Greywater buyers guide What about tenants?

Issue 102 Jan-Mar 2008AU$7.50 (inc gst) NZ$8.15

Technology for a sustainable future

ReNew

Fuel fromthe fish

shop

A green summer gardenGreywater buyers guide

WIN! A $13,955 SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

Conditions apply

In the ATA/Solar Shop

subscriber prize.

See page 7 for details.

Renewableenergy courses

Lights, wind andsolar in East Timor

What about tenants?Towards sustainable renting

4 ReNew Issue 102 January-March 2008 email: [email protected] WWW: http://www.ata.org.au/

Contents18 Towards sustainable renting

Linnet Good looks at options for those who don’town the home they live in.

24 Greywater Buyers GuideWant to reduce your water use by recycling yourwater? Adam Maxey shows you how.

34 A green greywater gardenRohan Syer’s greywater system is made fromsecond-hand materials, giving him well-watered,healthy vegies.

38 Using LEDs at homeWant to use LEDs for lighting but not sure where tostart? Lance Turner explains the options available,and gives a few pointers for DIY LED lights too.

featuresIssue 102

Jan—Mar 2008

Contents

The Australian desert is a harsh place, but this veggie oil

powered rig traversed it in style. 4.

You can have a garden this green by reusing your household

waste water. See the greywater buyers guide, page 24.

Photo Neil B

ates - Tesselaar

Art meets renewables to make—a solar bug! Page 66.

WWW: http://www.ata.org.au/ email: [email protected] Issue 102 January-March 2008 ReNew 5

6 Editorial

8 Up Front

14 Letters

64 The Pears Report

69 Browser

70 Products

74 ATA Shop and Membership

82 Reviews

84 Q & A

86 Local Suppliers’ Directory

regulars

42 Renewables in East TimorAnton Vikstrom tells us about the work of the ATAInternational Projects Group in East Timor, install-ing solar panels, lights and even a wind turbine.

48 DIY waste vegie oil conversionsMarcus Deuchar operates his vehicles on straightwaste vegetable oil. He shares some of his knowl-edge for converting diesel engines.

54 Desert Trek on waste vegie oilChristine and Alex travelled over 11,000 kilometresacross the desert on waste vegetable oil, givingrenewable energy presentations along the way.

60 Renewable energy courses guideWant to enter the rapidly growing field ofrenewables? We take a look at the courses availableto get you there.

ATA’s International Projects Group has been busy installing

renewable energy systems in East Timor, page 42.

Regular concrete and brick pavers are very energy hungry to manufac-

ture. Enviropavers are made from recycled car tyres, and are much

softer on the knees! Products, page 70.

66 Don’t step on that bug!When art meets renewables, anything can happen,even a six metre solar-powered insect!

CoverThanks to David Johns

for the cover image.

www.davidjohnsphotography.com


About ReNew

From the Editor

All rights are reserved. No part of this magazinemay be reproduced without the written permissionof the publisher.

The publishers of ReNew take great care in se-lecting and verifying all material that appears inthe magazine, but do not necessarily share theopinions expressed in articles and letters, nor dothey accept responsibility for the accuracy ofstatements made by contributors and advertisers.The construction articles presented in this magazinemay require the handling of potentially dangerousAC or DC electricity. All wiring involving thesevoltages should be carried out according to theinstructions given. Extreme care must be taken to

ensure that no contact is made with these voltages.Never work on a circuit when it is connected to thepower supply. The publishers of ReNew take noresponsibility for any damage, injury or deathresulting from someone working on a projectpresented in any issue of this magazine.Printed by Quality Images. Print production byCaidex Print Management. Distributed inAustralia and New Zealand by Gordon and Gotch.$7.50 (Aus) $8.15 (NZ) Recommended Retail PriceRegistered for posting by Aust Post: No VBG 4172ISSN 1327-1938Reg. No.: A0017411T ABN: 57 533 056 318

ReNew is published by the ATA (Alternative Tech-nology Association), a non-profit communitygroup concerned with the promotion and use ofappropriate technology. ReNew features solar,wind, micro-hydro and other renewable energysources. It provides practical information forpeople who already use these energy sourcesand demonstrates real-life applications forthose who would like to.

ReNew also covers sustainable transportationand housing issues, the conservation ofresources, recycling and broader environmentalissues. ReNew is available from newsagencies,by subscription and as part of ATA membership.ATA membership costs $65 per year, and offersa range of other benefits.

Publisher: ATAEditor: Jacinta ClearyTechnical editor: Lance TurnerAdvertising manager: Gitanjali MaksayEditorial and production assistance:Special thanks to Stephen Whately, Linnet Good,Laura Poole, Donna Luckman and Adam Maxey.

Contacts and contributionsSend letters and contributions to:ReNewLevel 1, 39 Little Collins StMelbourne VIC 3000ph:(03) 9639 1500, fax:(03) 9639 5814Email: [email protected] site: www.ata.org.au

Contributions are welcome, guidelinesavailable on the web at www.ata.org.au or onrequest.

Advertising in ReNewAdvertising is available for products and servicesrelevant to our audience. We reserve the right torefuse, cancel and withdraw advertising at ourdiscretion. For enquiries contact Gitanjali Maksayvia [email protected] or call (03) 9631 5412.

Next advertising deadlines: Booking 25 Jan2008. Advertising copy due 8 Feb 2008.Next editorial copy deadline: 25 Jan 2008.

Some progressWe’re certainly encouraged by the change of government in Australia and lookforward to some much needed change in policy. Will this mean some real actionon climate change? The Labor Party was elected based on certain promises; thekey ones being that they would ratify the Kyoto Protocol, set a 20 per cent renew-able energy target for 2020 (higher would be great, but it’s a start), and develop a$500 million renewable energy fund. The next step is to set some strong, shortterm and binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, such as a30 per cent reduction (based on 1990 levels) by 2020. The European Union isworking towards a 20 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020, but will lift it to 30per cent if other developed nations set similar targets. It has to be a priority forRudd and co, and we’ll be keeping an eye on how environmental policy pans outin the next few months.

What about renters?We cover some important territory in this issue of ReNew; sustainability in rentalhouses, (after all, a lot of people live in them) and waste vegetable oil.

Renters are having a pretty hard time of it at the moment. With home ownershipbecoming more difficult, a large proportion of the population are stuck as perma-nent renters. If you have aspirations to ‘green’ your home, being a tenant can beextremely frustrating. Sustainability is often the last thing on a landlord’s mindwhen leasing a property. It can be tricky for a tenant to ask for sustainable improve-ments such as very practical ceiling insulation for fear of the rent going up. With somany rental households in Australia, the area of energy efficiency in rental houses islargely overlooked. A push for energy efficiency certificates with the sale of homesis a great idea; similar certificates at the start of a lease would make sense, too.

In this issue, Linnet Good explains what you can do as a renter to make your homemore energy and water efficient, including some practical information on the bestway to negotiate with a landlord. Home owners should have a read as well, especial-ly with a list of tax deductions for sustainable improvements to rental properties.

Two articles about waste vegetable oil will also hopefully provide inspiration.This is recycling at its best. Marcus Deuchar gives some pointers on how toconvert your vehicle; his cars run mostly on oil from the fish and chip shop.Christine Lanham and Alex Thorogood write about their trip across Australia onwaste vegetable oil, collecting fuel along the way in exchange for presentations onrenewable energy. With 15 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse emissions comingfrom cars (there are still some emissions associated with waste vegetable oil) weneed to do everything we can to explore different fuel sources.

Jacinta Cleary


Total prize value

up to AU$13,955Take out an ATA membership, subscribe to ReNew, or renew your current membership or subscription before 23 May

2008 and you could win a grid interactive solar power system valued at up to AU$13,955 including GST. Australian

entries only. See the conditions below, and get your membership or subscription in today! VIC Permit No: 07/2638

in the ReNew/Solar ShopAustralia subscriber

competition

WIN!

Terms and Conditions(1) The competition is open to anyone in Australia who subscribes to ReNew or

joins the Alternative Technology Association (ATA) during the competition pe-riod, including existing subscribers and ATA members who renew their sub-scription/membership during the competition period.

(2) The prize is not redeemable for cash. Price includes GST.(3) Solar Shop Australia reserves the right to change specifications without notice.(4) Paid ATA staff, members of the ATA executive committee and members of their

immediate families are ineligible to enter.(5) The competition runs from 26 July 2007 to 5pm on 23 May 2008, and subscrip-

tions/memberships must be paid by this time and date.(6) The competition will be drawn at 5.30pm on 23 May 2008 at the Alternative

Technology Association, level 1, 39 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000.(7) The winner will be contacted by phone and will be notified in writing. The win-

ner’s name will be announced in ReNew issue 104, released in mid June 2008.(8) The competition is open to individuals only. Corporate entities, collectives and

organisations are ineligible.

(9) To enter, subscribe or join the ATA using the subscription form in ReNew issue101, 102, or 103 (or a copy of it), visit our website (www.ata.org.au), or call the ATAon (03) 9639 1500 to pay by credit card.

(10) The competition is only open to Australian entries and includes delivery andinstallation in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth metro areas. Solar Shop Australiawill pay other installer’s standard install costs in other locations. Thiscompetition is not open to overseas residents.

(11) The winner must be eligible for the PV Rebate Program (ie, you have notreceived the rebate previously on your current property), with the rebate to bepaid to Solar Shop Australia.

(12) The PV system must be installed on the winner’s primary place of residence. If thewinner does not own an eligible property, then they may donate the prize to theperson of their choosing who has an eligible property. It cannot be installed onrental, investment or holiday properties.

(13) Prize includes16 Kaneka GEB 60 watt modules, 1x SMA Sunnyboy SB-1100, 1 xmounting frame and 1 x installation by Solar Shop Australia plus wiring andcomponents valued at $13,955.

A 960 wattgrid-interactive

solar power system

The ReNew/Solar Shop Australia subscriber competition is proudly sponsored bySolar Shop Australia, 155 Payneham Road St Peters SA 5069, ph:(08) 8362 9992,

email: [email protected], www.solarshop.com.au

Features of the system:• 16 x Kaneka GEB 60 watt modules• 1 x SMA Sunnyboy SB-1100• 1 x Mounting frame• 1 x Installation by Solar Shop Australia

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[Up front]

Solar hot water rebatesRebates of $1000 are available to installsolar and heat pump hot water systemsin Australia, cutting greenhouse gasemissions and helping households tosave on increasing power bills. Waterheating is the largest single source ofgreenhouse gas emissions from the av-erage Australian home, accounting foraround 28 per cent of home energy use(excluding the family car). A solar hotwater system or heat pump can cut be-tween $300 and $700 per year from en-ergy bills.

The new system must replace an elec-tric storage hot water system and needsto be eligible for at least 20 RenewableEnergy Certificates (RECs). The hotwater system or heat pump should havea warranty of at least five years.

The hot water system must be in-stalled at the principle place of residenceto be eligible for the rebate, and the ap-plicant’s taxable family income must beunder $100,000. For more informationcall the Australian Greenhouse Officenational infoline on 1800 808 571 or goto www.greenhouse.gov.au/rebates

Climate change actionThere might be some movement on cli-mate change in Australia in comingmonths. Promises by the ALP in the2007 Federal Election campaign includeratification of the Kyoto Protocol, 20

per cent renewable energy in Australiaby 2020, $500 rebates for landlords toinstall insulation and $10,000 low in-terest green loans for solar systems andwater and energy saving measures. TheALP has also pledged to cut greenhousegas emissions by 60 per cent by 2050,although it is yet to be seen whetherthis will become legislation, therebymaking it a binding target. An interimtarget for greenhouse emissions reduc-tion by 2020 is yet to be set.

Worst emissionsData compiled by the Centre for Glo-bal Development in Washington showsthat Australians are the worst individu-

al greenhouse gas polluters, if emissionsare calculated from the output of thecountry’s power stations.

Each Australian annually producesnearly 11 tonnes of CO2 in power sec-tor emissions. The United States comessecond with nine tonnes per person,while China (heavily criticised for theirgreenhouse emissions), produce twotonnes a year per person.

The report found that the world’smost polluting companies are in rapid-ly emerging economies such as China,and that high emissions within a coun-try can be attributed to governmentpolicy rather than high living standards.For example, Europeans, with compa-


From the publishers of ReNew

Sanctuary magazineIssue 4 OUT NOW

Features include:

• Rainwater gardens• Sustainable landscaping• Sustainable lighting• Living in an ecovillage• Plus top eco-friendly homes fromacross Australia

Subscribe to Sanctuary magazineand win an architecturally

sustainable design for a new homevalued at $40,000

Available at newsagents orwww.ata.org.au

[Up front]

rable living standards to the UnitedStates and Australia produce half thepower sector emissions.

Wine from (reclaimed)waterA study has found that reclaimed wateris not just an alternative source of waterfor crops, but may be more beneficialthan mains water. The research was con-ducted by Dr Belinda Rawnsley andfunded by the Grape and Wine Re-search Development Corporation.

Reclaimed water is water collectedand treated after human use, such aswater from the sewer. The trial wasbased primarily at a vineyard that hasused reclaimed water since it opened,and studies show that there is no differ-ence in yield from vines irrigated withreclaimed or mains water, in fact there

were fewer pathogens in the soil andhigher levels of microbial activitywhere reclaimed water was used.

A smart fridgeNew ‘switched on’ technologies—thatwould enable the next generation ofrefrigerators, freezers and other appli-ances to use electricity at times whendemand generally is low—are beingresearched and developed in the Unit-ed Kingdom.

These would allow for greater use ofvariable renewable energy sources suchas wind and solar power, and an eventu-al reduction of about two milliontonnes of carbon dioxide emissions ayear. That is the equivalent of taking665,000 cars off the road.

In the scheme, low-cost micro-con-trollers would be fitted to appliances

that are not time-critical, including air-conditioning, water heaters and pumps,and would switch them on/off or alterthe amount of power used according toconditions on the national electricitygrid.

At present, the grid has to be contin-ually balanced because demand fluctu-ates as people switch on lights, TVs,cookers and a range of other electricaldevices. This is very costly in terms ofboth money and CO2 emissions.

Energy harvesting forfarmersA CSIRO report has found that farmerscould earn up to $1.3 billion a year byharvesting renewable energy and farm-ing carbon. Biodiversity stewardshippayments could bring the potential ben-efit to farmers up to $2.94 billion.


Moora Moora Sustainable LivingFestival in conjunction with theSustainable Living Foundation

Saturday 1st Mar-08 from 11am to midnight

A GREAT family day out in Healesville!

Music; night dance; healing village; market place;community supported agriculture; workshops; demos;talks and tours of solar-powered houses. Walk againstwarming. Food for sale. Take a shuttle bus, or followthe signs from Healesville. Bring warm clothes for thedance. No drugs, alcohol, dogs or cats. Ph: (03) 59624104 www.mooramoora.org.au/festival.html


[Up front]

The Agriculture Alliance on ClimateChange commissioned the CSIRO toexamine opportunities to provide fuel,as well as greenhouse friendly food.

Farmers are more likely to embracerenewable energy farming once morepolicy is put in place, such as the Aus-tralian Government’s election pledge for20 per cent renewable energy by 2020.

Green watchCommissioned by WWF Australia, theTotal Environment Centre and the Aus-tralian Conservation Foundation, theGreen Electricity Watch provides anindependent ranking of GreenPowerelectricity products offered by Austral-ian electricity retailers.

GreenPower is government accred-ited, clean, renewable energy sourcedfrom solar, wind, hydro and biomass.Many GreenPower products only in-clude a small percentage of accreditedGreenPower, and it is the accreditedportion that inevitably makes a differ-ence. For the 2007 review of Green-Power products, go to the websitewww.greenelectricitywatch.org.au.

A mass produced EV forAustralia?The Energetique EV project is a jointproject involving a number of compa-nies from countries all over the globe,including Switzerland, USA, China,

Korea, Germany, UK, Italy, Australia andNorway. It is an initiative of Energet-ique, an Australian company based inArmidale. The design concept was for ahighly efficient and functional batteryelectric vehicle (BEV) with perform-ance specifications that would be ac-ceptable by the public familiar withinternal combustion technology.

The vehicle is planned to have im-pressive specifications, including arange of 300km, top speed of 130km/h,a 0 to 100 km/h time of around 10 sec-onds and a weight of under 1200kg. TheEV will use a lithium ion battery packand a liquid cooled, synchronous in-duction motor with regenerative brak-

ing.Prototyping is expected to be com-

plete in early 2008. There will then be asmall production run of a few hundredvehicles which would be used for test-ing the technology and concept. Oncethe companies are satisfied, a produc-tion run of around 200,000 vehicles isplanned. The vehicle will initially bereleased as a two door commuter, fol-lowed by a four door commuter and anurban commercial vehicle.

For more information contact Ener-getique Pty Ltd, 100 Barney Street, Ar-midale NSW 2350, ph:(02) 6772 7113,or go to the Energetique website:www.energetique.com.au.

Does this mean production of an electric vehicle in Australia?


[Letters]

Write to us!We welcome letters on any sub-ject, whether it be something youhave read in ReNew, a problemyou have experienced, or a greatidea you have had. Please limitletters to 350 words. Due to limit-ed space, we can’t guarantee topublish all letters received.Send letters to: ReNew, Level 1,39 Little Collins St, MelbourneVIC 3000, Australia,email: [email protected]

Aluminium versus woodI read with great interest the article inReNew 101 about Michael Laba’s Mis-sion Cove house.

I applaud his sentiments in construct-ing such a house, would that we all couldfollow his example. However I foundhis use of aluminium windows puzzling.Everything I have ever read, heard, or un-derstood about windows is that timberis a better material than aluminium be-cause it is both a better insulator and costsless in embedded energy.

I would welcome hearing Mr Laba’sreasons for choosing aluminium.

Chris [email protected]

The main reason for my window selection waslow maintenance. Past experience has taughtme every second to third year wooden windowsneed some attention, like a new coat of paint,and considering the large number and size ofour windows, at my age I don’t need all thisextra work.

Also, we have here a very high wind and rainloading factor plus UV levels are very high inNZ, ageing all exterior joinery very quickly.Costs may be higher at the time of installationbut over time (with less maintenance), costsshould favour the aluminium.

It should also be noted that these alumiu-nium windows and sliding door frames are

‘thermally broken’. This means no metal con-nection between the outside aluminium and theinside aluminium, so in theory they have verylittle heat loss from the inside to outside and viceversa.

I hope that answers your questions, althoughI am not sure if I understand completely theterminology embedded energy!

Michael Laba

While it’s true aluminium has a high embod-died energy (the energy used to make the mate-rial), it is also recyclable almost endlessly, whichgreatly offsets this. The elimination of the needfor painting and other maintenance also has tobe factored in.

Lance Turner

Cloth nappy happyA big thumbs up to Meaghan andTrepheena for their nappy trial. I am notsurprised that they found using clothnappies to be cheaper than their dis-posable counterparts. Many peoplewrongly believe that choosing clothnappies equates with excessive wateruse. An extra 2 to 3 loads a week is all ittakes to wash nappies for my two chil-dren. Please keep us readers up to datewith any further, more extensive stud-ies that compare the embodied energyof both styles of nappies. I would bevery interested to learn just how muchwater and power is needed in the man-ufacture and transportation of dispos-ables.

Kathleen O’[email protected]

Which nappies?I was interested to see the results of thenappy trial by Meaghan Siemensma andTrepheena Hunter in ReNew 101, butwas disappointed to see that the trialand results revolved around the as-sumption that cloth nappies are betterthan disposables. There was no clearexplanation as to why this is the case.

While costs in terms of time, electrici-

ty and water were well documented forcloth nappies, there was no comparisonwith disposables—how much water isused in their manufacture? What pollut-ants are generated and in what quantities?And how does this compare with chem-icals such as Nappisan being used to cleancloth nappies, and the resulting chemi-cals being released into our water stream?

At the risk of sounding callous regard-ing landfill, Australia is a large countrywith a lot of land and a severe water short-age. Without adequate information abouthow disposables are manufactured, itseems wiser to go the landfill route thanuse more of our precious fresh water.

The article also missed another op-tion, the most environmentally friendlyof all—no nappies. Yes, this is truly pos-sible, even in our society. Human babiesare born with an awareness of their needto wee and poo, and can communicatetheir need to go just as they communi-cate hunger, tiredness, loneliness andpain. Mothers in India, China and otherparts of the world care for their babieshygienically this way. Through nappy use,our children are trained to lose thisawareness, and most do so by about fiveor six months. For more information,do a web search on ‘elimination com-munication’ or ‘diaper free’.

[email protected]

Electric boosting a problem?I may be wrong, but isn’t there a flawwith electric boosted solar hot watersystems? The thinking goes like this.

You have a solar hot water tank heat-ing up the water all day. At night, whenhot water usage is at its largest, withshowers and washing up happening, thishot water gets used. It is then replacedin the hot water tank by incoming coldwater. This cold water is then heatedusing off peak electricity overnight.During the day, the solar hot water sys-tem effectively does nothing as the wa-


ter is already hot.I put in a system at my home to address

this problem. Basically an intermediarytank. This tank is heated using solar. Whenhot water is used, the incoming cold wa-ter is passed through a coil of copper pipeinside this intermediary tank—a very ba-sic heat exchanger. The cold water heatsup to the intermediary tank’s tempera-ture and then goes on to the main electricstorage tank. This is then boosted to itsfinal temperature using overnight off peakelectricity. At some stage, I’ll also put awet back into our wood stove to heat thewater in the intermediary tank during thewinter months. Just a thought.

Nick and Jo [email protected]

For households that have their showers and mainwater use at night, this would indeed appear tobe a problem, and these homes would be betteroff using boosting that was controlled to onlyrun from late afternoon until evening.

However, many people have their showers inthe morning, and may also start the dishwasherbefore going to work, so in this case, night-timeboosting is fine.

