Affordable Energy Clean Water

 

AFFORDABLE ENERGY CLEAN WATER

CENTRE TO THE SEA TOUR

CLEAN ENERGY

The Bush Light project run by the Centre for Appropriate Technology was groundbreaking. With the changes in technology and the needs of remote communities it is time to review what can be done to take advantage of the technology changes.

Indigenous people in the communities want to invest in solar and batteries to reduce the cost of electricity to their communities. While there has been a government investment in solar in remote NT the benefits of reduced costs have not been passed on to the end users.

It is time to address ENERGY POVERTY in these communities and this can be done by bringing together the communities and the service providers willing to make a difference.

  1. Many of those who experience Energy Poverty live in community-owned housing. The only way they will get relief from this issue is to have rooftop solar and possibly batteries on their homes. The NT Government and Community housing organisations are not in a position to fund this, so it hasn’t happened.
  2. With very low-interest rates and the desire of many to address this situation, there is an opportunity for a Public-Private Partnership to address this issue.
  3. Funding this major project will not only address the issue of Energy Poverty but it can also provide long-term jobs in remote and regional communities.
  4. We could see a 40% reduction in daytime power bills and a 20% reduction in nighttime bills if batteries were included in the project.
  5. It is time this discussion began, and trial projects are established to prove the concept is viable.
  6. This equally applies to Grid and Off-Grid Systems.

 

HOW CAN WE DO THIS

  1. Identify the Opportunity
  • A small number of locations across the NT should be identified as trial sites. The first step is to monitor existing power usage to identify the size of the system but also to identify potential energy saving that can be made due to changes in habits and high energy use devices.
  1. Design site specific solutions – one size does not fit all
  • There are a range of different location which will have different issues both geographically and also the size of homes, number of occupants, difference in lifestyle and differences in power usage.
  1. design a model which encourages better us of power by using time of use tariff where appropriate. This will be different in different locations depending on the current power source e.g. remote diesel or Darwin-Katherine Grid.
  2. Is Clean Water an issue
  • Where appropriate an integration of solar and Nexpanel solution can bring the dual benefits of Clean Energy and Clean Water.
  1. Decentralised Employment Opportunities
  • The installation and ongoing maintenance of solar assets both private, community and PWC is an opportunity for training and real, productive, self-funded jobs for the long term.

CLEAN WATER

Great Power Solutions is proud to represent Nexsis in the NT and Northern Australia.

Nexsis is an Australian company with an invention that can change the lives of people living in Third World conditions around the world.

This is a long-term project which can deliver safe drinking water to our communities where poor water quality leads to por health outcomes.

Nexpanel can produce 5 litres of drinking water and 50 litres of sanitised hot water at 60 degrees from any water source including contaminated water , bore water and salt water. It is a game-changer!

Our hope is to rollout this technology to those who need it with funding from Not for Profit and Indigenous organisations leading the way until government can see the opportunity and take up the opportunity to improve the services they provide to remote and regional communities.

We currently have protypes which can be placed in communities to learn how best to deliver good outcomes while waiting for the production version to become available in 2022

Nexsis is an innovative solar panel

  • Produces pure clean water
  • Solar thermal distillation technology
  • Works with any water source
  • Maintenance-free design
  • Produces up to 50 litres of clean water per day and 5 litres of distilled drinking water
  • Integrated IoT data collection and connectivity
  • Embedded solar PVs for electricity
  • Can be scaled up to ‘water farms’

 

SUMMARY

  • The issues of CLEAN ENERGY and CLEAN WATER are still key to the lives of Australians living in remote and regional Australia. This is particularly so in the Northern Territory.
  • Ted Egan and Geoff Goodrich believe we need to raise the issues and provide solutions for these dual issues effecting the lives of Territorians and have joined forces to tour from Alice Springs to Darwin to share the opportunities to address these issues in practical ways.
  • The days are for discussions and demonstrations of the solutions and the nights an opportunity for the rich history of Ted’s songs and stories of almost 70 years in the remote communities of the NT.
  • We want to raise awareness of the issues and offer solutions to the dual problems of ENERGY POVERTY & CLEAN WATER.

WHERE WE ARE GOING

  • March 31 Tour Launch at Olive Pink, Botanical Gardens Alice Springs
  • April 14 Newcastle Waters Hotel and Elliott School
  • April 15 Dunmarra Roadhouse
  • April 16 17 Daly Waters Pub
  • April 18 Mataranka – Territory Manor
  • April 21 Katherine Country Club
  • April 22 Pine Creek

April 23 Emerald Springs

  • April 24 Adelaide River Show Grounds
  • April 25 Adelaide River Show Grounds
  • April 29 Botanic Gardens Darwin
  • May 1 Tumbling Waters Resort, Berry Springs
  • IT IS OUR PLAN TO DO MORE EVENTS IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA LATER IN THE YEAR