solar-panels-and-wind-turbines-renewable-energy
Is your eco-friendly energy source really that eco-friendly?
Katie Adema, November
2015
With power bills skyrocketing, most Aussie families are looking for alternative sources of energy - namely, renewable energy. Solar, natural gas, hydropower and wind energy are the main renewable sources currently in use in Australia, and are attracting homeowners in droves.
But before you sign up to receive your electricity from renewable sources, or buy your home a set of its own solar panels or wind turbines, be aware that some energy sources aren’t as sustainable as you might think.
On days without much sunlight, your home may draw its power from your electricity grid. Conversely, any extra energy you produce will be fed back onto the electricity grid, and may result in a credit against your next energy bill.
However, solar panels may not be as green as they seem. This relatively new technology is proving quite costly to the environment to manufacture, as it uses caustic chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and hydrofluoric acid, and produces toxic wastewater.
Solar energy
It makes sense that such a sunny country should utilise this resource as a form of renewable energy – currently, over 1.35 million solar power systems are installed all over Australia. Queenslanders and South Australians are the most solar savvy, with just under half of homes in those states in possession of a solar panel system. But while solar panels are hailed as one of the most efficient sources of renewable energy for the everyday Aussie, how eco-friendly are they really? Depending on a number of factors, including how big your solar panels are, what direction they are facing and at what angle, the amount and intensity of sunshine on any given day, and the number of daylight hours in the area you live, your solar panels may produce anywhere between 3.5 kWh (for a 1kW system located in Hobart or Melbourne) to 17.5 kWh (for those living in Canberra or Darwin with a 4.0 kW system).