Really, it is all about asking the right ques-tions from your solar water heater installer andmaking sure the system makes the best use ofsolar energy.

Lance Turner

Washing machine choicesIn Q&A of issue 101, Margaret Freder-ick asked, ‘is there any web site that listswashing machines that don’t have in-built water heaters?’

I would recommend Margaret visitwww.choice.com.au and either sub-scribe or purchase their latest reviewof washing machines. Their testing an-swers this question as well as reliabili-ty, wash performance, power and waterconsumption.

Being a newcomer to ReNew, I foundMargaret’s questions about peak demandintriguing. Unfortunately, this is not a

Why use horizontal axis turbines?Given the fierce opposition to horizon-tal axis wind turbines by some sectionsof the community, I would like topresent for consideration a more ac-ceptable alternative, namely a verticalhybrid generator.

Guidelines for the design were to ad-dress all the major objections put for-ward against horizontal turbines i.e.visual impact, danger to light aircraft, firerisk, bird strike and intermittent supply.

The key element to this design is thehousing surrounding the vertical rotor.It performs a number of functions:• It greatly increases the amount of airavailable to the rotor• It shields the oncoming rotor bladefrom the adverse effects of wind• It accepts wind from any direction• It provides the essential solid top bear-ing support• It provides a support structure for thesolar panels• It is a ready-made rainfall collector

This structure would only be about20 metres high, roughly the same as thetree canopy height, so it presents littlevisual impact and no danger to aircraft.Fire risk from lightning strike is nomore than conventional buildings. Birdstrike should be eliminated as flight pathis in the same plane as the rotor blades(mesh screens could provide extra pro-tection if needed). Intermittent supply

(no wind) is alleviated by the incorpo-ration of roof-mounted solar panels,designed to work in tandem.

The structure could be manufacturedlocally, with no need for massive cranes,no high tech or imported parts, no com-puter controlled directional motors, andno gearbox. Servicing is greatly simpli-fied as the vital parts are at ground level.

The collection and storage of waterhas a number of benefits, including on-site water for fire fighting or sprinklers,water for domestic use, and water forstock, trees etc.

I welcome any input from peoplewho feel the concept has merit and canhelp determine its feasibility.

Peter [email protected]

[Letters]

question I have ever seen Choice magazineaddress. Choice testers certainly have theresources to measure the peak power de-mand of an appliance over the course of acycle. May I suggest that both ReNew and

those of us who subscribe to both maga-zines lobby Choice for peak power de-mand to be added to their testing?

Scott GrimmettGreenslopes QLD


Most renters in Australia live inolder dwellings, not de-signed or built with environ-

mental principles in mind. Dependentupon the will of the owner to retrofitsystems and appliances to bring themup to standard, tenants can be handi-capped in the movement towards sus-tainability. Yet there are nearly twomillion renter households in Australia,and with housing affordability decreas-ing, the proportion of renter comparedto owner-occupied households seemsset to rise.

For most renters, even for those whocould afford it, investing in a retrofit oftheir home is not viable. Spending mon-ey on another’s property without securetenure doesn’t make much sense. Leas-es in Australia are typically six to twelvemonths long—often not enough for sav-

ings in bills to pay back an investmentin energy or water saving measures.

If you rent, however, as well as ap-proaching the landlord to request im-provements, you can do some thingsyourself. Any alteration to the propertymust have the owner’s permission, andmany property owners may be open toenergy and water efficient improve-ments.

Adopting a co-operative, non-adver-sarial approach in negotiating with yourlandlord is more likely to succeed. Tostrengthen your argument, you canpoint out the benefits to the landlord,let them know of any rebates or grantsavailable to them and possibly offer toshare costs.

Benefits to the landlordProperty owners can benefit in several

ways by upgrading their buildings tomodern eco-friendly standards. Impor-tantly, landlords will be doing their partin the necessary reduction in use of pre-cious energy and water usage, cuttinggreenhouse gas emissions and buildingon the public awareness of those issues.

Many landlords may not be aware thatthe Australian Taxation Office allowsthem to make tax deductions for ener-gy efficiency improvements on theirrental properties. These improvementsfall under two broad categories. Main-tenance, repairs and servicing costs canbe claimed at the end of each financialyear; depreciation on the value of capi-tal improvements can be claimed overa specified period of time.

The rental value of the property willbe enhanced with each improvementadded, and properties may be advertised

What about tenants?Striving towards sustainable renting? Linnet Good looks at options forthose who don’t own the home they live in.

Allowable tax deductions for energy efficiency improvements in rental properties

Maintenance, repairs and servicing

Servicing and repair of hot water systems, heating and cooling equipment and appliances.Repair of damaged or leaking water fixtures.Installing insulation on hot water pipes.Installation of draught stoppers and sealing of cracks and gaps in floorboards and walls and around windows and doors.Repairing settled or damaged insulation.

Capital improvements

Replacing a hot water system with a more energy efficient variety.Installing efficient water fixtures such as low-flow taps and AAA-rated showerheads.Installing an energy efficient heating or cooling system.Installing insulation.Installing double-glazed windows.Installing blinds and awnings.Erecting a pergola or similar external shading devices.Installing doors for zoning of heating and cooling.Rewiring a property, including improving lighting controls, zoning and lighting type.Purchasing energy efficient appliances.Source: Australian Greenhouse Office.


on the basis that tenants will not be wast-ing money on excess heating, coolingor water costs, or contributing unwill-ingly to the world’s climate problems.Property owners may wish to considerthat the cost of losing a quality tenant—with the loss of income from a proper-ty vacant for weeks, along with the costsof advertising—may be more than thecost of a simple retrofit.

In some states, owners of propertieswith multiple dwellings (apartments,duplexes and so on) without separateutility meters for each dwelling mustpay for all usage costs for that utility.This could include water, electricity, gasor oil. In those cases, the financial ben-efits of installing rainwater tanks and/or greywater systems, insulation,draught sealing, solar hot water and re-newable energy generation for thoseproperties become even more attrac-tive.

Additionally, while sustainability fea-tures have not yet made an impact onsale prices, this could change. There maysoon be a requirement for mandatory‘eco-audits’ on the sale or lease of realestate properties, similar to the EnergyEfficiency Rating (EER) scheme, cur-rent in Canberra. This gives an energyefficiency rating for the building andpredicts running costs. Many futurebuyers will naturally be more interest-ed in a property that has established ahigh rating, even if audits do not be-come mandatory.

Government and otherrebatesRebates vary from state to state andcouncil to council; they are also chang-ing all the time. Some are available toeither the tenant or the landlord. Tocheck federal and state-based rebates,go to the Alternative Technology Asso-ciation website at www.ata.org.au/green-living/renewable-energy-re-bates/. Ask your local council about

what they can offer. Some water sup-pliers will also offer rebates on rainwa-ter tanks or greywater systems. It isimportant to research your individualsituation before money is spent, to en-sure your or your landlord’s eligibility.

Tenants and landlords inco-operationWhere the action suggested is costlyand the landlord could be reluctant togo ahead, a co-operative agreementcould be offered. Offer to share costswith your landlord, financially or inkind (e.g. offer to do the installation ifthe landlord pays for materials).

Adrian Butera, of real estate agentCompton & Green, and instigator of theGo Green program encouraging land-lords to invest in sustainable features fortheir rental properties, suggests that fu-ture agreements similar to mobile phonecontracts could eventually becomecommon. Landlords may agree to insu-late or to install a solar hot water systemin return for a guaranteed length of stayand a small surcharge, for example.

Approaching your landlordWhen proposing to the property ownerwhat you have in mind, make a formal,written request including informationon what you want to do and why. Em-phasise what the landlord will gain fromit as well as how they will be helping theenvironment. Include relevant statisticsfrom the Australian Greenhouse Office(www.greenhouse.gov.au) if you thinkit will help your case. Then give yourresearch (options and costs) on the par-ticular improvements you wish for, ask-ing for only one major item at a time, orgiving a short list in order of preference.Indicate what costs (if any) you are pre-pared to contribute, including your ownlabour if appropriate. Finish with a state-ment requesting action, for example, ‘Ilook forward to hearing your responseto my request.’ Give your contact detailsso they don’t have to look them up inorder to call you.

If you receive no reply after a fewweeks, send a follow up note, asking ifthey have received your letter and if theyhave had time to consider your request.

Looking to make the rental house more sustainable? Do your research and present a

good case to your landlord.


Five best actions tenantscan take on energy

GreenPower

If paying for utilities like electricity andgas, elect to switch to accredited Green-Power. For every kilowatt-hour con-sumed, the company must buy orproduce that amount from accreditedrenewable sources. The more house-holds switching to GreenPower, themore investment in renewable technol-ogies there will be. For the most im-pact, ask for ‘100% governmentaccredited GreenPower’ from your sup-plier, for both electricity and gas, andmake sure it has the GreenPower greentick.

Reduce energy use

• Turn off electrical devices at the pow-er point: appliances on standby power;idle battery chargers; your fridge andyour water heater when you’re away.• Where possible, close off the livingspace for winter heating and open it upfor air circulation in summer. Set ther-mostats for optimum performance(heaters to 18-21°C and air condition-ers to 25-27°C).• Shade windows externally from sum-mer sun. Shade blinds can be quite ex-pensive, but you could try hangingshade cloth, or the cheap bamboo blindsavailable in variety stores. Let the win-ter sun in.• Change lighting to low energy op-tions. If you have energy-hungry halo-gen lights in your rented home, and can’tafford to replace them with the lowenergy alternatives, consider usingportable lamps (with CFL globes) in-stead and switching the halogens off.• Insulate your hot water pipes usinglagging (available at plumbing suppli-ers), a thick, foam rubber tubing with alengthways slit. Tape or tie it aroundthe pipes, ensuring you do not pull theclosure tight enough to compress the

foam. There are also self-sealing typesavailable.

Draught-proof

• Close gaps using door sausages ordraught stoppers, weather strippingaround doors and windows and caulk-ing to seal cracks between walls, win-dow frames and doors.• Reduce heat transfer through win-dows by using heavy and/or lined, close-fitting curtains or blinds that hang tothe floor, with closed pelmets at the top.Strip or venetian blinds are next to use-less in protecting against heat loss. Ifyou are stuck with less than ideal blindsor curtains, consider installing newones that you can take with you whenyou leave the tenancy.• Where there are no pelmets, and thecurtains are not close fitting to the win-dow, you can request or install properpelmets (with the landlord’s permis-sion) or make and fit temporary, card-board ones, removing them when youleave the tenancy. Use removable fix-tures.• Some older houses have permanentlyopen ventilation outlets, originallymeant to allow airflow as a precautionin the days of gas lighting. To maintainany decorative appearance, the cavitymay be pumped full of expanding foam.Otherwise, it may be boarded up orcovered with cardboard. To do this, cuta piece of cardboard to size, and back itwith bubble wrap. Paint the cardboard,or decorate however you prefer. Fix thisto the vent with removable, double-sid-ed tape so you can remove it for sum-mer (if there is no air-conditioning),or when you leave the property.• Ceiling extractor fans letting out intothe roof create a gap that insulation (ifany) will not cover. A self-closing cov-er, available in hardware stores, will in-expensively and effectively cover thegap. It opens automatically when the fanis in use, and closes when it is not. In-

sulation fits snugly up to the cover.• Similarly, heat-producing halogenlamp transformers in the ceiling can-not have insulation within 150mm ofthe transformer due to risk of fire. Cov-ers are available, and you may fit insula-tion snugly up to these.• Functional fireplaces may have adamper fitted, just above the fire andout of sight in the chimney, or at the topof the chimney. If not functional, theycan be boarded up, or the chimneyblocked with an old blanket, a garbagebag full of crumpled newspaper or apiece of foam or some cardboard cut tosize.

Insulate

Insulation of the walls, ceiling and floor,plus draught-proofing, will make a hugedifference to your energy usage. With-out insulation, your house is ‘naked’:

As much as 35%of heat loss froma house isthrough anuninsulatedceiling;uninsulated wallsaccount for afurther 15 to 25%and uninsulatedfloors losebetween 10 and20% of heat.

Source: Australian GreenhouseOffice


no coat to stay warm in winter and noprotection from the sun’s heat in sum-mer. Where the landlord will not in-vest in insulation, tenants may have toimprovise.

Roof insulation may require bulk andreflective insulation, depending on yourclimate (see Your Home Technical Manualto find what insulation is recommend-ed for your climate). Insulation shouldbe pest and fire retardant. Insulate ceil-ings above heated rooms first if fundsor materials are short.• I heard recently of a share house in acool temperate climate that had hun-dreds of inflated wine cask bladders inthe ceiling for insulation, combiningpockets of air (bulk) and reflectiveproperties. While this idea might ap-peal to heavy drinkers, it might becheaper, easier and healthier to simplybuy a few batts and install them your-self.• Polystyrene slabs can also be used inceilings if you have access to enough ofthem.• Concertina foil batts are reasonablypriced and effective. These are used inthe roof, walls or floor to prevent heatgain. They go outside any bulk insula-tion, leaving a minimum of 25 mm lay-er of air between.• Heavy fabric wall hangings are an ef-fective means of adding extra insulationto a southern wall. Make sure you useremovable fixtures, or get permissionto put hangings up.• Use rugs on wooden or tiled floorsfor extra warmth in winter. Floors inwarm, tropical climates may not needinsulation.

Double-glaze (well, sort of ): DIY bubblewrap ‘double glazing’

Here I am indebted to Tom Chalko’sarticle (ReNew Issue 71, page 27). Thisis an idea that may not be suitable for allwindows, but is a clever, easily remov-able option where appropriate, diffus-

ing light without losing it and provid-ing an effective heat loss barrier. Its‘frosted’ appearance can be useful inrooms needing privacy, but may be un-desirable for windows with a specialview.

Make a light batting frame to fit snug-ly inside the existing window frame.Cut bubble wrap to be slightly largerthan the window (the excess will betrimmed once the frame is in place).Where the window is wider than thebubble wrap, make extra batting spinesto cover the joins. Note: the bubblesface toward the window, the flat side tothe interior. Fix the bubble wrap to thetop of the frame, using double-sidedtape. Be careful not to touch the bubblewrap with the tape in the wrong place,as it will tear when the tape is pulledaway. Fix the lower end to the frame,pulling it tight. Then do the same withthe sides. Apply removable double-sid-ed tape to the edges and fit to the win-dow frame. Cut away excess bubblewrap.

Transparent membrane ‘double-glazing’

This is a tough, clear membrane thatattaches to the existing inside window

frame using double-sided, clear adhe-sive tape, and then is shrunk to be tautand smooth with a hair dryer. It is acheap, do-it-yourself solution with in-structions provided (for more informa-tion go to www.clearcomfort.com.au).According to the manufacturers, youwill have 11% more efficient coolingand 17% more efficient heating whencorrectly installed.

We all need arainwater tankDo request that your landlord install anappropriately sized tank: the more ofthese that are installed and used, themore water is left in our catchments.

If this fails, invest in one or more minitanks from a hardware store. These canbe used singly or linked together, andare small enough to not require specialfoundations and may be taken with youwhen you leave. They range in capacityfrom 100 to 210 litres and cost between$89 and $189.

You will need permission to removea section of down-pipe and install a di-verter, but you can replace the sectionof pipe removed when you leave, if nec-essary.

A submersible marine bilge pump is used to send water from the bath to the garden.


Use greywater (carefully)Realistically, the likelihood of a land-lord retrofitting a costly, fully treatedand plumbed greywater system is low.Tenants can still use simple systems toreuse greywater on their gardens, toflush toilets or wash clothes, however.

Bathroom

• Collect only the warm-up showerwater in buckets or a tub. Shower wa-ter is full of soaps, shampoos, condi-tioners and whatever else you use towash; the effects of these are untestedand I therefore do not recommend us-ing the ‘washing’ part of your showeror bathroom basin water on the garden.(See www.waterwiseworld.com.au fora clever invention that collects much ofthe clean shower water.) These kindsof greywater are, however, perfectly ac-ceptable for flushing the toilet or wash-ing clothes.• There is an exception: in my experi-ence, when sorbolene is used insteadof soap—as well as being ideal for sen-sitive skin—gardens, including potplants, have thrived when watered withthe bath or shower water.• Turn off the water supply to the toi-let at its tap and keep a large jug in thebathroom for refilling the cistern withcollected shower or laundry water.Place a plastic drink bottle filled withwater in your cistern to reduce its sizeif you do not have a dual-flush toilet.

Laundry

• For gardens (not including pottedplants), collect your rinse water into awater container or holding tank. Evenwhen using eco-friendly detergents, Ifind plants do not thrive using the washwater. Decant into a watering can or at-tach a hose to the container.• If funds allow, consider buying a WetWheelie (cost: $395 fromwww.wetwheelie.com), an adaptedwheelie bin. Collect rinse water from

your washing machine in the wheelie,then use the submersible pump andhose supplied to send it out to your gar-den. Do not attempt to move the binwhen it is full, it will be too heavy. Whenthe bin is empty, you can wheel it out ofsight.• Use a diverter fitted to the inspec-tion outlet of the waste pipe for yourbathroom or laundry. A simple waterdiverter with three hose outlets is avail-able with instructions from the PortPhillip Eco Centre in St Kilda, Victoriafor $8.00. Look around for a similar itemin your area.

Install a low-flowshowerheadAAA-rated low-flow showerheads andflow regulators/aerators should be fit-ted to all tapware and any leaking tapsfixed to reduce the amount of hot waterused.Water companies will often provide freelow-flow showerheads, and flow regu-lators are cheap and easily installed.Technically, you need the landlord’spermission to replace the showerhead,but this should not be a problem if you

are offering to do it yourself for free.Otherwise, just take your showerheadwith you and replace it with the old onewhen you leave.

Step 1. Remove the existing show-erhead using an adjustable spanner. Usea rag between the spanner and the nutto avoid damage to the fitting, and avoidusing force.

Step 2. Clean off the old plumbers’tape from the shower stem.

Step 3. Wrap new teflon plumbers’tape three to four times clockwisearound the shower stem. This will pre-vent leaks.

Step 4. Ensure a compatible washeris installed in the neck of the new show-erhead. Attach the showerhead onto theshower stem using a spanner tightly, butwithout using great force. Again, use arag to prevent damage to the new fit-ting.

Linnet Good is currently working on arenters guide to energy and water. Shewelcomes readers’ ideas for innovativesolutions to the problems renters facewhen trying to live more sustainably.Email: [email protected].

Drill a hole (with landlord’s permission!) through a window frame to allow a hose

from the laundry or bath to feed through to the garden.


The advantage of greywater is thatwe produce it on a daily basis. Inmost cases it can be intercepted

and diverted to the garden with mini-mal effort and cost in a number of dif-ferent ways. However, whether youintend to buy a commercial greywatersystem or set-up your own DIY systemthere are a number of things you needto consider. This guide highlights themain issues associated with greywaterreuse. There are many choices availa-ble and there is no single solution forall circumstances. Therefore, the moreresearch you do, the more suitable yoursystem will be for your particular situ-ation.

Greywater sourcesGreywater is any wastewater generatedfrom your laundry, bathroom and kitch-en, before it has come into contact withthe sewer. This includes bathroom(bath, shower and basin), laundry, kitch-en and appliance discharge. It does notinclude toilet wastewater, which isclassed as blackwater.

However, while kitchen and dish-washer water is technically greywater,unless you are treating kitchen greywa-ter it is recommended that this sourceof water not be used. Kitchen water onlymakes up around five percent of totalwater consumed in the average home,yet it is considered the most contami-nated. This is largely due to high sodi-um levels from dishwashing detergents,particularly from dishwashers, as wellas fats, grease and oils from cooking andcleaning, which can all damage soil

structure if allowed to build up.

Cleaning productsChoosing the right cleaning productsis perhaps one of the most importantelements in reducing the risks associ-ated with greywater reuse. The chemi-cal and physical quality of greywatervaries enormously, as greywater is es-sentially made up of the elements thatyou put into it.

Generally speaking pathogen and bac-teria content is low in most greywatersources (unless you are washing con-taminated items such as nappies, soiledclothes etc) and as long as you take allthe right steps to minimise potentialcontact, such as delivering greywatersubsurface, it is of minimal concern.

Equally, phosphorus and nitrogen arenutrients necessary for plant growth. Ifphosphorus and nitrogen are kept to an

optimum level by choosing cleaningproducts with low phosphorus and ni-trogen, they can replace the need forfertilisers for gardens and lawns, and thenutrients can actually be utilised byplants and soils.

The main concern with greywater issalt build-up from cleaning productsand increased pH levels in the soil.Both can have a detrimental effect onyour soil and plants. However, they canboth be mitigated by monitoring yourplants and soils, conditioning your soilsfor optimum health and taking care tochoose cleaning products with low orno salt.

SaltsSalt build-up in soils, particularly fromsodium salts, poses perhaps the great-est risk associated with untreated grey-water reuse. The accumulation of salts

Despite good winter rains in many parts of the country, much of Australia isfacing the prospect of further water restrictions this summer. As a result,many people are looking for alternatives such as greywater to keep theirgardens alive. Adam Maxey looks at the pros and cons of greywater recycling.

Greywater system buyers guide

The Garden Angel

from Perpetual

Water is designed to

blend into the

surrounds and be

visually unobtrusive.


in the soil can damage soil structure andlead to a loss of permeability, causingproblems to soil and plant health. Themain source of sodium is powderedwashing detergents and fabric soften-ers that use sodium salts as bulkingagents.

Concentrated powders and liquiddetergents generally have fewer saltsthan the average powdered detergent.There are many powdered detergentson the market that now have low or nosodium content.

For more information go to Lanfax-labs: www.lanfaxlabs.com.au.

pH levelsGenerally speaking, pH levels outsidethe optimum range of between six andseven affect the solubility of soils andhence a plant’s ability to absorb essen-tial nutrients. As most gardeners know,pH values ranges from one (acidic) to14 (basic), with seven being neutral. Be-fore you’ve even applied greywater, pHlevels can vary from acidic to basic fromone end of the garden to the other.

