The tabling of the recent Renewable Energy Action Plan (REAP) has sparked some serious discussion within Blayney Shire Council, with councillor Bruce Reynolds being an enthusiastic advocate for solar power.
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As an economist with post graduate qualifications in accounting, Cr Reynolds has been studying the numbers behind the report, in particular the costs and savings in the implementation of an expanded renewable energy system within Blayney Shire Council.
"We need to look at the best returns for council's investments," he said.
"Areas like CentrePoint, which already has around 30 kilowatts solar on the roof, has the potential to take it up to 100 or more kilowatts."
Cr Reynolds believes that there is no point in looking to feed power back into the grid from that array as the majority of the use would come from running the heating systems in the centre.
"Generating energy to feed back into the grid isn't a financially favourable option," he said.
"You get very little remuneration for the kilowatts that you put back in.
"The big savings are in offsetting the energy costs.
"There is no point in over covering the centre as the returns back to the community aren't there."
There is no point in over covering the centre as the returns back to the community aren't there.
- Cr Bruce Reynolds
Cr Reynolds wants to see nearly every council owned site generating as much energy as they can use, from the vast expanse of the equestrian centre roof through to the town library.
Before any massive expansion though he wants to see smart meters utilised across the council locations to ascertain what the exact power usage levels are.
"If we can measure what our daytime usage is we can then look at the generation capacity to match it," he said.
The idea of storing the excess energy in batteries is not one that currently appeals to Cr Reynolds.
"The biggest problem with battery power at the moment is whether it's economically viable to install it," he said.
With his economist hat firmly in place Cr Reynolds can see the value of solar infrastructure.
"It provides both cost-savings for our ratepayers and it is infrastructure that pays for itself in a reasonably quick period of time," he said.
Mark Logan
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
