in the consumption. Also the solar panels lose its efficiency on each year. You need to keep all these factors in mind before selecting the load of the panel.

The Advantages of Wind Energy

We usually hear a lot about problems as well as alleged problems of wind energy in Victoria and much less about its advantages. The most essential point in favor of wind energy is that the electricity that’s generated replaces the power, which would otherwise be produced by burning the fossil fuels in Victoria. Thus, bigger the production of wind energy in electricity supply more is the reduction in production of atmospheric greenhouse gases, which cause ocean acidification and climate change.
 

However, a community where a wind farm is developed is benefitted by:

• Business for the local contractors at the time of construction; transport, electrical, concreting etc
  
• Employment at the time of construction and to a much less extent operation
  
• A boost to the local businesses like motels, hotels and other kinds of accommodation providers, restaurants, cafes, gift shops, hardware shops etc; again especially at the time of construction and to a much less extent at the time of operation
  
• Annual land lease payments to the farmers for turbine sites

Australia especially Victoria has a big potential for wind farm development. However, if this potential is to be built, governments should act more pro-actively. Apart from artificially created low price of the fossil fuel produced energy, the biggest hindrance to wind power development is lack of high capacity electricity transmission lines wherever they are required; and the governments are showing very little enthusiasm for building them. This should be compared with TX where state government is developing transmission lines into the areas with high quality resources of wind in hope of development of the wind farm.