Given this variability and the likeli-hood of greywater raising the pH of yoursoil, it is advised to regularly monitorthe pH and condition of your soil asneeded. Acidic soils can be made morebasic with calcium carbonate, and basicsoils can be made more acidic with sul-phur. To monitor this, pH test kits andsoil conditioners are available frommost nurseries.

While salt build-up and pH are of par-ticular concern, there are other grey-water elements that can have an impacton your soil and plants. They includefats and oils from soaps and shampoos,disinfectants (including eucalyptus andtea tree oil), bleaches, toothpaste, hotwater, and sheer volume or over water-ing.

For more detailed information ongreywater composition, see section 2.4Composition of Greywater, NSW Guidelines

for Greywater Reuse in Sewered, SingleHousehold Residential Premises and OasisDesign’s Fecal Coliform Bacteria Counts:What They Really Mean About Water Qual-ity (http://www.oasisdesign.net/water/quality/coliform.htm)

System typesThere are three broad categories thatdescribe greywater systems. They arediversion only, diversion and filtration,and diversion and treatment. Each sys-tem type has its advantages and disad-vantages; it will depend on yourparticular circumstances which systemis best suited to you. For example, ifyou have a sensitive or acidic loving gar-den (untreated greywater is generallyalkaline) or want to store greywater forlater use and perhaps even use this wa-ter inside the house for either toiletflushing or laundry use, then you willneed to consider one of the many com-mercial greywater treatment systems.

Alternatively, if you don’t have sensi-tive plants and you only intend to wateryour garden via subsurface irrigation,then a direct diversion or diversion andfilter system may be adequate. Anotherthing you will have to consider is thateach system has different regulations

governing its use depending on whichstate or territory you live in. See theState and Territory Regulation guide atthe end of this article.

Diversion only systems are the sim-plest and cheapest. They can be as sim-ple as bucketing shower or laundrywater onto the garden, intercepting yourshower or laundry wastepipe with a 3-way valve or connecting a hose to theend of your washing machine. Howev-er, be careful if using the hose on wash-ing machine method as you couldpotentially shorten the life of yourwashing machine pump if you arepumping water long distances or up-hill. Remember, washing machinepumps are only designed to pump wa-ter short distances.

The other issue with pumping di-rectly from the washing machine is thattoo much water can be delivered tooquickly to one area. This can result inwater pooling, which can be a healthconcern for children and pets whocome into contact with it. There is alsothe risk of greywater leaving your prop-erty, which can carry legal implicationsif it enters waterways or neighbouringproperties. The preferred method is tosend the laundry water to a ‘surge tank’

Another system for

under $1000 system is

the ecoCare diverter/

filter unit.


close to the laundry. This avoids thewashing machine having to pump longdistances and allows for slower distri-bution to your irrigation area.

The diversion only method is gener-ally adequate for limited irregular useof greywater, however if you want touse greywater on a more permanentbasis, you would be wise to investigatea system that delivers water at a morecontrolled rate via subsurface irrigation.Perhaps the one adequate diversion onlysystem is the Mulch Basin system thatis widely used and written about by theCalifornian greywater guru Art Ludwig(see irrigation section).

Diversion and Filtration systemsinvolve filtering particles such as hairand lint before the greywater is deliv-ered to its end use. Filtering is gener-ally only required to keep particlesfrom entering and clogging up your ir-rigation system. Hair and lint and evenfood particles are essentially compostand will decompose effectively in yourgarden, particularly if delivered belowthe surface into the active topsoil.

Most, if not all of the commercial di-version systems have various lint fil-ters that can be easily removed andcleaned periodically.

Most of the commercial diversionand filter systems have some sort ofsurge tank that collects the initial gushof water and then delivers it to the gar-den in a more regulated manner by ei-ther pump or gravity. The advantage ofthis is that the water is delivered at aslower rate allowing the soil to absorbthe water and reducing the risk of pool-ing, runoff and over watering.

Diversion and Treatment: Thereare a variety of ways of treating greywa-ter including biological, chemical anda combination of both. There are sev-eral domestic greywater treatmentcompanies in the market and thenumber is growing. Treated greywatercan be used in a wider range of applica-tions including laundry washing, andallows greywater to be stored, some-thing that should not be done with un-treated greywater.

However, most treatment systems are

expensive, often in excess of $10,000,and often require ongoing energy andrunning costs, including in some cases,periodic water testing as a council re-quirement. Treatment systems may beideal for some applications, especiallywhere large volumes of greywater areproduced daily and the gardens are bigenough to utilise the water. However,given the cost, it may be worth investi-gating rainwater tanks for laundry wa-ter supply, and a simple diversion andfilter system that utilises that water asecond time.

IrrigationIn many respects, capturing and divert-ing greywater is the easy part of grey-water reuse, while distributing itthrough your garden is more compli-cated and requires some careful plan-ning in order to deliver the right amountof water to the right areas. Just like sys-tem types themselves, there are manyirrigation alternatives that all have theirpros and cons. Some of the commer-cially available systems offer the instal-lation of the irrigation as part of thewhole package.

Agi-pipeOne of the easiest ways to deliver grey-water subsurface is through perforatedpipe or agi-pipe laid in filled trenches10 to 20cm below the surface. Agi-pipeis flexible polyethylene pipe that hasholes in it to allow water to seep out. Itgenerally has a diametre between 50mmand 100mm and can be easily positionedbeneath the surface, particularly alongnarrow garden beds. Its flexibility alsomakes it useful as it can bend aroundcorners.

Agi-pipe should be laid on a coursemedium if possible, such as gravel orrecycled mulch at a 1% to 2% grade toallow even distribution (a slope of 1 to2cm every metre). If small volumes ofgreywater are being produced then

The Greywater

Gardener 230 from

Waterwise Systems

uses temporary

greywater storage,

so that water can be

fed to the garden at

a controlled rate.


lengths should be between 5 and 10 me-tres to allow the water to reach the fulllength of the pipe. If you are producinglarge volumes of greywater and have anarea that requires longer lengths, thenone method is to punch large holes eve-ry 30cm to 50cm in a thick gauge hose(19 – 25mm), connect one end to yourgreywater source and insert the hoseinto the full length of the agi-pipe. De-pending on the pressure pushing thewater, this should allow a more evendistribution over a longer length.

Agi-pipe can be permanently connect-ed to your greywater source with fixedpiping, or you can leave one end of theagi-pipe protruding out of the ground atvarious points in the garden to allow ahose to be placed inside. This methodallows more flexibility as you can alsouse rainwater or other water sources towater your garden, when available.

Drip irrigationSome systems use dripper lines to de-liver greywater. The advantage of drip-per lines is that they are extremelyefficient as they deliver water where it’sneeded, at the root zone, and at slowrates minimising wastage. Equally, larg-er areas can be irrigated with smallervolumes of water and they are also suit-able for lawns and large areas of indi-vidual plants.

However, dripper lines require wellfiltered greywater as the perforations inthe hoses are very small and can clogeasily. The average off-the-shelf drip-per system is generally not suitable forgreywater as the perforations are toosmall. However, with the growing in-terest in using drip systems with grey-water, many companies are producing‘greywater suitable’ dripper lines thathave bigger holes and other features thatdeal with the problem of clogging.However, most dripper lines will stillneed to be flushed out with clean waterperiodically.

Mulch basinsThis system of irrigation is perhaps theonly system that can deal with no filtra-tion and potentially even kitchen water(assuming sodium levels are kept to aminimum). It uses large diameter pip-ing that can deal with large organic par-ticles and delivers the water directly tothe mulch basin. Mulch basins are sim-ply a scooped out donut-like holearound the trunk of a tree, generallylined at the sides with rocks to stabilisethe soil. They are then simply coveredwith mulch to avoid any contact withthe greywater. The outlet pipe is gener-ally situated below the mulch. Themulch acts as a sponge that soaks up thegreywater and then slowly releases it.

As most gardeners know, mulch sig-nificantly reduces evaporation, whichcan also reduce the likelihood of saltbuildup and raised pH. The mulchalso provides a medium for benefi-cial organisms to grow. Mulch basinsare suitable for large trees, fruit treesand medium to large shrubs andshould be sized to accommodate thesurge of volume they will receive. Formore information see Art Ludwig’sbook Create an Oasis with Greywater orwww.oasisdesign.net.

How much to water?There are a number of mathematicalcalculations that can help you deliverthe right amount of water to a givenarea. However, given the number of var-iables, such as different soil permeabil-ity rates, rainfall patterns, plant needs,topography etc. it’s hard to look pastthe simple ‘finger’ method. Stick yourfinger in the first 2-3cm of the topsoil;if it’s dry you need to water, if it’s wetyou don’t. A sustainable landscape gar-dener once said to me when I queriedhim on this exact subject that ‘the bestway to know how much water your gar-den needs is to spend time in it’.

However, for the purpose of match-ing your system to what your gardenneeds it is worth attempting to matchyour greywater output with your gar-den’s water requirements. This can bedone by calculating your soil irrigationrate, the size of the area to be irrigatedand seasonal variations, and matchingthat to your greywater volume (whichcan be calculated in a number of ways).A good soil can generally absorb around20 litres of water per m2 and, depend-ing on your plant needs and climateconditions, should only need wateringonce a week in summer and once every

The h2gro system is a complete unit

including irrigation pods, which are

designed not to clog like drippers often

do when using greywater.


Greywater regulations summary table


20 to 30 days in winter.Therefore, as an example, a garden

area that is 18m2 would be 18 (m2) x 20(litres per square metre), which equals360 litres. If watering once a week insummer then this area would requirearound 360 litres per week. A showerwith an efficient showerhead uses 9 li-tres per minute. If two people had ashower each day for 3 minutes thatwould equal 54 litres per day. Multiplythat by 7 days and it equals 378 litres perweek, a fairly close match.

Equally, an efficient front loadingwashing machine uses around 50 litresper wash (top loaders use around 150 to200 litres per wash). If you did 7 washesper week that would equal around 350litres, also an approximate match for an18 square metre garden area.

NSW Guidelines for Greywater Reuse inSewered, Single Household ResidentialPremises, mentioned earlier in the arti-cle, is a useful document that coversmany aspects of greywater reuse, includ-ing water calculations. While it waswritten for NSW conditions, it can beadjusted to suit other areas in Australia.

Do’s and don’tsThere are some basic commonsensegreywater rules that have been devel-oped to minimise the risks associatedwith greywater reuse. They include:

• wash your hands after watering withgreywater• divert greywater to the sewer duringwet periods• use garden-friendly cleaning prod-ucts that are biodegradable and low insodium and phosphorus• don’t use greywater that has disinfect-ants and bleaches in it• don’t store untreated greywater formore than 24 hours• don’t use greywater on vegetables andherbs that are to be eaten raw• don’t use greywater sourced fromwashing nappies or soiled clothes• don’t use greywater from the kitch-ens, unless it has been treated• don’t let greywater leave your prop-erty• don’t use greywater that is still hot asit will kill beneficial organisms in thesoil.

Greywater regulationsGreywater regulations and permit re-quirements vary across Australia andyou will need to check what the regula-tions are for your particular area. Per-mit requirements can even vary fromone local council to another withinyour state or territory, so it is worth con-tacting your local council first. TheGreywater Regulations Summary Tableon page 28 of this article summarises

state and territory regulations and high-lights the main relevant documents.

ConclusionThere is no doubt that greywater is avaluable resource that we should beusing. It seems crazy to be wasting ourprecious drinking water on gardens andlawns when there is a simple alterna-tive readily available. What system ormethod you decide to use is a matter ofchoice and is dependent on so manyvariables that there is no one system suit-able for all applications. Whatever sys-tem you choose one thing is for sure:greywater use is here to stay and weneed to ensure that we manage its usecorrectly so that the real benefits con-tinue to outweigh the potential nega-tive impacts.

About the tableThe greywater systems table (overleaf)includes details for the majority of sys-tems available in Australia—there maybe others that we haven’t come across.

While we have endeavoured to makesure that all of the data in the table is asaccurate as possible, we have to relyon manufacturers to supply correctdata. The listings that are highlightedin blue are those systems where wedidn’t receive updated data from themanufacturers. ✲✲✲✲✲

Greywater regulations summary table


When you visit Rohan Syer’sred brick home in inner cityMelbourne, it’s surprising to

hear that the back garden (which is thereason for the visit) will be dug up foreco-home renovations. Yet, the greywa-ter system that he installed himself willremain untouched because the pipesthat carry the water are underground,ready to operate again when the gardenis replanted. The garden, being mostlyvegetables, will be eaten by the timebuilding begins.

Minimal mains water is used to wa-ter the garden, mainly rainwater andgreywater is used instead. Water fromthe bathroom is diverted to the gardenvia a reed bed filtration system, and laun-dry water goes straight to the garden.All down-pipes from the house havealso been diverted, allowing rainwaterto go straight into the garden.

Rohan bought the ex-housing com-mission home three years ago, and theDIY greywater system was finished af-ter six months. The backyard was most-ly couch and kikuyu grass when Rohanmoved in, and has now been replacedwith sawdust paths (which can be rota-ry hoed into the garden when renova-tions start), recycled timber offcutedging (the timber was exchanged for aslab of beer) and an abundant vegetableand fruit garden.

Soil preparationThe soil needed to be prepared beforethe greywater pipes could go in. Tencubic metres of composted seaweedfrom beach clean-ups was secured froma stockpile in Port Melbourne. Seaweedand cow manure was dug into the soil

en masse, along with gypsum to helpbreak down the clay soil. A further eightcubic metres of surface mulch (recy-cled treated green waste) was then im-ported for all garden beds. Using thismethod means the soil will have hadseveral years to be compost invigorated

prior to final design and plantings.

Greywater collectionA double sink in the laundry has madeit easy to separate clean and contami-nated greywater. Some clever rework-ing of the laundry pipes has separated

Rohan Syer’s greywater system was built with secondhand and salvagedmaterials, and delivers water underground to his thriving vegetable andfruit garden.

No drought greywater garden

The reed tank that filters the greywater to the garden.


the sewer water and water for the gar-den. The sink on the left is for waterunsuitable for garden watering, and thiswater goes straight to the sewer. Waterthat goes in the sink on the right (suchas washing machine water) is delivereddirectly to the subsurface agi-pipe viagravity feed. On average the washingmachine uses 39 litres per load.

The drain in the bath/shower is cov-ered with an ordinary sink strainer, help-ing prevent hair from entering andcausing potential maintenance problemswith the system’s pump. A three-wayvalve has been fitted to the external show-er waste pipe to allow water to be easilydiverted to the sewer when greywater iseither not required, for instance duringwet weather, or is contaminated with anytype of cleaning substance not ideal tobe used in the garden. Greywater canonly be stored for 24 hours, so the op-tion of diverting back to the sewer is anessential part of any greywater system.

Filter and pumpAs mentioned, the first filtering proc-ess occurs in the shower by using a sinkstrainer in the plug-hole. This stops thebulk of particles, especially hair, fromentering, clogging and damaging thepump system. The second filteringprocess occurs in an old sump pit usinga fine mesh filter basket. The basket actsas a secondary filter for particles that

the sink strainer has missed. From herethe filtered water gravity feeds to a sec-ond pit with a submersible pump,which then pumps the greywater to aheader tank filled with reeds where thewater goes through a third filteringproces. It is then point delivered whererequired in the garden.

Rohan’s greywater system originallyhad a sand filter in the filter pit. A sandfilled permeable bag (ex-dynamic lift-er) was placed within the mesh con-tainer (a found object). Water was quiteslow to pass through the unsealed sandsystem which would then overflow, re-sulting in the requirement for a sim-pler, low maintenance method.

The filter and pump pits sit side-by-side and are pipe connected. Water flowsfrom the filter pit into the pump pit viagravity. The two pits end up at the samewater level, due to the fact that two in-terconnected vessels will find an evenwater level. The dual pits are sized tomaximise the amount of greywater thatcan be held before the necessity forpumping, thus reducing energy usage.

The pump is a Grundfos pump boughtsecondhand from a bottle shop going outof business; it had been used in theshop’s cellar. This pump would normallycost between $450 and $650, but this onewas purchased for $150. The deliveryline from the pump is fitted with a back-flow device which prevents pumped

water in the line flowing back to the pitonce pumping has stopped.

Water is pumped approximately 15metres via a 25mm polypipe line to thereed tank that sits approximately 1.5 me-tres off the ground.

Reed tankThe small 250 litre reclaimed corrugat-ed tank was fairly rusty when Rohan ne-gotiated it in the Western Highway townof Nhill. It has been given a second lifewith rust inhibitor, some minor fibre-glassing and an internal coating of a bitu-minous-based water proofer.

Water flow from the reed tank to thegarden can be turned off, allowing thetank to fill and hold water for when it isneeded, or for longer reed filtration, butgenerally the water is sent straight to thegarden. The native reeds are Schoeno-plectus validus (Native clubrush). Asmall riser fitted inside the tank meansthere is always some water in the tankfor the plants. The reeds are largely foraesthetics as a larger mass would be re-quired for more effective bio-filtration.

Watering systemThe water is delivered underground via19mm polypipe to an underground sys-tem of 90mm slotted PVC agi-pipe. Thepipes are buried approx 150 to 200mmbelow the surface. Seven strategicallyplaced above-ground taps on risers con-

Left: The polypipe and agi pipe when it was first laid. Right: The filter (right) and pump (left) side-by-side in the ground.


trol where the water is delivered, withRohan watering one part of the garden ata time, often leaving the tap on in onesection for a week. The watering systemis gravity fed, so generally works best withone tap on at a time (with water flowingto the lowest point of gravity). It couldwork with any number of taps turned onat the same time if care was taken to placethem at the same gravitational level.

There is one hose running from thesystem, which is used to water the fruittrees manually.

Watering below the surface means thatplants aren’t contaminated, although thegreywater used in Rohan’s system is rela-tively clean due to the added reed bed fil-tration and careful monitoring of thechemicals used in the shower and laundry.

CostExpenses for the DIY greywater systemwere very low.

The galvanised tank, which is home tothe reed bed, was bought for $30 inNhill, halfway between Melbourne andAdelaide.Slotted agi pipe at a good price was $150(8 x 6m length).Miscellaneous plumbing components$150 to $200 including polypipe.Pump box (other commercial use) $15Grundfos pump cost $150, bought sec-ondhand from a bottle shop. ✲✲✲✲✲

Soil TestingRohan Syer participated in the jointAlternative Technology Association/RMIT Soil Testing Project. The soil atseven households was tested for thelongterm impact of greywater reuse.Results will be released early next yearand published on the ATA’s website atwww.ata.org.au, and in the next issueof ReNew magazine.

Left: A green garden. Right: One of the seven taps to activate sub-surface watering.

Win a 100 watt solararray valued at $690We are looking for good do-it-your-self articles, and will award a 100 wattsolar array (consisting of five 20 wattpanels and a regulator kit) to the au-thor of the best article we receive.If you have a project, simple orcomplex, electrical or mechanical,that has appeal to do-it-your-selfers and involves renewableenergy or appropriate technologyin some form, then send it in. En-tries must describe completedworking projects.Send your ideas to: ReNew,Level 1, 39 Little Collins St,Melbourne VIC 3000,[email protected]. Competitioncloses Friday 23 May 2008.Solar array and regulator kit kindly donated by Oatley Electronic, www.oatleyelectronics.com


LEDs at home—is it viable?We have done regular articles on the progression of LEDs as lighting sources,but is it viable yet to use them for lighting your home, writes Lance Turner.

When it comes to domesticlighting, in most instancesthe best value lamps, and of-

ten the most efficient, are still fluores-cent. They come in both compact fluoros(now in a bewildering array of sizes,shapes and bases) and strip fluoros (andtheir derivatives, the circleline fluoros),which are more commonly found inkitchens, bathrooms and garages.

Quality strip fluoros now generally useelectronic ballasts, and so have eliminat-ed flicker when starting and running, andvirtually all compact fluoros use electron-ic ballasts for these and other reasons.

We have looked at incandescent tech-nology (including halogens), and the fol-ly of using it, in past issues, so we won’tdwell on that here. However, many peo-ple still buy light bulbs based on the in-itial purchase price, not realising the costof running the less efficient technolo-gies vastly outweighs the higher upfrontcost of the more efficient options.

Table one compares the cost of eachtechnology over their rated lifetimes, giv-ing the cost of using each type per hourfor around 1000 lumens output (a lumenis the unit of total light output—not to beconfused with lux or candela, which areintensity measurements). Clearly, the twoincandescent technologies are the worstby far, but what is interesting is that theyare even more expensive than using agood quality LED bulb, despite the muchhigher price of the LED unit!

Which brings us to the focus of thisarticle—if you want to use LEDs athome, just how do you do it?

Garden lightsThis is probably the easiest way to useLEDs at home. If you have a garden light

setup that uses the common 10 watt bi-pin halogen lamps, you can buy LEDbulbs that are a direct replacement forthem. HPM make some that look okay,with six 5mm LEDs and a conical reflec-tor. Which brand of LED they use isn’tclear, so you might expect these to de-grade in brightness over a few thousandhours if they have used the cheaper Chi-nese LEDs, although at over $20 a bulb,you would expect best quality LEDs.

There is a huge range of garden lightfittings that come already fitted withLEDs. Some of these are solar powered,some are not, but in both types, qualityand performance varies greatly, so lookfor quality LEDs and components.What seems like a bargain at the outsetmay turn out not to be when thosecheap LEDs have degraded to half theiroriginal output after a few hundredhours of use.

