Winter Sunshine

As we draw near the Winter Solstice, when the shortest days of the year induce winter somnolence, my son reminded me to check the output of our 1 kW Photo voltaic unit. On a cold and sunny day we generated 2.85 kWh of electricity, a bit more than I had expected.
Although the temperature dipped to below 0 degrees C and we experienced a frost, I have been sitting inside without heating, reading my Renew Magazine.

"The full cycle: How sustainable is solar PV" by Alex Bruce, pg 40 (issue 124 Jul-Sep 2013) explained the concept of Life Cycle Assessment. Here all the energy inputs into the device- resource extraction, manufacture, transport, life-cycle use and death- are calculated and and compared with the energy produced by the unit. The full range of inputs is discussed in the report but given my mathematics is a bit challenged, I'll accept the author's conclusion.
Their case study indicated that the PV unit paid for itself in CO2 equivalents in just over 3 years. 

With an expected lifetime production of power of greater than20 years that's a clear win for the carbon sustainability of PhotoVoltaic panels. 
A quote in the article "It is better to be vaguely right than exactly wrong" comes comes from Carveth Read, the British philosopher and logician.    

So renewable energy, generated by the sun, wind, geothermal etc, sounds vaguely right to me. That we are only slowly getting there is no reason to turn our back on the development of these technologies. Change is always hard particularly for entrenched interests such as the fossil energy producers. 
If renewable energy can produce 13.14% of Australia's energy in 2012 (Clean Energy Report 2012 reported in Renew Magazine ) and provide employment for 24,300 people then there is room for considerable improvement.
The same reports indicated 90% of people took some kind of action to reduce their energy bills in 2012. Price signals from combined actions such as the Carbon Tax and Renewable Energy Targets are having an impact, so lets keep them.
So join with others who feel renewable energy use is important. Join the ATA, subscribe to Renew Magazine, join Solar Citizens and other advocacy organisations and put your voice and political power behind these organisations.
But beware of "Turbulent Times Ahead" - but that's another story written by Ben Eltham in New Matilda.