8/14/2019 Rottnest Island - Leading the Way in Energy Conservation

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/rottnest-island-leading-the-way-in-energy-conservation 1/3

7/03/09 9:44 AMFremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia

Page 1 of 3http://fremantlebiz.livejournal.com/2008/10/22/

Fremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia 

[Most Recent Entries] [Calendar View] [Friends View]

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

Time Event7:39a Rottnest Island - leading the way in energy conservation? 

Yesterday a couple of installers fitted our first solar power array to our roof. It took them about three hours to complete the job and I'm pleased to report that as soon as they engaged the circuit breakers everything worked perfectly. Better still, ourregular power meter almost came to a standstill. (Until the kids came home from school.)

Much of the installation was covered by an $8,000 state government grant. We covered the balance of about $2.5kourselves. It could have been cheaper except that we opted for an DC-AC inverter with double the capacity so that if everthe federal government comes good on its promises for a similar subsidy we will have the capacity for an extra array of panels. Schemes like this are much better than government pouring billions into stuff like nuclear power stations.

The Rottnest Island Authority has been taking a lead in natural energy options for decades, particularly with wind powerturbines. Presently there's a single, very large turbine operating on 'Mount' Herschel, a sandy hill which overlooks theThompson and Geordie Bay settlements. There have been at least two other turbines on the island over the past couple of decades, but apparently their designs were unreliable and they were eventually removed.

The present setup is conspicuous f rom many directions and can even be seen from the mainland 18 km away. It makes a'whoosh, whoosh, whoosh' sound as the blades turn. You can hear it a half kilometre away, further if you are downwind. Itdoesn't supply all the island's power requirements. It feeds into the island grid and is subservient to a small diesel powerstation near Thomson Bay.

fremantlebiz  Log out

Home  Post  Friends Page

 You are viewing your journal

View Recent Comments  Manage Entries  Invite Friends

Explore LJ:  Life  Entertainment  Music  Culture  News & Politics  Technology 

Interest  Search... Go

8/14/2019 Rottnest Island - Leading the Way in Energy Conservation

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/rottnest-island-leading-the-way-in-energy-conservation 2/3

7/03/09 9:44 AMFremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia

Page 2 of 3http://fremantlebiz.livejournal.com/2008/10/22/

The above photo was taken from the southern side of Mount Herschel. The name is for Sir William Herschel (1738-1822)discoverer of the infra-red part of the spectrum and Uranus. He would probably have enjoyed the view of the southernhemisphere sky from the top of the hill, but he was well and truly deaded by the time the first British settlers arrived inWestern Australia in 1829.

In the foreground of the photo can be seen the roof of an underground water reservoir. Halfway up the hill on the right is

an above-ground water tank. If you look carefully on the ground in between the installations you can see the remains of asealed rainwater catchment area for the underground tank. The Australian Army installed several acres of sealed watercatchments during WW2. There's more on the other side of the hill. However, now the island's potable water supply comesfrom a deep bore into a reverse osmosis facility nearby. After filtering and chlorination it's pumped to the above-groundtank. There's another similar tank on a hill near the Thompson Bay settlement. So long as there's electricity, the island hasplenty of water. I drank quite a lot of it in the two weeks we were there. It was okay.

There has been a proposal for a 'luxury resort' on the northern side of Mount Herschel. The concept drawings might beexciting to someone with a fascination for crassness and architectural bling, but they have not pleased independent thinkerswho appreciate that Rottnest developments need to be less obtrusive. If the proposal goes ahead according to the conceptdrawings it should be named 'Uranus villas' - for Sir William Herschel's discovery of course.

The Rottnest Society has a website showing the arrogant ugliness which has been proposed. (The pics are in their 'news'section.) Maybe they should rope in Prince Charles? He would understand.

We noticed on our recent visit that the energy-conscious island authority had fitted low-energy light bulbs in the bungalowwe rented. Presumably this economical trend is now widespread on the island. We also noticed that occupants of the moreexpensive rented villas tended to leave every light on during the evenings, whereas we always turned off what we weren'tusing. The proposed Herschel development will pull a lot of watts from the grid because luxury-venue clients demand airconditioning, TVs, computer access, bright lights, ice in champagne buckets and so on. Maybe they'd like a roller coastertoo?

Of course the other great energy saver on Rottnest is the bicycle. Most reasonably fit visitors seem to take up the challengeand enjoy one. The $45 dollar special I bought from Kmart a couple of months ago was excellent for the job. I actuallypreferred to dismount going up steep hills and walk. I discovered it to be more enjoyable because I saw more things. Thereis a lot to be said for walking a few kilometres a day on Rottnest. It's a great energy saver.

© MMVIII Paul R. Weaver.

Click here to visit 'dogandcatwatcher', my YouTube website.

Original still photographs are stored online in a cache at my Panoramio website or my Picasa site. Most of them havea brief description and a link back to a relevant essay. Images on Panoramio can usually be enlarged several times by

8/14/2019 Rottnest Island - Leading the Way in Energy Conservation

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/rottnest-island-leading-the-way-in-energy-conservation 3/3

7/03/09 9:44 AMFremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia

Page 3 of 3http://fremantlebiz.livejournal.com/2008/10/22/

About LiveJournal.com

clicking them.

About the writer

Click here to see our backyard.

Check out each month's subject index on the Calendar Page for my "common-man" monologues about survival in 21stcentury Australia – plus a little history occasionally. An original essay is added most days as part of an undertaking to

write at least couple of million words. Zzzzzzzz!

(Comment on this)

<< Previous Day2008/10/22

[Calendar]Next Day >>