Interior lightingWhile garden lights are all well and good,they are not the only domestic applica-tion suitable for these amazing light sourc-es. In recent years, LEDs have evolved tobe able to provide as much light as any-

one could want inside their home.This all started when Lumileds re-

leased their Luxeon range of powerLEDs, which were available in 1, 3 and5 watt versions. Initially, these LEDscould only produce around 18 lumensper watt, but later versions pushed thisup to over 40 lumens per watt, which ismuch better than incandescents.

However, Japanese company Nichiastarted producing LEDs with higher ef-ficacies, and then Cree released theirown range. Their LEDs now range up toover 100 lumens per watt—the highestcommercially available in power LEDs.This has enabled the manufacture ofgreatly improved LED bulbs and otherlight fittings, and has brought LED lampsinto the efficiency range of strip fluoros.

Where do you get them?Many people are keen to try LEDs in-side their homes, but just don’t knowwhere to start. What do you look for?Where do you get them, and what dothey cost? There are a number of retail-ers of LED bulbs in Australia, but theygenerally have a limited range, usuallyjust various versions of MR16 bulbs.


Efficacy Lifespan Cost per kilolumen-hour (cents)

Technology Bulb Cost (lumens/watt) (hours) Availability for 1000 lumen lamp at 15c/kWh

75W Incandescent $0.50 15 1000 Common 1.18

50W Halogen $2.00 25 2000 Common 0.85

18W CFL $6.00 60 8000 Common 0.35

15W strip fluoro $8.00 80 10,000 Common 0.31

15W LED bulb $120 75 50,000 Rare 0.47

Table 1. Comparative cost of running different light bulbs when taking energy cost and bulb life into account. Electricity was

assumed to be 15 cents per kilowatt-hour. LED bulb figures assume it uses high quality brand-name LEDs. Note that these

figures in the last column are cents, eg 1.18 is $0.0118.

There are some good lamps available andsome not so good ones, so shop around.

However, the question as to where tobuy LED bulbs from has an easy an-swer—eBay. There is now a vast arrayof LED bulbs available through variouseBay sellers, and many of these bulbscontain top quality LEDs like Cree,Nichia, Luxeon and Osram LEDs.

Typical examples of what we foundcan be seen in the photo opposite. Theseinclude a 5 watt, 300 lumen GLS stylebulb, a 240+ lumen 240 volt GU10 bulbusing Cree LEDs, and a 1120 lumen, 15watt Par38 lamp using Cree XR-E LEDs,which is ideal for security lighting thatturns on and off regularly.

All of these lamps are direct replace-ments for the incandescent equiva-lents—just remove the old bulb, and fitthe new one. The main drawbacks withbuying lamps from overseas sellers inthis manner are the higher shipping fees(although most sellers are very reason-able in this respect) and the lack of Aus-tralian electrical approvals. However,considering the sort of low-qualityelectrical goods that are sold here inAustralia with supposedly full approv-

als, you are likely to be buying as goodor better quality when buying overseas.

There are a great many other types ofLED bulbs available but, unfortunately,many are only available in 120 volt ver-sions as they are made for the US market.

If you don’t want to deal with the eBayonline purchasing system but are hap-py to buy from a regular online store,there are numerous stores where youcan do this, although most of them areoverseas—very few of the Australianstores have bulbs worth buying. A listof some LED bulb suppliers can befound at the end of this article.

The DIY optionSome readers might want to convert anexisting light fitting to use LEDs, or evenmake a LED light fitting from scratch.With this in mind, we did a couple ofsimple projects using high-power LEDs.

The first was to convert an oysterlamp fitting. We looked at this fitting inReNew issue 90. At that time we usedeighteen 1 watt LEDs. These were no-where near the efficiency of currentLEDs, so it was decided to update thefitting use Cree XR-E LEDs.

Six of these LEDs were fitted to analuminium sheet that was cut to fit theinside of the oyster fitting. They werewired in series, and driven by a switch-mode LED driver from Jaycar Electron-ics, part number MP3278. The finishedunit had a rated light output of around900 lumens. The LEDs draw around 14

The converted oyster fitting.

watts in total when running, and thepower supply draws 17 watts from themains power supply, giving the fittingan overall efficacy of 53 lumens per watt.Had we used top bin XR-Es, we wouldhave acheived over 70 lumens per watt.Total cost to do this conversion wasaround $170 at retail prices.

The second LED fitting was a bit ofan experiment. It used two 10 watt andtwo 5 watt LEDs, one each of cool andwarm white in each size, from a Chi-nese manufacturer. These LEDs werewired in two groups to give a cool whiteand a warm white group which couldbe switched independently. This waspossible as the two sizes both use a cur-rent of 700mA; the 10 watt just has twicethe voltage drop of the 5 watt unit.

The LEDs were mounted on a 300mmlong fan-shaped heatsink, as can be seenin the photo. Some reflective strip wasstuck to the inside faces of the heatsink

This LED disk is just 5mm thick and is

part of a set designed for under cup-

board bench lighting and similar uses. It

came from a local hardware store.


channel to prevent these surfaces absorb-ing light. The heatsink was fitted to abase made from painted wood, whichallows it to be fitted to the ceiling moreeasily. This also allows for a loose-fittingdiffuser to be fitted should you so de-sire, although this would increase therunning temperature considerably.

Each LED string was driven by thesame Jaycar Electronics driver as the firstfitting. Total cost of this fitting was alsoaround $170. Energy consumption of thisunit is around 32 watts, almost twice whatthe Cree fitting uses. Rated light outputis supposed to be over 1000 lumens, butthe LEDs don’t appear this bright, so itwill probably end up being used in a hall-way or other less critical area.

The moral of this story—stick with thetop grade LEDs like Cree and Nichia.

Other things to look forWhen buying or making LED lightbulbs and fittings, there is one criteri-on that is important above all else—keeping the LEDs as cool as possible.LED efficiency decreases as tempera-ture increases. LED lifetimes are alsoreduced at higher running temperatures,so you need to make sure that yourLEDs will run cool. Any LED bulb that

The best LEDsThere are many manufacturers of LEDs,but which are the best quality LEDs?The most efficient, highest quality LEDscome from Cree and Nichia (these twocompanies share technology), with someof their LEDs, such as the Cree XR-Edevices, having efficacy bins of up to over100 lumens per watt (most manufactur-ers ‘bin’ their LEDs according to effica-cy, colour temperature and forwardvoltage drop). Other good quality (butnot necessarily as efficient) brands in-clude Osram, Vishay, Avago (Agilent/HP), Lumileds (Luxeon), Kingbright,Taiwan Edison (usually contain Creechips and often called ‘Cree equivalent’),Toyoda Gosei and Everlight.

Some Chinese LEDs also containCree or other brand-name chips and canhave a considerable lifespan. Generally,if a LED or LED device contains brand-name LEDs or LEDs with high qualitychips, it will say so on the product in-formation, as it is considered a sellingpoint.

There are two commonly availableLED colour temperatures—cool whiteand warm white. Cool white LEDs varyfrom around a nice neutral 5000Kthrough to very blue 7000K or higher.Warm whites are usually in the 2700-3500K range. While warm whites usual-ly have lower rated lumen outputs, theycan often appear brighter than a higherrated cool white due to their better col-our rendering and less ‘stark’ light.

For the best output for your energyuse, you should look for white LEDswith efficacies of 50 lumens/watt orbetter in cool or natural white, and atleast 40 lumens/watt in warm white.Most coloured LEDs (blue, green, redetc) are so much more efficient thanusing an incandescent/halogen usedwith a colour filter, that even the worstsuperbright coloured LEDs vastly out-perform incandescents.

This experimental light fitting uses a

standard 300mm heatsink and 30 watts

worth of LEDs. It isn’t the prettiest light

fitting on earth, but is ideal in less critical

areas such as workshops, pantrys or

anywhere really if you don’t mind the

look. A prismatic diffuser would improve

the appearance somewhat without much

reduction in light output.

runs at more than around 70°C at theheatsink is running too hot.

It is interesting to note that a great manyof the LED bulbs currently availablehave chrome finishes. From a heat dissi-pation point of view, this is madness. Theshinier a surface is, the poorer it is atdissipating heat. In LED bulbs, the idealsurface is a matt black finish, followedby a ‘raw’ or ‘as cast’ aluminium finish. Achrome finish is the least desirable, andit can cause a LED bulb to run 10 de-grees or more hotter than a cast or blackfinish. Chrome may look nice but, inpractical terms, it makes no sense.

One last thing to be aware of is thatmany LED bulbs have rather dodgy beamangle figures. It is not unusual to buy a‘60 degree’ bulb and find its beam to behalf that—you think you’re buying afloodlight, but get a spotlight instead!

Online storeshttp://shop.ata.org.auhttp://www.insaini.comhttp://www.superbrightleds.com (lookfor their Nichia bulbs)http://stores.ebay.com/ariels-storehttp://stores.ebay.com/LEDBulb-Bizzhttp://www.ledsales.com.auhttp://www.cutter.com.au


Volunteers from the ATA Interna-tional Projects Group travelled toEast Timor once again in late 2007

to install solar power and help train lo-cals in installation and maintenance. In-stallation teams criss-crossed thecountry, from the Indonesian border inthe remote south-east, to the highlandof Ermera and the island of Autoro. Theevents of the last few years have left theirfresh scars on the already roughened faceof the country. On the advice of UN-POL we postponed the implementationof one project, which was located in atroubled area. In other parts of the coun-try things are looking much better; newbuildings are being constructed androads being built. Hopefully this is a signfor the future of East Timor.

Over one month, 19 people were in-volved in 30 installations including 12photovoltaic RAPS systems, one windturbine and the Village LightingScheme, which trialled solar poweredlighting in 16 households.

Village Lighting SchemeThe aim of the Village Lighting Schemeis to provide lighting for the residents ofBesilau in Aileu. The original concept wasbased on a battery recharge station whereusers could charge batteries which wereconfigured to provide one or two lampsfor individual houses. We also wanted toensure the system was maintained. Sowe asked householders to contribute asmall amount per recharge to cover thecosts of future repairs. The problem wasknowing exactly what the situation wason the ground. Where were the houseslocated? What sort of light did peoplewant? Was the community prepared tocontribute? The only way to answer these

Switched on in East Timor

questions was through consultation andtrials.

Before they left for East Timor, mem-bers of the IPG looked at the availabletechnology and came up with variationsof what might be suitable. These includ-

ed NiMH battery packs of 4.5 amp-hourcapacity and a 7.2 amp-hour sealed leadacid pack with low voltage disconnectwhich would be replaceable with localparts. A variety of globes were assembledand considered. These included LEDs in

Working just fine: Paulo Da Silva proudly displays his new light at home in Besilau.

Anton Vikstrom tells us about the work of the ATA International ProjectsGroup in East Timor, installing solar panels, lights and even a windturbine, while drinking lots of strong local coffee in the hot sun.


a variety of sizes and configurations, andPhocus 3 watt 12 volt globes.

A late addition by IPG participant AlanHutchinson was the creation of microstand-alone systems based on 2 wattLEDS, a 5 watt photovoltaic panel and a7.2 amp-hour battery. Alan also designeda charge controller and low voltage dis-connect for the system and ran the de-sign through the assembly line at hiscompany Plasmatronics. It was quite anachievement given it was just one of anumber of side projects.

Our arrival in Besilau was the realstart to the project. The first of manycups of freshly brewed East Timoresecoffee kicked off the consultation proc-ess. Topics for discussion included thecommunity make-up, geographicalspread, the ‘light economy’ and com-munity management of the project. Itquickly became apparent that the com-munity had a strong spirit and desire toshare the benefits of the project amongstits members.

In rural East Timor, the biggest homeenergy source is firewood, which is usedfor cooking, lighting and heating. Othersources of light include kerosene lanterns,candles and local candlenut. In Besilau,kerosene lamps were popular, with US$1to US$5 per month spent on householdkerosene lighting. Unfortunately, kero-sene lamps produce poor light as well aspollution, are a fire hazard and the cost issuch that people only run them a fewnights a week. In discussions, locals agreedto invest $1 a month (paid in instalmentswhenever the battery is recharged) to-wards the ongoing upkeep of the system.This would be invested in a local micro-finance institution for later drawdown.Using this system, people will have reli-able clean light seven days a week for thesame price as three nights a week of thekerosene alternative.

The community centre was chosenas the location for the charging station.This reduced arguments as it was a neu-

tral location, promoted community in-volvement and was located a short butobscure way off the main road, whichwas excellent for security. The commu-nity centre also came with two live-incaretakers in the form of brothers Bu-diman and Augusto Tilman.

The charging station needed the ca-pacity to charge a number of batterytypes, to provide light for the commu-nity centre and to have its own batteryreserves so that recharging could occurin cloudy conditions. The trial versionconsisted of two 80 watt panels in se-ries charging a 24 volt, 100 amp-hourbattery bank. From this an inverter andstepdown voltage chargers were used

for the various battery configurations.The entire unit was housed in a securebox, where the system managers hadaccess to control panels, but the work-ing wires and so on were hidden frominquisitive minds and hands.

The geographical spread of the villageposed the greatest difficulties. We hadbeen informed that Besilau was ‘fairlyspread out’. This was an understatement.Besilau turned out to be a small region ofEast Timor, with a number of hamlets andisolated rural holdings. It was apparentthat a significant amount of time wouldbe required returning batteries for re-charge. Given that the charge time wasaround eight hours, this could put a seri-

Top: Natalino and

Budiman (crouching)

and IPG volunteer

Chris Moss setting

up the recharge

station in Besilau.

Bottom: A typical

household in Besilau.


ous dent in the viability. The solution wasa battery exchange; participants could re-turn their flat battery and pick up a fresh-ly charged replacement on the spot.

The recharge station at the communitycentre was installed in half a day. The sys-tem was up and running quickly due toCallum Dougal’s excellent pre-fabrica-tion work. The first lights from the sys-tem were used for the community centremeeting room and a light in the kitchen/cooking area. It must be said our first lookat an East Timorese kitchen was a causefor despair. It was a windowless tin shedwith an open fire on the floor with everysurface sooty and black. It’s not just kero-sene lamps that cause respiratory prob-lems—these fires are a health hazard in aleague of their own.

The first household installation was inthe home of Fransisco Barreta. This eld-erly man and his family live close to thecommunity centre. The look of pleasureon his face when he turned on the lightswitch for the first time was indescriba-ble. After seeing that look I knew we wereonto the right thing. Over the next twodays we split into two teams and installedanother 15 systems, including five stand-alone, five two-lamp fixed wire rechargesystems and five portable lamp rechargesystems. We climbed mountains, droveup rivers and scaled rickety roofs, all thetime being encouraged to drink more EastTimorese coffee by the proud owners ofthe houses.

It was sad to leave Besilau on the finalSunday. In a short time strong links hadbeen made along with a commitment tothe area to work on more lighting solu-tions. We will revisit next year to assesshow the project is working, obtain feed-back on lighting systems and decide onhow to make progress with the project.What will the final village lighting schemelook like? We don’t quite know yet. Thefeedback of the users will determinewhich approach works best. With the helpof the Moora Moora community (our

The Lisa Dila SchoolAs the tropical sun beats down on myback, I join the production line as we toand fro with solar panels, batteries, toolboxes and cable from the tightly packedute. Children stare with curiosity at thelarger than life foreigners with theirpale and freckly skin, sweating in theunfamiliar tropical heat. They giggleshyly whenever I catch their eyes.

We are at Lisa Dila School in the Liqui-ca, a 17 kilometre 4WD detour from thescenic north-west coastal road. A verybasic track follows a dusty dry river bedtowards the village. The road is washedaway in sections leaving a track barely wideenough for the wheel span to pass. Ex-quisite huts made from sticks and palmleaves are dotted alongside the track. Vil-lage children squeal with delight and sur-prise as we bumpily drive past.

The community of Lisa Dila and theirfriend and education advisor, Dr Carlos,welcomed us into their basic modest vil-lage to help equip the newly built schoolbuilding with a resource they have not hadthe privilege to afford—a power supply.

There’s no time to waste. The goal is toproduce electric light before the sun goesdown. It’s early afternoon already and theclock is ticking. Tasks include wiring upthe panels and mounting them to the roof,installing the regulator, inverter, circuitbreakers, batteries and numerous connec-tions. We split up to coordinate the vari-ous activities. Anton takes charge of thepanels, Mick and Elvira start the internalwiring and circuit board and my task is tocoordinate laying the 80 metre cable be-tween the school and the dormitories.

It is not hard to find helping hands, buta game of charades begins as we try to findthe best method of communication. Wesoon figure it out and in no time we aresharing smiles and laughter as we fumblewith the tools. The cultural divide breaksdown as we focus on a common goal.

The foreigners lead the activities, but

soon enough the locals get the tasksmoving. In fact, too quickly for me tokeep up. The group is feeding the wirethrough the sections of conduit and do-ing the connections in a leap frog fash-ion. The 80 metres is progressing at arapid rate… but are the connections be-ing done carefully? The connector piec-es are missing! The message soon getsacross and it’s just a small setback. In notime the task is back on track.

The hours pass and the sun lowers inthe sky. We all work together to solvethe problems. How to line up the con-duit neatly along the walls? How to se-cure a screw in the crumbly concretewalls? How much slack to leave for thefinal connection?

As the sun sets gracefully behind thetin roof of the school, the solar panelsglisten, reflecting the beautiful pinks andpurples across the vast, serene landscape.The final connections are made and weare ready for the ultimate test. It’s gettingdarker by the minute. I hold my breathas Mick flicks the switch…the light goeson and a big cheer erupts! What a teameffort! Everyone has helped, whether itbe drilling a hole, stripping a wire, crawl-ing through the roof, digging the trench,mounting panels on the roof in thescorching heat, or cooking dinner tofeed the weary workers.-Ruth McDonald

Ruth McDonald travelled to EastTimor with the ATA InternationalProjects Group.

‘First light’ at Lisa Dila School.


project partners) and the ATA volunteers,we can develop the best combination oftechnologies and create managementstructures that work for the locals.

To see photos of the project and toget an idea of the geographical spread ofthe community, visit the ATA websiteand take the google earth tour:www.ata.org.au/about/projects/interna-tional-projects

OrganisationOne week before our shipping containerwas due to leave Australia we receivednew information. The health clinics wewere going to work on already had smallbasic systems installed, however, the realload demands were five times what waspreviously specified. I muttered some-thing while shaking my head. But a fewconversations with the project sponsorand designer rekindled my enthusiasm.Pat Jesson from Friends of Suai was onthe phone and full of beans, saying ‘wecan do it’. Alan Hutchinson came up withdesigns to meet the power and budgetaryneeds. The next issue was trying to getthis material to East Timor in time.

The helpful staff at M+H Power, RFIndustries and Selectronic came to theparty, and three days later equipment wasbeing loaded onto the Rotary container.The next issue was finding the money topay for it. Pat was certain that the fund-ing would come. We forwarded our pro-posal to a number of groups andfortunately Oxfam Australia came to ourassistance, offering to fund two healthclinics. So along with Friends of Suai andFriends of Zumalai, five health clinics inthe farthest reaches of East Timor willreceive power.

Perhaps the best thing from the projecthas been the local involvement. Installa-tion assistance has been provided by theSuai Community centre team led by Gra-ciano. After two years working with theIPG team they are going to work on thefinal installations by themselves. Good

luck Graciano.

Where to from here…The time for renewables and solar pow-er in East Timor is now. The govern-ment is getting on board, with hundredsof installations underway in clinics andadministration centres (some based on

an ATA model). Ten biogas plants are be-ing built by long-standing ATA memberAires De Almeida. Biodiesel is also be-ing manufactured in Dili. IPG volunteerGeoff Collins was so impressed he isstaying in East Timor to set up a solarbusiness. Even East Timor’s PresidentJose Ramos Horta wants his house to be

Wind power is go: the IPG installed its first wind turbine in East Timor this year. The

purpose was to demonstrate the viability of wind power in remote parts of East

Timor. The generator will provide lighting for the building and will enable wind data to

be logged on a daily basis. The turbine is a Rutland 913, installed on a ten metre

tower next to the administration building in the subdistrict of Lequidoe, in the central

mountain ranges of East Timor. This project was possible due to donations from

Herman Hess, Pacific Hydro, Jennings Towers and the Echuca-based Campaspe East

Timor Association in Friendship (CETAF). A local electrical trainee, Marino Quintao,

assisted with the installation.


School children with a new laptop running from solar power.

‘a model solar house’!The IPG will continue its involve-

ment in East Timor, with a number ofprojects in the pipeline including phasetwo of the Village Lighting Scheme. Weare working with the East Timorese gov-ernment to provide training and assist-ance with curriculum development inrenewable energy. We have also receivedrequests to assist with composting toi-lets, low smoke stoves and chimneys,and solar drying technology. If you havespecific skills in these areas we wouldbe interested in hearing from you.

Thanks to all those who made thisyear’s projects possible: the team mem-bers, volunteers, equipment suppliers,sponsors and supporters. Most of all,thank you to the lovely people of EastTimor who made this investment oftime and resources so worthwhile.

2007 East Timor teamSuai/Ermera: Alan Hutchinson, GeoffCollins, Justin Stewart, Megan Batchelor.Bacau/Liquisa: Mick Harris, Ruth Mc-Donald, Elvira Cadan, Anton Vikstrom.Ailue: Chris Moss, Anton Vikstrom,

Callum Dougal, Nick Stephenson, EricKissell. Oecussi/Liquidoe: Bill Ben-nett, Oliver Crowder, Leo Renkin,Patrick Eijsvogel. Dili/Autaro: Dun-can Macgregor, Rob Roy Macgregor,Warwick Johnston.Special thanks for organisational

assistance: Andrew Savidge, BillBland, Peter McDonald, David Hewitt,William Hoare, James Patterson, PeterBreadon, Chris Halliwell Lance Turn-er and Don Batson. ✲✲✲✲✲Anton Vikstrom is manager of the ATAInternational Projects Group.

The Alternative Technology Association International Projects Group would like tothank the following sponsors

Latronics, Nicholas Dattner, Pacific Hydro, Infoexchange, Going Solar, JenningsTowers, The Environment Shop, Ian Piggin at Enviromet P/L

Thanks also to the following project supporters

STA Travel Trust, Oxfam Australia, Rotary Australia, Third Ecology, Bodyshop UK, Indigo Arch, Herman Hess, Friends ofAileu, Friends of Oecussi, Friends of Ermera, Friends of Same, Friends of Suai, Friends of Zumalai and the Campaspe EastTimor Association in Friendship.


My first conversion cost me alot more than it would todayas I was a bit clueless at the time

and could only get conversion productsfrom overseas. My conversions have comea long way since then, as I have constantlybeen improving on the original, rathercrude systems. As more information cameto light and new products became availa-ble, I developed new systems and expand-ed on or improved products that I hadsourced elsewhere.

I now operate both of our vehicleswith a no-purge or single-tank systemthat I have developed. Our Nissan Pa-trol operates on 100% recycled vegeta-ble oil, and our second vehicle, aMitsubishi Pajero requires a little bitof fuel blending.

I can now go to the fish and chip shoponce a week, pick up my jerry cans full ofwaste vegetable oil, tip the contents intomy fuel tank and drive away, while still

being able to fill up with diesel if required.In September 2006 I took the family

on a 6000km round trip to Queenslandoperating on 100% vegetable oil that wassourced from shops, customers and on-line forum participants. We paid for allof the fuel that we sourced, and used900 litres of waste vegetable oil costingus a total of $225. This same trip usingdiesel would have cost us around $1200at the time. The savings from this onetrip would pay for the conversion.

EnvironmentThe use of vegetable oil as fuel is carbonpositive. This means that by using ap-propriate sustainable farming methods,more carbon is locked up into the soilfrom growing the oil plant than releasedinto the atmosphere by burning the oil. Ican tell you that it is a great feeling driv-ing down the freeway, knowing thatyou’re not contributing to environmen-

tal problems by burning fossil fuels.While home made biodiesel is often

made from recycled vegetable oil, muchof the commercial biodiesel is beingmade from rendered animal fat, virgincanola oil or palm oil from plantationsin developing countries. Biodiesel alsouses up to 20% methanol in its produc-tion, which is a fossil fuel.

I believe that recycled vegetable oil isthe most environmentally consciousmotor vehicle fuel available today as itis the only renewable fuel that has al-ready used its embodied energy, andcontains no fossil fuel in its productionas a fuel source.

Vegetable oil fuel isn’t perfect; it stillreleases greenhouse gases into the at-mosphere, but it is a step in the rightdirection as a fuel to use with our cur-rent transport technology, and is part ofthe carbon cycle rather than releasingmore carbon from ancient deposits.

Running on fish shop fuel:how to convert your vehicleMarcus Deuchar started operating his vehicles on straight waste vegetableoil several years ago to save money and help the environment. He sharessome of his knowledge for converting diesel engines.

Left: Travelling with a cargo of waste vegetable fuel on top of the vehicle. Right: Filling up on waste vegetable fuel.


Vegetable oil fuelWaste oil is available from just about anyfish and chip shop, take away, café, res-taurant, or canteen. I’ve previously col-lected from the local football club whowere having to pay to get rid of it. Everypub has a fryer and every town has a pub!

You are best off collecting oil thathasn’t been overused as this has a high-er fatty acid content, and oil used forfried chicken will gel at higher tem-peratures, meaning it will not remainliquid in cold weather.

Waste oil is collected by tallow recy-clers who come along and pick up the200 litre drum out the back of the shopand replace it with an empty one. Theytypically pay the shop up to 20 cents perlitre. They then take it to a tallow refin-er who will pay them say 30 or 40 centsper litre.

This oil is often used to make biodie-sel, sold for stock feed, or in Melbourneis used as a cooling fluid for a powerstation. You can buy this oil from tal-low refiners in most capital cities, butit is usually unfiltered, and you may haveto buy at least 1000 litres at a time.

Most shops will charge you about 20to 30 cents per litre for their waste oil.You will find that the oil in the drumout the back is contaminated with veryfine burnt crispy bits, and will containsome water. The bottom of the barrelwill be really sludgy. To use this oil, youwill have to purchase or create a filtra-tion process, so I target shops that al-ready utilise a quality filtration processin their day-to-day operation.

I collect from a high quality fish andchip shop. When I approached them, Ioffered them more money than theywould have been getting from the oilcollector to get them interested. Theoil that they use is sunflower oil.

Check to make sure that your suppli-er uses a liquid vegetable oil, not ani-mal fat, hydrogenised oil or palm oil as

it will go solid in your fuel tank.They filter the oil directly into my

jerry cans. I have made the task as easy aspossible for them by supplying light-weight jerry cans, and picking up on aregular basis. I pay them $5 per jerry canthat I pick up, and have established agood rapport with the owners by beingconsistent, reliable and only picking upin off-peak periods. They have foundthat this system is better for occupa-tional health and safety reasons than theway they were doing it in the past, asnobody is transporting heavy, opendrums of hot oil around the shop.

I then empty the containers at homeinto a large storage tank which is usedto settle water and fine food particlesout of the oil before filling up my carswhen required. This also means that Ialways have a set of empty jerry cans toswap at the fish and chip shop, and agood supply of clean vegetable oil fuel.

On a trip to NSW in September 2005,I picked up oil in this same manner atNowra, Revesby and Forster. All ofthese shops were filtering their oil to 5or 10 microns. I left my containers withthem and picked them up full at a laterdate. The car ran like a dream for theentire trip.

Oil spills dry quickly and are very dif-ficult to wash off. It comes off easily withcaustic soda, but I have found a non caus-tic oven cleaner or engine degreaser arecheap and efficient products for keepingcontainers and the fuel filler area clean.

FiltrationWhen collecting oil, filtration is not al-ways an easy option. My business, Ve-giecars, has developed a simple gravitysystem that will allow you to filter oilfrom the 200 litre drum at the back ofmany fish and chip shops.

Some of my customers have devel-oped their own filtration systems usingfound objects. Following are two goodfiltration examples:

Paper towel filterThe waste oil is run through what resem-bles a large tea strainer to get out the bigbits. It is then heated in a kettle and pouredthrough a paper towel as a filter into alarge coffee urn, then into the settling tank.

Jeans filterThe coarsely filtered waste oil is placedin a clear plastic carboy (a vessel to holdcorrosive liquids) and is slowly pouredout of a hose attached to a tap at the base.A large blue fruit drum has a denim fil-ter strapped to the top using the exist-ing lid clamp. The waste oil filtersthrough the denim into the drum. Thisfiltered oil is then pumped into settlingdrums for later use. This same systemcould be applied using smaller drumsand 5 micron filter media.

Water in the oilMost existing vehicle fuel filtration sys-tems only take out the food particles andwater that is in droplet form. Waste oilalso contains water that is suspended inthe oil, which carries acid and will cor-rode parts of your fuel system causingexpensive, long-term damage. There areprocesses and methods to remove this.

If you pour your clean filtered oil intosettling tanks and leave it for a few weeks,it will separate into a lovely tan lookingfluid at the top, which you put in yourfuel tank, and a sludgy grey-brown gunkat the bottom. The sludge is a blend ofanimal fats, fine food particles and water.

To test if there is any water in your oilor your sludge, you can do a hot pantest. This test is not necessary if you cansee water in the sample. Keep the sam-

Filling up at the fish shop.


ple to be tested handy; enough for 6mmto 8mm thickness covering the bottomof the pan is best. Heat a pan on highand smear a little of the sample acrossthe pan until the smear begins to pro-duce smoke, then pour in the sample.

Look closely at the bottom of the panwhere the oil meets it. If there are verysmall bubbles forming it indicates somesuspended water. The number of bub-bles indicates how much water ispresent in suspended form. Lots ofsmall bubbles is unacceptable and willdo damage to your injection system. Ifthe oil is crackling or popping, then waytoo much water is present, and the fuelwill have to be treated or settled.

A magnesium silicate powder can beused during the filtration process as itwill attract water and other free fattyacids and is relatively inexpensive. It issprinkled over the surface of warm oiland will attract water as it falls through.It should then be agitated for a while sothat it makes maximum contact with theoil. The powder is rated at about 60microns and must be filtered out be-fore you put the oil into your fuel tank.

I use a fuel processor in my vehiclethat collects the molecules of water onthe filter and coalesces them into drop-lets that fall to a bowl at the base. Thereare several companies that make unitsthat will perform this task. This allowsme to pick up filtered oil anywhere anduse it immediately, without having to letit stand for several weeks to settle out.

Oil heating systemsIf you were to operate your car for sus-tained periods on cold vegetable oil, yourinjector pump would have trouble pump-ing and eventually fail, your injectors arelikely to clog up and spray incorrectly,you will get coking in the cylinder boreand it may require major and expensivework to be done to your engine.

To avoid this it is best to use vegeta-ble oil when the engine is hot, simply

heat the oil to at least 70°C before itreaches the injector pump, and be surethat it is at a similar temperature at theinjectors. There are many ways of heat-ing the oil. You can use a coolant heatexchanger, an electric fuel heater, or acombination of the two.

Some people heat the entire tank offuel by installing coolant lines throughthe tank or installing a ‘hot rod’ whichheats the fuel using coolant at the up-take point. These systems are often nec-essary for use in very cold climates andare particularly useful for tallow as itgoes solid in your tank and fuel lines.This takes a long time for your fuel toget hot enough to use, and often requiressome major modifications to the tank.In our warmer Australian climate, I pre-fer a system of an inline fuel heater, soyou won’t have to modify your tank.

For a small car you can easily make acoolant heat exchanger by wrapping acoil of 6mm copper pipe or fuel hose(preferred) around the top radiator hoseand then lag it with insulation such asan over-sized radiator hose or high tem-perature foam.

A friend’s car has a tin can that hascoolant running through it from theheater hoses. He has a 6mm copper fuelline wound into a tight spiral in the can,then the whole unit has been insulated.One of my customers has modified aheat exchanger used in the bottom tankof some radiators to cool transmissionfluid. These are available from radiatorrepairers, and are very inexpensive.

Vegiecars offer inexpensive plate heatexchangers that can be fitted to the bodyof the vehicle and get the temperatureup very quickly. Similar plate heat ex-changers might be found at home brew-ing (beer) supplies shops. Vegiecars isalso able to supply a coolant heated fuelprocessor that incorporates a heat ex-changer in the filter.

Installing a coolant heat exchanger canopen issues of coolant leakage. I prefer

electrical heating to coolant heatingbecause it is fast and doesn’t requirecreating more joints in the coolant sys-tem. An electrical heating failure willresult in poor operation but a coolantfailure may result in a cooked engine!

Electrical heating systems are purposebuilt and only available from conver-sion suppliers. Vegiecars produce a cou-ple of electrical heating systems that canbe viewed on our website.

Dual tank systemsThe general consensus is that it is best toinstall a second fuel tank, as the oil isvery thick, making it difficult to start yourcar. A dedicated fuel tank allows you topurge your fuel lines of vegetable oil andstart your engine on diesel fuel.

I have invented a product that reducesthe need for a diesel purging tank by pre-heating the injector lines before startingthe car. This allows me to use my exist-ing fuel tank and operate any blend ofdiesel, biodiesel and vegetable oil fuels.The Quick conversion system uses a se-ries of flexible electrical resistance wiresbound in a silicone sleeve which arewrapped around the injector lines. Thisarray is switched off and on by a thermo-stat device to keep the wires from reach-ing their maximum temperature. Thearray switches off at 90°c and back on at75°C, keeping the fuel at the appropriateoperating temperature while not caus-ing heat stress to the steel injector lines.

I now recommend the Quick con-version kit as a starting point for yourvehicle conversion, as the injector lineheaters will ensure that the fuel is at thedesired temperature 100% of the time,offering a cleaner burn and starting in-surance if you have forgotten to purge.

The Quick conversion system,which incorporates an electrical heaterbefore the injector pump, can be im-proved upon by the installation of a sec-ond tank, allowing you to either quicklystart on diesel fuel without the fuel pre-


heating time, or to switch to your sec-ond tank if there is a problem with thefuel supply, such as a blocked filter.

The fuel tankOriginally I installed a second tank in myNissan Patrol to use as a diesel purgingsystem. With the Quick conversion sys-tem installed, I can now use both tanksfor vegetable oil, offering me a range of1200km before I need to look for somefuel. I specifically chose a tank that wouldnot take up space in the cabin. There are agreat variety of tanks available if you havethe cabin or boot space. I installed a sec-ondhand, professionally constructed af-ter-market 80 litre auxiliary tank that wasoriginally fitted to a petrol vehicle con-verted to LPG. This tank is mounted un-der the vehicle. In our Toyota Tarago, wemodified an LPG tank which we fittedunder the rear of the vehicle.

I have a friend with a Mazda 626 wag-on. This has a 20 litre plastic jerry canstanding in the side spare wheel bay withthe fuel line connected into the bunghole at the base. One customer uses aseries of 20 litre plastic carboys in milkcrates. The crate allows him to use anoctopus strap to hold the tank in posi-tion. He has run a large bore fuel hosethrough a cap with a one way valve fittedto the end. To change tanks, he simplyundoes the cap, pulls the line out, plungesit into the next container, jiggers it toprime the hose and away he goes. Thisallows him to carry as much fuel as he isgoing to need and quick refuelling with-out installing a larger tank somewhere.

You might also consider using yourexisting tank for the vegetable oil, andinstalling a small auxiliary tank for die-sel. A 20 litre marine tank should beplenty, but keep in mind that diesel fuelis more volatile than vegetable oil,should be vented to the outside of yourvehicle, and will most likely requirecertification of some kind.

As vegetable oil fuel is not a mineral

fuel, it doesn’t melt plastic or other com-ponents. This allows you to use a varietyof materials for storage and collectiontanks, or to construct your tank. My pref-erence has been to install systems that Ican still fill with mineral diesel, offer-ing a long range diesel solution if I can’tget vegetable oil, as the oil can be blend-ed with diesel fuel. You’re best to checkwith your local roads authority on theregulations for fuel tanks, even if theycontain 100% waste vegetable oil.

An example of an installedtwo tank systemThe Nissan Patrol was set up with a 12mmline from the vegetable oil fuel tank,lagged with a 6mm fuel return, and cool-ant hoses. This warmed fuel then travelsthrough the particle filter which also ag-glomerates water particles and is fittedwith a glowplug to preheat the filter, as-sisting the oil to travel through the filter.

The fuel then continues on to the six-way fuel valve which switches betweenthe two fuel tanks. After the fuel valve,the temperature of the fuel is boostedwith a purpose-built heater that onceagain uses a glowplug as the heating ele-ment, before reaching the injector pump.

It was found that a lot of heat was be-ing lost after the pump, and so I havedeveloped an electric fuel injector lineheating system. This system assists toensure that the fuel is at the appropriatetemperature before the injector nozzle.

The fuel must be heated to around 70°Cbefore it will burn properly. It is impor-tant to remember to switch back at theend of your trip and purge the system ofvegetable oil, as the fuel lines can blockup if they get cold. This means the vehi-cle can be very difficult, if not impossibleto start, without the injector line heatingkit which I recommend be incorporatedinto any system. An alternative to manu-ally switching is to install a turbo timerthat switches the fuel back to diesel andthen runs for a set period of time. ✲✲✲✲✲

Fuel supply and co-opI receive many conversion enquiriesand advise customers to source a fuelsupply before converting. The feedbackhas been that a quality fuel supply is be-coming more difficult to procure, andmany people are not keen on the messand fuss of collecting fuel. This has ledme to consider methods of coordinat-ed fuel supply.

I am bringing together a range of cor-porate sponsors, with a view to assistcommunities establish a network ofcommunity owned, co-operative refu-elling points around the country. Vegie-cars will help the communities toestablish themselves as a co-operative,assist with seeding capital, procuringgovernment grants and corporate spon-sorship to establish the filtration andstorage infrastructure that is required.We will then install an unmanned bows-er system with a centralised billingservice so that the co-op only has tomaintain the infrastructure.

It is envisaged that a percentage ofprofits from the co-operative will bereturned to its purchasing members anda percentage will be gifted to local com-munity projects, thereby reinvestingcapital in the community rather thandrawing from it. Furthermore, it wouldbe ideal if the community is able to sup-ply fuel from their own local resourc-es, whether it be a waste oil collectionor the growing of an oil crop.

For further information regardingboth conversion or interest in establish-ing a fuel co-operative, please [email protected] or go towww.vegiecars.com.

Marcus Deuchar is owner of Vegiecars.Demand for his knowledge has led himto write a book (Operate Your Diesel Ve-

hicle on Straight Waste Vegetable Oil) andto design and manufacture a range ofconversion products.


chosen because of the 12mm hose con-nection. By using 12mm hose ratherthan the standard 8mm fuel hose theproblems associated with high viscosi-ty at low temperatures and getting theoil from the tank were, for the mostpart, elliminated.

Heating the oilViscosity is the quality that describes afluid’s resistance to flow. The SI unit ofviscosity is the pascal second (Pa·s) andis the internal friction of a fluid that re-sists its ability to flow. If the tempera-ture of the oil increases, its viscositydecreases.

Travelling over 11,000 kilometresacross Australia and back onwaste vegetable oil is proof

enough that it is a suitable replacementfuel for diesel engines. The trip tooksix weeks, traversed three deserts andwent through some of the harshest coun-try in the world. We spent less than $100on diesel for the whole trip, which weonly used when we couldn’t find wastevegetable oil.

The availability of waste vegetable oilwas a surprise, with abundant suppliesas needed en route. Before we left weorganised a number of oil pick-ups inexchange for presentations on renewa-ble energy and sustainability to schoolsor community groups. In the end wedelivered 46 presentations, with somefocused just on using waste vegetableoil in diesel engines.

The journey went from Noosa inQueensland, through the NorthernTerritory to Broome in Western Aus-tralia, and all the way back again.

The systemThe system was designed to be as sim-ple as possible, with easy-to-obtaincomponents and installation achievableby the average person. The system, fit-ted to a Toyota Hilux, included an addi-tional fuel tank, change-over valve,additional oil filter and a heat exchang-er, which together worked faultlessly,although the journey itself was a lessonon getting it right.

The auxiliary fuel tank is a water tanksalvaged from a wrecked caravan and

This table gives a comparison of veggieoil at different temperatures with die-sel. The easiest way to evaluate the vis-cosity of the oil is to run a knownquantity through a nozzle under the in-fluence of gravity and compare the re-sults to running the same quantity ofdiesel through the same nozzle. Heat

Desert trek: across Australiaon waste vegetable oilChristine Lanham and Alex Thorogood travelled over 11,000 kilometresacross the desert on waste vegetable oil, with solar panels to run renewableenergy presentations at schools along the way.

The veggie oil Hilux on its mission in the Australian outback. Christine and Alex

travelled from Noosa through Queensland, the Northern Territory, North Western

Australia and back again on waste vegetable oil.

Comparison of temperatures

Substance Temp °C (mPa·s)

Vegetable oil 20 65

Vegetable oil 33 33

Diesel 25 8 - 10

Vegetable oil

(heated to 62°C) 62 8 - 15


the waste oil and repeat the exerciseuntil the vegetable oil and the dieseltake the same time to go through thenozzle. I found that at around 70°C theappropriate viscosity was achieved.

The heat exchanger uses the radiatorwater to heat a small quantity of wasteoil before the oil has passed throughthe oil filter. The oil then passesthrough a six port fuel valve, throughanother heat exchanger, before enter-ing the injector pump and being inject-ed into the engine.

A six port valve is an electrically con-trolled valve which has the capacity toswitch both supply fuels and spill tothe appropriate tanks.

Operating the systemThe engine is started and run on dieseluntil the engine reaches its normal op-erating temperature, when a switch isthrown to operate the change-over valveswitching fuels. The change-over valveused was a Pollock six port valve (at acost of $240) which enabled the spilllines to be switched at the same time. Itis important to change the spill or re-turn fuel at the same time to alleviateproblems associated with cross contam-ination. When set appropriately, thechange from one fuel to the other is al-most unnoticeable, except on particu-larly cold days when additional time wasrequired to bring the engine to normaloperating temperature. The perform-ance of the veggie oil was good, withlitres used per 100 kilometres fallingslightly below that of diesel when meas-ured over 100 kilometres. The addedadvantage of using veggie oil, apart fromsubstantial cost saving, is an estimated90% reduction in harmful emissions.

The electric systemIn an attempt to minimise the green-house signature of the trek, solar panelswere added to the roof of the vehicle torun the electrics associated with camp-

ing and presentations along the way.This included two 80 watt panels, twoExide 75 amp-hour deep cycle storagebatteries and a 600VA modified squarewave inverter.

During the day the refrigeration andfreezer drew energy from the vehicle’selectrical system and changed over to thebattery system at night. In addition to therefrigeration, the batteries supplied pow-er to the sound system, television andcomputers, as well as the overhead pro-jector used for presentations.

Plain sailingIt would be nice to report that the jour-ney was all plain sailing, but not so. TheHilux non-turbo, three-litre dieseldual-cab vehicle is strong, reliable andcomfortable, but gutless and compara-tively heavy on fuel. The Hilux hadtraveled almost 200,000 kilometres be-fore being purchased and converted forthe journey. The vehicle’s past life wasunknown, although the general condi-tion appeared to be good.

The system ran faultlessly up until onemorning about 450 kilometres east of Al-ice Springs on the Plenty Highway, whenthe filter became blocked with smallblack ants. Once the filter was changedthe performance returned to normal. Inthe expectation that this would be anongoing problem, ten filters were pur-chased in Alice Springs. The problemdid not happen again, which gave rise tothe thought that the ants may have al-ready taken refuge before the tank wasfitted, given that the tank was second-hand.

On cold mornings it took a while be-fore the veggie oil would flow freely,for example in Alice Springs. The over-night temperature dropped to 0°C andit took almost 15 minutes before wecould effectively switch from diesel toveggie oil. In an attempt to lower theviscosity, the cabin heater hoses wereextended by about a metre and the veg-

gie input hose wire tied to it. This mod-ification proved to be effective once thehoses were wrapped in insulation.

Crossing the Tanami Desert was abreeze until the Western Australia bor-der, where the road conditions deteri-orated and washouts became a commonproblem. Approaching dusk we man-aged to strike three washouts in quicksuccession with a depth of about400mm. Although travelling through thedesert at relatively low speeds, we didhave on board sufficient fuel to crossthe desert and more. The Hilux seemedto handle it well, but the trailer bentthe front sub-frame and wiped out bothrear shock absorbers. Fortunately wewere able to jack the frame back intoposition and replace the shocks withthose found on a burnt out wreck.

Moving into the warmer climate, theneed for preheating abated and the tripto Broome was just a matter of time.The trip up the Dampier Peninsula,however, proved to be much more of a

This photo shows the fuel hose wire

tied to the water heater hose. A second

heat exchanger would have proved more

effective. The input hose to this filter is

12mm and the output 8 mm. The clear

solution in the bottom of the filter’s

canister indicates that the oil has

reached a temperature where it will

pass through the filter. A filter with a

glass bottom was chosen so that

precipitants could be monitored. The

replacement filters are readily available

throughout Australia.


trial, with a trailer stub-axle shearingbetween the bearings. Surprisingly,sourcing a replacement was much easi-er than expected, with the Beagle BayAboriginal Community stepping in tohelp out. Particular thanks goes to DaveCogerty who found a replacement axlein the bush and to Mark for his assist-ance and access to a workshop. The trail-er axle assembly was in two custommanufactured sections, allowing inde-pendent suspension. This makes for agreat ride but it’s impossible to obtainreplacement parts without manufactur-ing them. Consequently, being able toaccess a workshop at Beagle Bay wasincredibly good fortune, thus allowingfor the necessary modifications beforemoving on.

Problems and solutionsProblem 1The fuel tank worked well when full,however, when less than half full, onsteep grades the veggie oil ran awayfrom the tank outlet, starving the en-gine of fuel and requiring the fuel lineto be re-purged.SolutionUse an additional diesel fuel tank, pref-erably recycled. During the trek we an-ticipated the problem and changed backto diesel to make the climb and thenreturned to vegetable oil.Problem 2

The fuel filter did cause some prob-lems, particularly when a blend of ani-

mal fat was mixed with the veggie oil.The oil pick up in Katherine was abouthalf used veggie oil and half used ani-mal fat. To stay true to the challenge itwas decided to mix the veggie oil withthe fat and heat the solution in a firebefore adding it to the fuel tank. Theprocedure worked well with 120 kilo-metres being achieved with each batchof 20 litres. The real problem came af-ter the vehicle was parked overnightand allowed to cool, leaving the filter asolid block of lard.SolutionThe best oil to use is oil that is liquid atroom temperature. A good filtering sys-tem will ensure that all the fats are re-moved. Our decision to blend the oilswas not by choice, but more important-ly to stay true to the challenge.Problem 3Failing to ensure that when stopping thecar it is operating on diesel. The driverneeded to be vigilant and switch the sys-

tem back to diesel about five minutesbefore stopping. On one occasion in MtIsa I forgot to change back to diesel. Thenext morning the vehicle was far fromkeen to start, with the outside temper-ature hovering around freezing.SolutionWithin the next few months we hopeto develop an automatic process, whichthrough the magic of electronics willautomate the changeover from veggieoil to diesel and back. In the meantime,we’ve found that experience is the bestteacher.Problem 4The solar-powered electric systemproved to be reliable, as long as a watch-ful eye was kept on power consump-tion. One evening, on the PlentyHighway, we gave two presentations onrenewable energies to the travellingpublic; we had only planned for one.This resulted in flat batteries and theloss of freezer contents.

1. The fly mesh is to remove solids from the oil

2. The material sock sits off the base of the drum and is made from old curtains,

sheets or whatever is lying around. The raised base is made from some

recycled security screen.

3. The toilet paper filter is made from easily accessible components.

4. Storage needs to be waterproof and clean.

5. The vehicle is filled using a 12 volt pump connected to a battery.

6. All fittings are readily available and wherever possible recycled components

have been used.

Fixing the trailer’s broken stub-axle.


SolutionMake sure you do an energy audit ofthe appliances you wish to run on thesystem. We found it useful to log ourprogress which kept energy use to aminimum. This problem led to us de-ciding to minimise the contents of ourfreezer and plan meals, which helpedease energy use.

Filtering the oilOne of the most important compo-nents of a successful used vegetable oilsystem is the filtrations. Failure to ad-equately filter will result in continu-ally changing filters, which of courseadds extra expense. The filtration sys-tem used en route was a modified, miniversion of our home-based system. Themodified travelling system uses 20Lplastic drums and a range of irrigation,plumbing and garden fittings, whereasthe system set up at home uses recy-cled 44 gallon drums and is much larg-er. Taps or gate valves are used toisolate tanks.

Post-trip checksWe arrived home with approximately20 litres of veggie oil in the tank and afurther 40 litres that had been filteredand ready for use. Since returning, the

following tests and modifications havebeen carried out.

Some of the filters were kept and in-spected to determine the main sourceof blockages. For expedience en route,much of the oil was heated prior to fil-tration. This meant that some of the fatsolids were suspended in the oil andconsequently blocked the filter. Thisdoes not normally pose a problem as alloils should be cold filtered.

The injectors were dismantled andinspected for wear and damage, as weremany other system components. Nildamage to report. ✲✲✲✲✲

Desert Trek was self-funded byChristine and Alex as part of the re-search and development of renewa-ble energy alternatives by Eco Drive.Further information and photosabout Desert Trek are available fromwww.energy-wise.net.

Filtering the oil.


An increase in climate change in-formation in the mainstreammedia has led to an influx of stu-

dents into renewable energy coursesright around the country. Universitiesand TAFEs offering renewable energycourses are reporting a rise in thenumber of students which they are re-sponding to by increasing the numberof environmental courses on offer.

This year Mt Druitt TAFE, NSW, ranone renewable energy course, a Statementof Attainment, but in 2008 they will offerfour courses. The head teacher of elec-tric-engineering at Mt Druitt TAFE, Vin-cent Blanco, is hoping that his studentintake for renewable energy courses willdouble from 2007 to 2008. Mr Blanco saidexternal advertising on energy saving andgovernment grants that require an accred-ited installer to be eligible for rebates hasled to the increase in students.

‘I have a lot of electricians knockingon my door wanting to get their accred-itation now,’ said Mr Blanco. ‘We havehad a huge demand for renewable ener-gy courses and the (new courses) aresomething that I’ve wanted to run formany years. Eventually we hope to runan Advanced Diploma of RenewableEnergy Engineering.’

Renewable courses on the rise

Swinburne University of Technology,Victoria, was considering not runningenvironmental sustainability coursestwo years ago, but now because of a dra-matic increase in student numbers theyare developing an entirely new course.

Swinburne’s new course will have abroader scope than other renewableenergy courses. It will include waste andwater efficiency in the curriculum.

Course coordinator Trevor Plum-ridge said, ‘Only a couple of years agothe numbers were such that we wereshutting the course down. We have hadso much interest in the last 18 monthswe are developing a new course…thereis a growing interest in energy efficien-cy and a growing domestic and indus-try need for energy efficient resources.’

‘It was a natural progression to offeran environmental course with a broad-er sweep of technologies around effi-ciencies and waste and water,’ MrPlumridge said.

The new course will be available from2008, provided they successfully make itthrough the accreditation process. Aswell as their new course, Swinburne of-fers Certificate 4 and a Diploma in Elec-trotechnology Renewable Energy.

These courses cover the principles of

operating renewable energy systems suchas solar heating, solar hot water, photo-voltaic electricity, wind energy, micro-hydro systems, solar biological energy andthe use and re-use of plant and animalmaterials to generate electricity.

The Northern Melbourne Instituteof TAFE has changed the focus of theirCertificate 4 in Renewable EnergyTechnology course. At first the coursewas intended for people living in re-mote areas who didn’t have easy accessto traditional energy supplies. The fo-cus has extended to include people inmetropolitan areas who are looking atalternative energy technologies.

Course coordinator Gerry Cervasiosaid, ‘While there’s an international fo-cus on nuclear power, the wind and thesun take on a more integral importancein the debate for many people con-cerned about the future of our planet.’

There are a number of different re-newable energy courses available thatoffer varying levels of qualifications. Anintroductory course in renewable en-ergy is the Statement of Attainment inrenewable energy.

The Business Council for Sustaina-ble Energy (BCSE) accreditation is notnecessary to install renewable energy

TAFES and universities are responding to demand for renewable energycourse writes Laura Poole. Here’s what’s on offer.


technology but it is necessary to claimgovernment rebates. BCSE accredita-tion is often worked into modules ofthe Certificate 4 in ElectrotechnologyRenewable Energy courses which of-fers a broad overview of sustainable

energy technologies.The Certificate 4 can either be a qual-

ification in itself or a step towards com-pleting a Diploma or AdvancedDiploma in renewable energy. There arealso courses available at universities,

such as the Bachelor of Engineering inrenewable energy or a Masters of Sci-ence in renewable energy. ✲✲✲✲✲More information about BCSE ac-creditation is available fromwww.bcse.org.au

There are more renewable energy courses offered by Bushlight, Alice Springs ph:(08) 8951 4331, Bendigo Regional Institute, VIC, ph:(03)5434 1555, Food Forest SA, ph:(08) 85 226450 and Electrotech Skills Centre, Rhodes NSW, ph:(02) 9736 1950.


[Pears report]

The national picture

Climate change and energy havecertainly been big issues in thefederal election campaign.

We’ve seen proposals for rebates, incen-tives, renewable energy and ‘low emis-sion’ energy targets, accelerated energystandards, and so on. And both majorparties are now committed to the in-troduction of an emissions tradingscheme. This is certainly a positive de-velopment. By the time you read this,we will have an election result, so thesituation will be much clearer.

But there are some clouds. First, majorparties have been reluctant to commit tonear-term targets. The climate science isvery clear: we need to rapidly reduceAustralia’s greenhouse gas emissions andfossil fuel use. So urgent action is essen-tial. But commitment to rapid changemight frighten voters and provoke oppo-sition from those who believe they willbe losers. Hopefully we will move pastthis once the election is over.

Second, economic fundamentalistswithin government, encouraged by lob-byists from some industries, are workinghard to argue that emissions trading willreplace the need for other policies suchas energy efficiency and renewable ener-gy targets. This would suit lots of interestgroups. For example, energy retailers arenow liable for compliance with renewa-ble energy and greenhouse targets. A shiftto emissions trading would move the re-sponsibilities and compliance costs fromthem to electricity generators.

Putting all our eggs in the emissionstrading basket would guarantee a delay

in response, because it will be phasedin from 2010 at the earliest. The uncer-tainties and delays would be yet anoth-er blow to our emerging energyefficiency and renewable energy indus-tries. And, to the extent that it slowedadoption of energy efficiency and otherchanges by small energy consumers andsuppliers of equipment, it would in-crease the cost of greenhouse response.But ideology, arrogance and vested in-terests are powerful forces.

The next big thingsIn my last column, I painted a picture ofnew, integrated grid and demand-sidesystems to manage both demand andsupply. Since then, several people havepointed out to me that such systems areunder development and being trialledalready. Bring them on!

Another new development I’d like tosee is a new generation of GreenPowerschemes. Different renewable energysources deliver electricity at differenttimes. Present GreenPower schemescertainly offset all greenhouse gas emis-sions from customers with renewableenergy and support expansion of the re-newable energy industry. But if a cus-tomer uses a lot of electricity overnight,they are still creating demand for pow-er from base load coal plants, effective-ly supporting their ongoing use.

With sophisticated intelligent meter-ing and control, probably includingsome distributed electricity storage,energy retailers could offer customersa GreenPower scheme that uses a mix

of renewable sources and smart demandmanagement to match their demand forelectricity to the timing of supply fromtheir preferred mix of sources. Then, aGreenPower customer could activelyand specifically support the expansionof preferred electricity sources.

Another key development that’s urgent-ly needed is more detailed tracking ofactual performance of appliances, equip-ment and buildings against their designperformance. My observations in homes,offices and industry suggest that a surpris-ingly large amount of energy waste is duesimply to faulty equipment and controls,along with sloppiness in management.Automated warnings when a fridge orelectric motor is using more energy thanit should will transform energy use. Theycould reduce business costs and otherwaste. For example, if a motor uses morepower than predicted, this could indicatefaulty bearings, pumps or other problemsdownstream. A warning means faults canbe fixed under preventive maintenanceinstead of after the system has failed andproduction has been lost.

The base load debateThe nuclear and coal lobbies have beenvocal in arguing that we need base loadpower stations, and that they are the onlyones that can fill this role. Of course,we know that several renewable energytechnologies and cogeneration can pro-vide base load power, so this argumentis specious.

But as pressure for new base loadpower stations builds, we need to ex-

So, what happens after the election? ReNew policycolumnist Alan Pears looks at some key issues that justwon’t go away.


[Pears report]

tend the argument. Base load power sta-tions themselves have serious limita-tions. They are not much help at all inproviding extra power on hot summerafternoons, and when people really wantit. And they produce much of their elec-tricity in the middle of the night and onweekends, when we don’t need much.Indeed, around half of Australian homesheat water in the middle of the night,when few people are showering, usingelectricity at ‘waste product’ prices. Thisis a very inefficient way of producing hotwater that creates demand for aroundeight coal-fired power stations. Many of-fices and industries simply leave equip-ment running because electricity pricesovernight and on weekends are very low.

Why build power stations that pro-duce something an economically effi-cient and competent modern societydoesn’t need much of, but can’t pro-vide when we really need it? Oh, andthese are either the most greenhousepolluting or involve becoming part ofan extremely dangerous nuclear indus-try. It says a lot for the ignornace of pol-icy makers and the effectiveness of thePR efforts of these industries that weare even having this debate.

I guess you’ve also heard the argumentthat using off-peak power doesn’t in-crease greenhouse gas emissions be-cause the power stations have to runanyway, and would just vent steam if the

power wasn’t used. This further rein-forces the craziness of inflexible baseload generation plant. And while it mayhave some element of truth in the shortterm, once demand drops by a largeenough amount, whole coal-fired gen-erators can be shut down. Most changeis ‘lumpy’, and this is just one exampleof a common issue that applies fromindustrial production to trains and aer-oplanes.

Equity, housing andtransport infrastructureHousing affordability is also an emerg-ing issue. Unfortunately, the debate hasfocused on the prices of new homes,rather than the fundamental issues.

First, the people with the greatest dif-ficulties are renters, many of whom arenowhere near being able to even con-sider buying a home. Second, the cost ofcar ownership is a major contributor tofinancial hardship. Even with today’s pet-rol prices, around 70 per cent of the costof cars is not petrol, but costs such asloan repayments, insurance and mainte-nance. So policies that reduce the needfor households to own multiple cars, aswell as use them less, will be very im-portant in improving housing afforda-bility. Indeed, some experts suggest thatexpanding public transport systems willincrease the amount of desirable hous-ing stock, placing downward pressure

on prices and improving equity.Such strategies will also reduce our

vulnerability to future oil prices andavailability, while improving our bal-ance of payments by much more thanexports of uranium ever could.

Driving home energy efficiency andsustainability improvement will also becritical, not just for the environment, butto reduce the cost of living and cushionpeople from increasing energy and trans-port fuel costs and improve quality oflife when many forces are reducing it.

Governments will be forced to in-tervene, because higher interest rateswill simply reduce demand for hous-ing construction at a time of high pop-ulation growth, adding to the pressures.We will also have to confront the inef-ficient use of present housing, with oneor two people often occupying largehomes, and both new construction andrenovation adding to this trend. We areapproaching interesting times. ✲ ✲ ✲ ✲ ✲

Sustainable livingon CD ROMReNew Rom 3 includes issues90-99 of ReNew magazine. Fulldetails about the CD rom andother booksand productsare in the ATAShop pages,starting onpage 74.


A six-metre-tall mosaic sculptureof a bug stands as an entrancepoint to the Cascade Place Gar-

dens, tracking the sun and generatingpower for Cascade Services, an arm ofthe Cerebral Palsy League of Queens-land.

Cascade Services operates an adult daycentre, which doubles as an arts and en-vironment centre, with an expandingnative demonstration garden, as well as anationally renowned arts program forpeople with disabilities. Russell Ander-son has a long association with CascadeServices, working as both an artist-in-residence and garden designer.

How was the Bug EntranceSculpture created?The Solar Bug was designed throughworkshops with clients and staff fromCascade Services, with some parame-ters: the final design was to incorporateRussell’s interest in kinetics, renewa-ble energy technology and nature.

Participants at the weekly workshopswere encouraged to convert their ideasinto drawings and marquettes (models).This was a fairly lengthy process; timewas required to communicate and cre-ate art and design with people, some ofwhom have no oral communicationskills and many of whom have limitedmotor skills.

The pace is very different whenworking with people with high supportneeds, so the final concept took somemonths to develop. The clients of Cas-cade Services see the world from a com-pletely different perspective: often froma wheelchair, often from a position ofdeep contemplation. Russell found thechange in pace refreshing, providing the

time to ‘really nut things out and to dothe job right’.

After testing ideas via many differentconcept drawings and marquettes, theyarrived at the current design: a very largecartoon bug completely covered withmosaic, with embedded lights and so-lar panel ‘wings’ which follow the sun.

Mosaic was chosen as a decorative tech-nique as the clients of Cascade Serviceshad previous experience with the form.

Russell’s personal interest in sustain-able living and renewable energy tech-nologies influences his work as an artistand designer. Russell endeavours to bal-ance form and function in his work, in-

No bugs with this sculptureThe Solar Bug incorporates renewable power systems to generateelectricity for a local community group, writes Katie Brown.

The six-metre-tall Solar Bug in Humpybong Park, Redcliffe, Queensland.

Phot

o: M

ark

Cro

cker


corporating low-energy and renewableenergy technologies without reducingaesthetic appeal.

The workshops at Cascade Serviceswent beyond aesthetic design with Rus-sell demonstrating how the sculpturewould use the sun to feed power backinto the grid. The renewable energyworkshops were as well received as thedesign workshops. Clients were ableto see and touch the technology that wasto be used in the sculpture as well asdevelop an understanding of how itworked. This led to many discussionsabout renewable energy technologiesand their applications.

ConstructionThe construction of the Bug took placein Russell’s nearby workshop, which isfully tooled, including a large self-madethree-axis CNC router. The Bug is made

primarily from steel. The head is 12mmplate steel and required a crane just tomove it around during construction. Thewings are custom-made tapered polesand the eyes are hot-pressed plate steel,water-jet cut with high impact acrylicblown into them.

The abdomen is custom-made highimpact blown acrylic with steel rein-forcing and solid filled. Russell’s expe-rience in public art has taught him thatanything in the public realm needs tobe very heavy duty. He has seen vandal-ism attempts where people attachedchains to vehicles to rip apart park fur-niture and cricket bats were used againststreet lighting. It is unfortunate, but inorder to vandal-proof work you needto assume that someone (a very smallminority) will actively attempt to de-stroy it!

The Bug is covered with 25,000 hand-

laid glass tile mosaics, most of which wereassembled into unique designs by the cli-ents at Cascade Services. Some ingenuityon Russell’s part saw the creation of aCNC-cut templating system, which en-abled the clients to exactly position eachtile into its respective 300 x 300mmsquare. Not only did this templating sys-tem enable people with limited motorskills to fully participate in the hands-onaspects of the project, but it also created asystem for efficient and consistent tem-plating, which Russell will use on futureprojects.

With approval from the Redcliffe CityCouncil, the Bug was installed inHumpybong Park, leading park visitorsinto the Cascade Place Gardens. At justover six metres tall, it was a surprise evento Russell when the Bug was first in-stalled. Even though it had spent monthsin his workshop, due to its height, he

Russell Anderson at work on the Solar Bug. The sculpture includes six 40 watt solar panels, LED lighting and a solar tracker. He

designed and made the tracker mechanicals himself, basing it on existing tracker designs

Phot

o: M

ark

Cro

cker


had never seen it put together.At the launch of the Solar Bug it was

surprising to discover how many peopledidn’t know that power could be gener-ated and put into the grid. The Bug aspublic art provided this information tomany people for the first time. To furtherthis educational aspect an interpretive signis in progress which will explain how thepower is produced and where it goes.

The Bug’s renewabletechnologyThe highly stylised wings incorporatesix 40 watt BP solar panels, wired inseries and cabled back to Cascade Serv-ices, into a PV Edge grid interactive in-verter donated by Latronics. FourteenLED lights on the Bug get their powerfrom a mains transformer. The lightsfor the eyes are colour changing RGB,and the ground light is a Megabay Lux-eon, as is the light in the proboscis. Therest are small LED deck lights embed-ded in the Bug’s abdomen.

The solar tracking system uses elec-tronics derived from BW Solar’s trackingarray, with a very useful chip custom-pro-grammed by BW Solar to accommodatefor the stroke of the linear actuators whichmove the panels. The mechanics of thetracker are Russell’s own design, balanc-

ing aesthetics with practi-cality.

The tracking systemderives its power fromtwo 5 watt BP solar pan-els, which are part of theSolar Bug’s antennae. Thesolar panels have a trip switch thatsounds an alarm back to the building’smain alarm system if they are discon-nected from the frame.

The mountings for the 5 watt panelsare custom-designed CNC machinedaluminium knuckles engineered toconnect and lock at different angleswhilst still allowing the wires to passthrough internally.

This was not Russell’s first or lastwork that incorporates renewable en-ergy technology. Another work was in-stalled in the same week as theBug—two flower seats in Rockhamp-ton, for QLD Government ProjectServices. These seats were made in theshape of native flowers, stylised after aTea-Tree and White Cedar flower. Eachhave five 10 watt solar panels, and five 1watt Luxeon lights as the stamen of theflower.

The Solar Bug wouldn’t have beenpossible without the generosity of La-tronics in donating the grid interactive

inverter. Thanks are also due to Spring-er’s Low Voltage for their advice anddiscounted prices to assist the CerebralPalsy League. The project received sig-nificant funding from Arts Queenslandwith support from Cascade Services andRussell’s own contributions.

Russell is very interested in furtherexploring the fusion of design aesthet-ics and renewable technology, includ-ing the possibility of partnering with arenewable energy technology manufac-turer to create designs or art works thatdemonstrate different ways their prod-ucts may be used.

Further information on Russell’swork is available from his website:www.russellanderson.com.au. To visitthe Solar Bug go to Humpybong Park,located in Hutchison St, Redcliffe,Queensland. Look for the six-metre-tall glass mosaic insect! ✲✲✲✲✲

Katie Brown is a Queensland-basedjournalist.

Left: A three dimensional view of the CNC machined solar mounts,

which hold the 5 watt solar panels. Right: Gathering around The Bug.

Phot

o: M

ark

Cro

cker


Browserwww.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/AEmain.htmlThe Encyclopedia of Alternative Ener-gy and Sustainable Living is a large, free,on-line resource aimed at providing ac-curate information on living in harmo-ny with our planet, particularly withregard to green energy and architecture.It is part of The Worlds of David Dar-ling website and is maintained and up-dated on a full-time daily basis by theastronomer and author David Darling.

On the front page you will find analphabetical list of links. Clicking a let-ter takes you to an index of all entriesfor that letter. There are a great manypages in this encyclopedia, as you mightexpect, and like many wiki-style ency-clopedias (this one is not a wikithough), there are many cross links inpages, so you don’t have to go back tothe index pages to find related listings.

www.greenlivingpedia.orgGreenlivingpedia is a free resource forsharing information on green living. Itis a wiki, much like Wikipedia, and givespeople who are living a sustainable life-

style the opportunity to share it withother like-minded people.

There is also the option to publishoriginal information in a protected ar-ticle if you wish.

Greenlivingpedia’s goal is to providean information resource initially focus-ing on sustainable housing and build-ing, but contributions on other topicsare welcome too.

Clicking the Categories link lets youselect from many topics includinghousing, renovations, ecovillages, pow-er generation, greywater, green comput-ing, and many others. Many of thecategories have sub categories, and thereare quite a few articles in some of them.Many listings also contain photos, mak-ing the presented information thatmuch easier to digest.

There is also an events page, and a sus-tainable buildings link which gives youall of the eco buildings on one page—ideal if you are looking for ideas to buildyour ideal sustainable home or office.

While some of the pages are a littleon the spartan side, remember thatwikis rely on input from the generalpublic, so if you have something usefulto add, share it with the world!

Some of the pages are pretty light oninformation, but there are usually linksto other pages that have additional in-

formation. There are some excellentdiagrams in the encycolopedia, and it isdefinitely worth a browse.


[Products]

Recycled plastic thingsAusplaztik take all sorts of plastic, from PET (recycle code 1) through to polystyrene(recycle code 6) and turn it into lots of useful items, such as pallets, outdoor furniture,garden stakes, bollards and profiles such as planks and posts.

The products not only prevent the chopping down of trees, they are also continual-ly recyclable, can be drilled, machined, screwed and stapled, and they resist breakageand will not splinter, making them safer to handle than wooden products. And ofcourse, being plastic, they won’t rot or absorb water, and don’t need to be painted asthe colour is part of the product.

Manufactured by Ausplaztik, PO Box 155, Mildura VIC 3502, ph:(03) 5023 0533, fax:(03) 50246291, email: [email protected], www.ausplaztik.com.au

Sub-$10 per watt small solar panelsTraditionally, larger solar panels cost around $9 to $10 per watt, but smallerpanels often cost up to twice that or more. Oatley Electronic’s range of smallsolar panels buck this trend, with all panels in the range costing less than $10per watt.

The range includes 4 watt panels in both 6 and 12 volt versions, 12 volt 10watt and 12 volt 20 watt panels. All panels use polycrystalline cells with tem-pered glass, aluminium frame and junction box on the rear, just like any otherpanel.

When buying from Oatley’s website, you can also buy either a 12 volt regulator kit or their new 6 volt to 12 volt converterkit for a discounted price, depending on which panel you are buying. There is also a 100 watt solar array kit which includesfive 20 watt panels and a solar regulator kit, which allows you to assemble the equivalent of a 100 watt solar panel, but with theadded advantage of better partial shade resistance and damage resistance, as anything that affects one of the panels only reducesthe output by 20%.

RRP: $36 for the 4 watt panels, $85 for the 10 watt panel and $160 for the 20 watt unit. The 100 watt array kit is $690.

Available from Oatley Electronics, PO Box 89, Oatley NSW 2223, ph:(02) 9584 3563,email: [email protected], www.oatleyelectronics.com

Foil the summer sunSunlight coming through windows is a huge problem for many homes in summer, and can result in inside temperatures thatmake the home unlivable without air conditioning.

Renshade is a foil/paper composite material that is designed to keep the heat out while allowing in filtered light. Becauseit is perforated, you can still see out, but people outside can’t see in duringthe day.

Renshade can be used behind windows, glass doors, skylights and tran-parent roofs. It can either be stuck onto windows with velcro spots, ormade into blinds for a more flexible solution.

RRP: $68.75, $137.50 and $275 for 5, 10 and 20 metre rolls respectively.Velcro spots are available free with every 5m roll upon request.

Manufactured by Wren Industries, 139 Herald St, Cheltenham VIC 3192,Freecall: 1800 066 002, email: [email protected],www.concertinafoilbatts.com


[Products]

Single phase instantaneous water heatersWhile electric water heating is usually not the best choice environmentally, it is sometimes the onlyoption in some situations due to the lack of solar access or a suitable gas supply, and you can useaccredited greenpower. Electric storage water heaters can waste a lot of energy through standingtank and pipe losses, but electric instantaneous units are quite rare.

The Stiebel Eltron DHC German-made range of single phase instantaneous heaters are designedto fit where most water heaters can’t—even in your bathroom or kitchen. The DHC6 and DHC8have ratings of 7.2 and 9.6kW and minimum flow rates of 2.3 and 2.9 litres per minute respectively.

Available from Higgins Agencies for $550 and $570.90 respectively. Phone (08) 9248 7570 orgo to www.higgins-agencies.com.au to buy online.

Manufactured by Stiebel Eltron, Unit 1, 6 Bromham Place, Richmond VIC 3121, ph: 1800 153351, www.stiebel.com.au

And a lower cost optionWhile the Stiebel water heaters are made in Germany, the Rezi range, which have similar ratings and applications, are Swiss-made heaters.

The Rezi heaters are tiny, measuring just 86 x 91 x 161mm, and are available in three single phase models: 3.3, 4 and 5kW. Thetiny size allows the water heaters to be installed almost anywhere, including above sinks and next tobaths and shower cubicles.

The ability to place instantaneous water heaters right at the point of use means that standing losses arevirtually eliminated, which can greatly reduce both water and electricity wastage for homes that haveelectric water heating.

The Rezi heaters are available with various fittings to suit many applications, and spare heating elementsare available. However, the rated lifespan of Rezi heaters is around eight years, which is considerably lessthan some other heaters. However, this will vary with usage and water quality, and the low cost and smallmaterials use of the design should offset the shorter lifespan economically and environmentally.

RRP: $220.

Available from Southern Five Stars Australia Pty Ltd, Unit 2/89 Chapman St, Sunshine VIC 3020,ph:(03) 9311 3753, email: [email protected], www.rezi.com.au

Low-speed alternatorsFinding low-speed alternators for wind and hydro generator projects is notalways easy, but Ginlong Technologies in China make a range of permanentmagnet alternators specifically designed for wind generators and similar low-speed applications.

The alternators range in rated power from 500 to 5000 watts, with ratedpower coming at 500 rpm or less. Indeed, the 5000 watt model produces ratedpower at around 200 rpm, making it ideal for larger vertical axis wind turbines.

The alternators are designed to have a low cogging force and therefore low startup torque require-ments. They are rated to have a 20-year lifespan. Now all we need is an Australian distributor!

RRP: From US$300 through to US$2200 in one-off quantities.

Available from Ginlong directly—first orders for evaluation have no minimum order quantities. For more information,contact Ginlong Technologies, 305 Penglai Road, Xiangshan Industrial Estate, Dancheng, Xiangshan, Ningbo,Zhejiang, 315700, China, ph:+86 574 6578 1806, fax:+86 574 6578 1606, email: [email protected], www.ginlong.com


[Products]

Be a waka!Lead flashing has a lot of drawbacks, including high weight and toxicity, especial-ly if you are harvesting the water from your roof for the garden or for drinking.

Wakaflex is a non-toxic composite flashing made from plastic with an embeddedexpandable aluminium mesh. You just form it to shape, peel off the backing paper andpress into position—the adhesive backing holds it in place until roofing work is fin-ished.

Wakaflex has a temperature rating of -40 to +100°C. It comes in 280mm wide by 5 metre long rolls, which weigh less than5kg. It is available in four colours—black, brown, lead grey and terracotta.

Wakaflex is manufactured by Combined Group of Companies, ph:(02) 9666 1109, email: [email protected],www.wakaflex.com.au

Calendar with extrasIt’s that time of the year again when people are calendar shopping, so whynot go eco this coming year! The Travelling Light calendar from Angelartincludes the usual aspects of a calendar—space for notes, year-at-a-glancecalendars for 2008 and 2009, and school holidays for Australia and NZ.

However, the calendar also has moon phases and solar occurrences,cultural and public holidays for 40 countries, and inspirational quotes tomatch the original Angelart images. What’s more, every page has beendesigned to be reused as a postcard and bookmark.

To top it off, Angelart has donated space in the calendar to 12 environ-mental/humantarian organisations, with the back of each page featuring adifferent way we can each make a difference. A percentage of profits fromthe calendar will go to these organisations. Of course, the calendar is printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based ink. Thecalendar is also available to schools and community organisations for fundraisers.

RRP: $22

For more information or to purchase your calendar, contact Angela McPherson, PO Box 186 , Woodbridge TAS 7162,ph:(03) 6267 4399, email: [email protected], www.angelart.com.au

Convert your PC to 12 volts—the easy way!We have looked at running conventional PCs on 12 volt systems in the past, but they have always required you to build areplacement power supply for the computer’s 240 volt unit.

Jaycar Electronics now have a module designed to replace the power supply in atypical PC, allowing it to run on 12 volt DC power systems. While designed for auto-motive use, it would be just as useful for people wanting to run a PC on a home with a12 volt independent power system.

The PSU has one floppy drive power connector, one hard drive power connector,one Pentium 4 power connector and an ATX motherboard connector. Jaycar also haveadaptors to give you more connectors, should your PC need it. Maximum power drawfrom the supply is 205 watts.

RRP: $99

Available from Jaycar Electronics, ph:1800 022 888, email:[email protected], www.jaycar.com.au


[Products]

Wind turbine with a twistThere has been a resurgence of vertical axis wind turbines recently, and with good reason—they are quiet, bird friendly, and suitable for turbulent sites.

Helix Wind in the USA make two sizes of spiral Savonius rotor style turbines—a 2kWand a 5kW model. The 2kW unit has a 1.2 metre diameter by 1.8 metre tall rotor, while the5kW model is 1.2 metres diameter by 4.57 metres tall. The rotors are made of aluminiumalloy for strength and longevity.

Both models use high-efficiency permanent magnet alternators, and they are designed tobe grid interactive turbines, although they are also available as battery charging machines.

The turbines weigh 140kg and 363kg respectively. They have rated cut-in speeds of2.8m/s. Design life is rated at 30 years and they come with a 5 year warranty. The onlyproblem? They are not available in Australia yet.

For more information, contact HelixWind, 1848 Commercial St, San Diego CA 92113,ph:+1 619 501 3932, www.helixwind.com

Reduce the waste, reduce the costs!With the proliferation of digital photography, bubblejet printers have become enormous-ly popular for printing those prized happy snaps. However, printing photos takes a lot ofink, and all bubblejets made for the home market have small tanks, so you are foreverchanging cartridges—and a complete change of cartridges can cost more than the printer!

However, there is system that is better on the hip pocket and the environment. Called continuous ink systems, they uselarge externally-mounted ink reservoirs connected by thin silicon rubber tubes to special cartridge replacements that arefitted to the printer in place of the tanks. Each reservoir typically holds dozens of times more ink than a typical cartridge, and

can cost the same or less. This means that not only are you not continually throwingout cartridges, but you are getting a great many more prints for your dollar.

There are a number of suppliers of these systems, with reservoir/cartridge sets availa-ble for many late model printers, including Canon, Epson and HP models. We foundtwo systems that looked particularly good on eBay—Rihac Solutions and Everest Inc.

Check out http://stores.ebay.com.au/Everest-Inc-P-L andhttp://stores.ebay.com.au/RIHAC-Solutions

Recycled rubber paversBrick and concrete pavers have a number of drawbacks. They have a high embodied energy, are brittle, are very hard (and sonot very nice to fall over on) and can become slippery when wet.

Enviro-Pave Australia make a range of pavers made of rubber sourcedfrom old car and truck tyres which are granulated, coloured and compressed.Because they are made from solid rubber, they are durable, versatile andeasy to handle. They come in a range of colours and forms, including stand-ard pavers, rubber mats, tree rings, interlocking rubber tiles and rubbertiles with special surfaces for people with vision impairment.

Because they are softer than conventional pavers, they are ideal for use inplay areas or anywhere where injury risk from falls needs to be reduced.

Manufactured by Enviro-Pave Australia, 551 Waterloo Corner Rd, BurtonSA 5110, ph:(08) 8283 0390, email: [email protected],www.enviropaveaustralia.com.au


Practical solutions forsustainable living

With your support, the Alternative TechnologyAssociation (ATA) is becoming one of Australia's leadingnot-for-profit organisations, advocating to governmentand industry forums and providing practical informationbased on members' hands-on experience.

To become an ATA member or supporter go to the ATAwebshop at www.ata.org.au or call (03) 9639 1500.Alternatively, fill out the order form on page 80.

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ATA membership also provides a range ofpersonal benefits:

Free Advice ServiceAnswers to tricky questions from ATA’s experienced advisors.

ATA Membership DiscountsEntitles you to discounts from ATA and the suppliers listedon the ATA website—see box at right.

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Quarterly Issues of ReNew MagazinePacked with practical information. Sharing the experiences ofATA members

Quarterly Members’ Newsletter — The SunRegular updates on the local, national and internationalprojects that your membership is making possible.

Launching soon! — Interactive websiteWe are currently upgrading our website to include a newmembers-only space offering free downloads and a forum formembers to share information and advice.

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Member discounts• Advanced Eco Technologies 10% • AlternativeFuels 10% • Anvill Strawbale Building 10% • AquaBlock 10% • Australian Correspondence Schools5-15% • Battery Stop 10% plus 5% donation to ATA• Biome Living 10% • Blessed Earth 10% • BPArchitects - free ‘Green House Plans’ book •Bucheler Consulting 20% • B/W Solar 10% • CCArchitect 10% • CERES nursery 5-10% • CycletrekBunbury WA 5-10% • Design Habitat $200 offResCode assessment • Dr Bob Rich 10% • EarthBasics 10% • EcoInnovation free freight • Ecolibria10% • EcoSouth $250 off power systems • EnergyMatters $350 off grid connect systems •Environment Equipment 5-10% • EverglazeIndustries 5% • F2 Design - free energy ratingwith design sketch • Federal Batteries 10% • GoingSolar 10% • Golden Cypress Timber Sales 10% •InSolar 10% • Metcalf Building Consultants 10% •Natural Paint 10% • NENSYS New Energy Systems10% • Nubian Water Systems 10% • OutbackEnergy Supply 10% • Pearcedale ConservationPark 10% • Permaculture Visions 10% • PV SolarEnergy 10% • Sandford Electronics & Solar 10% •Sharpe & Jephcott 10% • Smartflo 10% • Sola-Kleen 10% • Solar Charge 10% • Solar Lord 5-10%• Solar Tasmania 10% • Solartec Electrical Services10% • Solazone 5-10% • Sustainable Impact 5%plus 5% donation to ATA • The Buildng Book Shop10% • The Environment Shop 10% • The OwnerBuilder magazine 4 free back issues for new Austsubscribers • The Solar Shop $300 off completehome solar package • Tri Nature Greensborough(VIC) distributor 10% • Wattagan Innovations 10%•Wren Industries 20% • Yarra Energy 5% plus 5%donation to ATA • Zelfo 10% NB: the ATA websitehas full details of member discounters outlets.

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ATA Booklets series: Wind PowerPrice $10 each inc postage ($8 for ATA members)This is our new wind power booklet. In it you will findall the information you need to get an understanding ofwind power electrical and water pumping systems,how to size and install them correctly, how to lookafter them, safety requirements and a great deal ofother information.

Strawbale HomebuildingPrice: $19.95, Paperback, 156 ppThis book details practical strawbale building practicesyou can use to build anything from a small cabin in thebush to a mansion in the city. A great book that detailsmany homes that have been built around Australia.Item Code: SBH

ATA shop by mail

Your Home Technical Manual DVDPrice: $13.00 plus postageThis DVD allows you to virtually visit some of the mostbeautiful, innovative and low-maintenance houses in thecountry. Be inspired as you take a visual tour of some ofAustralia’s most comfortable and stylish homes, createdby leading architects and designers.Item code: YHTMDVD

Motorhome Electrics & Caravans Too!Price: $42.95 ($40.95 for ATA members)Running motorhome and caravan electrics from solar isneither difficult nor complicated. Planning is relativelysimple, and anyone comfortable with basic tools can doit. This book is a down-to-earth guide to getting it rightthe first time.Item code: MECT

Sanctuary magazine issue 2Price: $9.95 plus $2.50 postageThe second issue of Sanctuary: sustainable living withstyle is out now. More beautiful sustainable homesform across the country. Features include; watersaving apartments, sustainable kit homes, eco-friendlyflooring options, terraced wall garden greywatersystem and the latest savy, sustainable products.

Warm House, Cool HouseAuthor: Nick HolloPrice: $33.00, Paperback, 172ppAn easy-to-read introduction to the principles ofenergy-efficient housing design. Covers a broadrange of topics and contains an abundance ofdrawings, plans and photographs. Item code: WHCH

ATA Booklets series: Solar Hot WaterPrice $10 each inc postage ($8 for ATA members)Solar hot water is possibly the best way to get startedwith renewable energy. This booklet outlines all of thedifferent system types and which one will best suit yourneeds.

ATA Booklets series: Solar ElectricityPrice $10 each inc postage ($8 for ATA members)Covers all the basics you need to know when designinga solar power system. Includes panel types, batteries,controllers, inverters and many other aspects of solarenergy systems.

Sanctuary magazine issue 1Price: $9.95 plus $2.50 postageThe first issue of Sanctuary: sustainable living withstyle brings together 15 of Australia’s leadingsustainable architects and building designers. With theircutting-edge ideas, these homes are an inspiration toanyone wanting a modern home designed for style,comfort, health and with the environment in mind.

Waterwise House & GardenPrice: $29.95 ($27.95 for ATA members)This practical guide show you how to conservewater in your home and garden. The book detailswater saving using options including rainwater tanks,greywater recycling, and creating a water efficientgarden. Included is a list of native and exotic plantsthat are drought tolerant. Item code: WWHG

Sanctuary magazine issue 3Price: $9.95 plus $2.50 postageThe third issue of Sanctuary: sustainable living withstyle is out now. Issue 3 features include: Buying asustainable home checklist, design your home forgreen cleaning, keeping warm without costing theearth, plus 12 top eco-friendly homes from acrossAustralia.

From the Fryer to the Fuel TankAuthor: Joshua TickellPrice: $34.95 ($30.95 for ATA members)Paperback, 160ppA great book that shows the reader how to make aclean-burning renewable fuel from waste vegetable oil.Includes detailed instructions on making and using thefuel in a standard diesel vehicle. Item code: FFTFT

Back instock!

Your Home Technical ManualPrice: $49.50. NB: $10 postage on this itemGives you the information you need to design and build amore comfortable home that is less expensive to runwhile being more environmentally friendly.Contains over 60 fact sheets on sustainable solutionsfor designing and building your home. Item code: YHTM

Currently out of stock

New edition due early 2008

Water Not Down the Drain: A guide to usingrainwater and greywater at homeAuthor: Stuart McQuirePrice: $29.95 plus $8 postageA comprehensive guide to sustainable water use aroundthe home. Consult this book before you install rainwatertanks or a greywater system, or even if you just want toreduce your daily water use. Item code: WNDD


Dynamo torchPrice: $19.95 ($18.50 for ATA members).This is a super-bright LED wind-up torch that willprovide light anywhere, anytime, without requir-ing batteries or an external power source.One minute of winding provides light for up to 30minutes, and you can switch between one or allthree LEDs. Ideal for emergency use. Item code:TORCH_DYNAMO

Solar keyring LED torchPrice: $14.95 ($13.95 for ATAmembers)A handy keyring torch that will never letyou down.

The twin high-brightness LEDs are poweredby internal Ni-MH batteries that are kept topped

up by the keyring’s inbuilt-in solar panel. Just a few minutes exposure perday will beep the torch fully charged and ready for immediate use.Dimensions: 70mm x 30mm. Item code: TORCH-KEYRING

Skylight solar keyring torchPrice $32.95The tiny (52mm x 28mm x 10mm) Skylight Comfortcontains a rechargeable vanadium lithium batterygood for up to 10,000 cycles, a solar panel and a9600mcd, 30° white LED. It will run for up to six hours on a full charge,which requires around a day of full sunlight. This unit is swiss made withthe highest quaity components, is waterproof to one metre and comes witha five year manufacturers warranty. Item code: SKYLIGHT

Nightstar kinetic torchPrice: $50 ($45 for ATA members)This amazing torch uses no batteries and no incandescentglobes, yet will provide light when you want it with totalreliability. The Nightstar uses a high power rare-earth magnetpassing through a wire coil to provide the electricity to charge asuper capacitor that drives the white LED lamp. Around 30 to 60seconds of gentle shaking gives five minutes of full light and a steadilyreducing level for another 15 minutes. Item code: NIGHTSTAR

Low-power LED halogenreplacement bulbPrice: $49.95 ($46.95 for ATAmembers)This bulb can be plugged into almostany 50mm halogen downlight socketthat uses an MR16 halogen lamp. Ituses three Cree X-Lamp XR-E powerLEDs (on of the most efficient powerLEDs available) as the light source togenerate over 200 lumens of neutral whitelight (around 5000K colour temperature).The LEDs are driven by an inbuilt switchmode power supply, and beamangle is around 30 degrees (with either clear or diffuse lens) or 150 degrees,depending on the model. The body is made of aluminium for good heatdissipation.Power consumption is around 3.5 watts at 12 volts, meaning it has anoverall efficiency of around 60 lumens per watt—that’s better than mostcompact fluoro lamps!The bulb will run from any power source of around 12 volts, either AC or DC,so can be plugged straight into many halogen sockets without changing thetransformer.Note: may not work with some electronic halogen transformers. Item code:LEDHAL3W

ReNewROM IIIPrice: $45 ($25 for ATA members) including postage. The fourth CD ROM in the series, and covers issues 90 to 99 of ReNew back issues,many of which are no longer available. This disk is fully searchable with 10 complete magazine issues in PDF format, so it can be used onPCs, Macs and Linux boxes. Item code: RENEWROM3

Renewables on CD ROM

ReNewROMPrice: $65 ($30 for ATA members) plus $4 postageThe second CD ROM of the series, covering issues41 to 70 of Soft Technology and ReNew back issues,many of which are no longer available. This disk isfully searchable with 30 complete magazine issues inPDF format, so it can be used on PCs, Macs andLinux boxes. Item code: RENEWROM

ReNewROM IIPrice: $65 ($30 for ATA members) plus $4 postageThe third CD ROM in the series, and covers issues71 to 89 of ReNew back issues, many of which areno longer available. This disk is fully searchable with19 complete magazine issues in PDF format, so itcan be used on PCs, Macs and Linux boxes. Itemcode: RENEWROM2

Kits, LEDs and energy efficient devices

Power-Mate energy meterPrice: 10 amp version is $295($280 for ATA members); 10 ampheavy duty version is $345 ($330for ATA members) and the 15 ampversion is $405 ($390 for ATAmembers)The low cost energy meter is great forgeneral household use, but if you arelooking for a more professional androbust device for energgy auditing oruse on the workshop floor, then the Powermate is the meter to use!It consists of a hand-held meter which can be connected to the appliance it ismeasuring via a simple piggyback plug and socket set. The meter features anLED display for easy reading and high visibility at all times.The meter can tell you a variety of measurements including: power in watts,voltage and current, with minimum, maximum and instantaneous readings.The meter can also tell you the cost of running the appliance, how muchenergy the appliance used in kilowatt-hours and how many kilograms ofgreenhouse gas emissions it produced, all in hourly, yearly, quarterly andaccumulated figures. There are three versions available: the 10 amp, the 10amp heavy duty, and the 15 amp unit (which has 15 amp plugs with thelarge earth pin). Item code: POWERMATE-10A/10AHD/15AWe also have a Power-Mate for hire for $30 a week inc express post to you.


Solar pumping?We now have a new version of thepopular build-your-ownMini-maximiser kit.

This clever device, designed byAlan Hutchinson of Plas-matronics, allows loads suchas pumps and motors to bedriven directly from one ormore solar panels without theneed for batteries. The maximiserallows the solar panel to provide themaximum power to the load, and canprovide up to 40% more water pumping perday from the same solar panel.

As standard the kit is now supplied with the parts to allow it to be builtas either a 12 volt or 24 volt maximiser. Note that there will be acouple of components left over no matter which version you build.

The new kit features a larger, easier to solder circuit board, andwe supply the kit with an upgraded 6 amp diode and 174 ampMOSFET. Kit includes circuit board, all components and instruc-tions. No case is provided.

To order your Mini-maximiser, use the form in the bookshoppages of this issue, or send payment to: AAAAATTTTTA, LA, LA, LA, LA, Level 1, 39evel 1, 39evel 1, 39evel 1, 39evel 1, 39Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000.Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000.Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000.Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000.Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000.

$45 (inc GST)

plus $8 postage

Members’ pricejust $40(inc GST)plus $8 postage


New lowerprice!

Constant current circuit kitPrice: $8This short form kit allowsyou to build a simpleconstant current circuit fordriving LEDs from almost any DCvoltage. It is available in four sizes,20mA, 50mA (for the Superflux LEDs), 300mA (forthe 1 watt Luxeon LEDs) and 650mA (for the 5watt Luxeon LEDs).Please specify which current rating you needwhen ordering.Item code: CCBOARDxxx where xxx is the currentrating in mA (020, 050, 300 or 650).

1 watt and 5 watt Luxeon LEDsEach 1 watt Luxeon LED is equivalent to a dozen or more high-brightness5mm LEDs in light output.With over twice the current draw and twice the voltage of a 1 watt LED,each single 5 watt LED is equivalent to up to 50 or more high-brightness5mm LEDs in light output. Available in blue, green, cyan and white (Note:the 5 watt white LED has a rated life of 1000 hours). For more information,prices and to order, go to the ATA’s website at www.ata.org.au or call the ATA on (03)9419 2440.Now available: 3 watt LEDs and 1 watt warm white LEDs! See our webshop for details.

Maxi-maximiser kitPrice: 12 amp: $70 ($65for ATA members), 20amp: $80 ($75 for ATAmembers)A larger version of the mini-maximiser which is available in 12 and 20 ampversions. The kit allows you to build the unit for useon either 12 or 24 volts. You must specify currentrating when ordering. Note: not suitable for batterycharging use! Item code: MAXIMAX

30 amp speed controller kitPrice: $45 ($40 for ATAmembers)This controllerallows you to varythe speed of 12 or24 volt DC motors from0 to 100%. It is also idealfor controlling loads such asincandescent/halogen lamps and heatingelements. It is ideal for use on small electricvehicle projects, such as electrically assistedbikes and go-carts.We have tested it to over 30 amps withoutproblems.Item code: SPEEDCON

Switchmode LEDdriver kitPrice: $30($25 for ATAmembers)This kit allows you to builda simple switchmode DC to DCconverter with either voltage limiting (forpowering small DC appliances from up to 30volts DC) or current limiting (for driving LEDsdirectly from up to 30 volts DC). The voltage orcurrent is fully adjustable, allowing the onedesign to be used for a huge number ofappliances or LED types, including the 1 watt and5 watt Luxeon LEDs. Efficiency is typically over70% on most input voltages.Kit includes circuit board, all components andinstructions. No case is provided.Item code: SWITCHMODE.

All available back issues $8 inc. postage within Australia. For a listing of what is in each issue, see theATA’s web site at www.ata.org.au. Issues available are: Soft Technology issues 31, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42,45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 and 56. ReNew issues 57, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72,73, 74, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92, 97, 98, 99, 100 and 101.

Expand your ReNew collection

Simple 1 amp rectifier kitThis very simple kit allows youto build a rectifier for usewith polarised LEDhalogen lamps or forpolarity protection of electronic equipment.Uses four Schottky diodes to reduce voltagedrop and includes a 1 amp fuse. $5.Item code: RECKIT

Chinese Superflux LEDsPrice: Red and amber: $0.25 each,white, green, blue and cyan: $0.50 eachThese are a cheaper Asian-sourced SuperfluxLED which are the same size and shape as theLumileds Superflux, but not as expensive.Although they probably won’t last as long as theLumileds LEDs, they should be great for mostuses.

Mini-maximiser kitOur popular mini-maximiser kit willhandle pumps up to 6amps. The kit allowsyou to build the unit foruse on either 12 or 24 volts.Note: not suitable for batterycharging use! Price: $45 ($40 for ATAmembers). Item code: MINIMAX

Superflux LEDsPrice: Red and amber: $1 each,green, blue and cyan: $1.50 eachThese superflux LEDs (made byLumileds, the makers of LuxeonLEDs), are about the best value formoney available in LEDs today. Each7.6mm square Superflux LED has the equivalentlight output of several of the best 5mm LEDs, forthe same or less cost as a single 5mm device!Available in red, green, cyan, blue and amber.

Luxeon optical collimatorsPrice: $10 eachThis 25mm optic with holdersolves the problem of how toattach the optics to the LEDs!Available in wide, medium andnarrow versions.

Wireless weather stationPrice: $149 ($139 for ATA members)We now have a new wireless weather station that measures not onlywind speed and direction, but indoor and outdoor temperature, humidity,barometric pressure, and even rainfall.The data is collected by two sensor packs that are connected to awireless transmitter. This sends the data back to the base station everyminute or so, which then uses the information to give averages, accumulated totals, maximums,minimums and trends of the various data.The transmitter requires two AA batteries while the base station is mains powered, with three AAbatteries for data backup. The base station does not have the facility to connect to a PC, so you can’tdownload data, but it does just about everything else. Item code: WIRELESSWEATHER

LED halogen conversion kitThis kit uses three 1 wattLuxeon Star LEDs (or any 1watt star LED such as Cree X-Lamps) and includes a rectifierand constant current circuit todrive the LEDs at the correct current.Note that the light output won’t be equivalentto a 50 watt halogen lamp, but the kit usesless than 4 watts! Also note that you mayneed to replace your halogen transformers, assome need a minimum load of 10 watts.$20 each without LEDs, or $50 includingthree white Luxeon Stars ($45 for members)Item code: LEDHALKIT

Clearance!new 50%lower prices


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Our Water Mark:Australians Making aDifference in Water ReformPublished by the Victorian Wom-en’s Trust. July 2007. Free book.While I was reading Fred Pearce’s Whenthe Rivers Run Dry, which surveys globalhydrology, I was given a copy of OurWater Mark which is the product of fiveyears of research, community consul-tation and scientific input. It was time-ly because Pearce’s book leaves youwanting to know more about water inthe Australian landscape.

Our Water Mark provides that infor-mation, puts forward a national goal aswell as 20 guiding principles, and out-lines a range of actions. I found it anempowering resource that increased mywater literacy and motivated me to takefurther action. It is a free publicationdue to the generosity of a small groupof supporters.

The Big Picture section outlines thewater scene in Australia, looking at thesources of water and detailing the thingsthat impact our water supply like fires,droughts and climate change. It takes aclose look at fresh water being a com-mon good and examines the interactionthat households, business, industry andagriculture have with water. There is astatistic in the later chapter showing thatit takes about six litres of water to pro-duce a single almond on a managed in-

vestment scheme plantation!Becoming Super-Efficient Water

Users works through actions that peo-ple in business and organisations, on theland and in households, can do. Thereare inspiring examples of initiatives thatAustralian communities have imple-mented, including the storage of excess,filtered winter stormwater in an aqui-fer by the City of Salisbury. You can reg-ister the actions you intend to take byvisiting the website; there is nothinglike going public with your intentionsto make sure they eventuate!This free publication can be orderedfrom: www.watermarkaustralia.org.auor 03 9642 0422; a PDF of the book canalso be downloaded from the website.The book is available from the ATA’sMelbourne office, and will be stockedat The Body Shop from Jan 2008.

-Wendy Clarke

Scorcher: The Dirty Politicsof Climate ChangeAuthor: Clive Hamilton. Publishedby Black Inc. Agenda $29.95.‘It is painful to be a citizen of a nation that couldbehave in such an immoral way, but the evi-dence suggests that the Australian Governmenthas deliberately harmed the only real prospectthe world has of heading off the catastrophesthat climate change is expected to visit on theEarth’.

After reading Scorcher, the above state-ment towards the end of the book

[Reviews]

strikes me as very diplomatic!With the recent IPCC fourth assess-

ment report highlighting that the effectsof climate change are happening fasterthan previously anticipated, and that itis no longer a question of avoidance,but adaptation, the Howard Govern-ment’s lack of action in addressing cli-mate change over the past 10 yearsappears to be incompetent and lackingin leadership. Reading Clive Hamil-ton’s Scorcher makes you realise that theHoward Government’s inaction is mor-ally corrupt, and is actually part of aplanned campaign by the governmentto maintain the status-quo among green-house gas intensive industries.

Scorcher details the depths withwhich our government actively workedagainst a world solution to climatechange. Australia punched way above itsweight with regards to stalling interna-tional attempts to agree on climatechange action. This was all to the shortterm benefit of industries in Australiathat saw a business threat from any ac-tion to reduce greenhouse gas emis-sions, namely the mining, oil andaluminium industries.

Hamilton’s book names the so called‘Greenhouse Mafia’ and describes thevery close (and incestuous) relationshipthe key industry lobby groups, andcompanies themselves, had and havewith the Howard Government. He then


[Reviews]

goes on to describe the path to Kyotoand Australia’s actions to stall, waterdown and ultimately weaken the onlyinternational process attempting to ad-dress the issue of climate change.

The evidence is laid out, making thisbook an interesting (and depressing)read. It makes you wonder how themedia and the population at large ac-cepted the spin for so long, and it leavesyou wondering ‘if only...’.

-Kate Allsopp

Upside of Down:Catastrophe, Creativityand the Renewal ofCivilisationAuthor: Thomas Homer-Dixon.Published by Text. $34.95.Dixon’s The Upside of Down is an inter-esting journey into the troubles befall-ing the planet. The first half of this bookmight come as a surprise if you haven’theard the news that the world is run-ning out of oil, there are fundamentalinequalities in our global society, andwe are at risk of severe attack from thedisenfranchised. Dixon usefully dem-onstrates how these issues relate usinga number of worked examples, draw-ing from systems and comparing eventswhich many would not, on the surface,relate. One interesting theme that isdeveloped throughout the book is thesystematic problems leading to the fallof Rome. Using the concept of Energy

Return on Investment, Dixon exploresa classic case of imperial overreach. Everwondered how many kilos of wheatwere needed to build the Colosseum?

From chapter nine the book gets in-teresting as it delves into systems think-ing, to provide the framework of a newtype of thinking. Dixon proposes thatsociety needs to move away from short-term maximum economic growth to-wards resilient and adaptable economicstructures. He introduces the conceptsof Panarchy, explaining ecological andsocial systems in terms of connected-ness, resilience and potential.

From the subhead on the book I waslooking forward to a blueprint for therenewal of the human experiment, how-ever the catastrophe side gets a strongerrunning. I would have liked to see ideasfor a better society teased out more,however I suspect that’s the job we allhave to do, as we apply these ideas toour real world problems.

-Anton Vikstrom

Renewing Hope: Solar,Wind and Biomass inGermany and AustraliaDVD $35 plus postage.The state of renewable energy in Ger-many, particularly solar and wind pow-er, has received a considerable amountof attention in recent times. This comesas no surprise, considering Germanyleads the way in both technologies, withapproximately 30% and 40% of theworld’s wind and solar PV capacity re-spectively. It is therefore the logicalchoice for comparison when making adocumentary to expose Australia’s lackof action in renewable energy. A newDVD entitled Renewing Hope does thisvery well.

This 23 minute documentary is aninspiring and well-produced summaryof the state of renewable energy in Ger-many, highlighting a number of good

examples of innovative projects and ex-posing the relatively poor state of af-fairs in Australia.

The film shows high levels of com-munity ownership and support for anumber of renewable energy projects,and the financial benefits flowing to thecommunity from local renewable en-ergy installations.

Focusing on four case studies, thedocumentary outlines the German Gov-ernment’s incentive schemes whichhave led to their world-leading posi-tion, providing personal tales and anec-dotes to complement the range of factsand figures presented.

Whilst a couple of the facts are a littleoff the mark—slightly overstating thesolar potential of south-east Australia, forexample—most of the information pre-sented is clear, accurate and pertinent,and presented in an engaging manner.

The documentary is well narratedand the soundtrack is pleasant and ap-propriate, never becoming imposing.Containing a good mix of talking heads,footage and stills overlain with statis-tics, it is an engaging production whichhighlights the comparative disadvantageof renewable energy in Australia, andoutlining incentives which have beeneffective in stimulating the installationof renewable energy in Germany.

Renewing Hope is a highly recom-mended DVD for anyone with an in-terest in renewable energy policy orwishing to enhance their understand-ing of best-practice in renewable ener-gy implementation internationally. Itshould also be compulsory viewing forpolicy-makers locally, in the hope thatthis country could take a leaf out ofGermany’s book.

-Brad ShoneDVD available from Environment Au-dio Visuals. Phone: (03) 5472 3094Email: [email protected]. Schoolsales are through Video EducationAustralasia, www.vea.com.au


[Q&A]

Write to us!We welcome questions on anysubject, whether it be somethingyou have read in ReNew, a prob-lem you have experienced, or agreat idea you have had. Pleaselimit questions to 350 words.Send letters to: ReNew, Level 1,39 Little Collins St, MelbourneVIC 3000, [email protected]

Copper hot water tankWe have an electric hot water servicewhich is 30 to 40 years old. It is in theroof and therefore gravity supplies hotwater to our bathroom and to no otherroom in the house. I have been told thatbecause of its age it will be made of cop-per and therefore will last forever?

We would like to keep it and connectto solar for heating it if possible. Does itmake sense to do this for one room in thehouse? Will the tank last as long as weneed it to? Do we need a green plumber?

Robyn [email protected]

Generally, 40 years would be considered theend of life for a copper tank. Many will lastlonger than that, but from a retrofitting point ofview, where you may have to replace or addfittings to the tank, it may not be in good enoughcondition to do this.

You could use it for heating in one room, butreally it would be cheaper just to use direct airsolar heating, which uses flate plate box heatersto heat air directly. Hydronic systems have theadvantage of having the water storage as a heatbank, but a small (relatively speaking) tankwhich would only use one or two collector pan-els would also not have that much heat storage,and the cost and added complexity might bemore hassle than it’s worth.

Personally, I would keep it as it is, and may-be add a solar collector to give you solar hotwater for the bathroom. You might be able to dothis without modifying the tank too much byusing a heat exchange system.

However, having said all of this, I wouldalso chat to a green plumber; there could be allsorts of options nowadays I’m not aware of.

Lance Turner

Not happy with networkagreementsIn November 2006 I purchased a largegrid connect solar system (eighteen 155watt panels and a 2.5kW inverter, cost-ing around $30,000). The system wassized to offset 100% of my grid elec-tricity usage.

I did not know that I was going to besent a bunch of contracts (Grid Con-nection and Electricity Buyback) tosign. I have spent eight months research-ing the implications of these agree-ments with my insurers, a solicitor, andvia the ATA (Brad Shone helped me outwith some research via ARGON). I findthat I am simply unable to sign them.They seem too risky to me and too fa-vourable to the other party (the gridoperator and the electricity retailer).

I realise that hundreds, if not thou-sands, of these systems have been in-stalled—but I just wonder if people haveread both the agreement/s and their in-surance policies.

Setting that aside, I’m hoping that youcan help by suggesting a way in which Ican get some value out of the system.

The supplier has offered to buy thesystem back at ‘slightly below cost’ (nodollars have been mentioned). The sup-plier has also provided a quote to con-vert the system to a 6kW RAPS usingthe grid as backup (ie. removing theneed to sign the agreement/s) but the$18,000 price is prohibitive.

Are you aware of any other technolo-gies that can be used to make solar elec-tricity available as needed in the house?

I’m reluctant to give up, as I’m a bit ofa greenie.

John SheehanStafford Heights QLD

The network agreements do seem to be writtenin favour of the retailers/distributors rather thanthe small generator/customer, but with all of thegrid-interactive systems running in Australia,there have only been relatively few issues withagreements. They have mostly been sorted outand customers are generally happy, even if theyare not getting a decent price for the power theygenerate.

Having said that, it sounds like you are nothappy with the agreements, so you need to workout a solution. To avoid a grid-interactive con-nection, you really have to have a stand-alonesystem with a grid backup. This can be pro-vided by some inverters, such as the Trace(Xantrex) SW series inverter/chargers. Youroriginal GI inverter is no use for this sort ofwork and you should get a refund on it. Ofcourse, you also need a suitably sized batterybank, so this will add several thousand dollarsto the system cost.

We have a system like this at the ATA’ssolar workshop, although that system is alsogrid interactive, but that option is simply amatter of telling the inverter whether it shouldsell to the grid or not—it is selectable on in-verters designed for this work. In a systemwhere you are not trying to sell power back tothe grid, the inverter/charger is simply anotherappliance, and so you won’t need any sort ofagreement to connect it.

The biggest problem I can see here is thatyour panels might be the higher voltage typesdesigned for grid interactive systems. Some pan-els have nominal outputs that are not really com-patible with battery systems. For instance, thepanels might be designed to run in a 72 volt GIsystem, but a 72 volt battery system isn’t realis-tic as it is hard to get inverters for this voltage.The most common voltages for home stand-alone systems are 12, 24 and 48 volts.

I’m not sure why they suggested that youneed to increase the power system to 6kW. Thiswould mean that you are probably using 15 to20kWh a day, which is a bit high for a houseon renewables. However, even with yourstand-alone system you don’t need a systemthat provides all that power, as you will also begrid connected. The inverter has a grid con-


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[Q&A]

nection and it draws power from the grid whenthe batteries get below a certain level, or whenthe load is excessive.

Really, providing the panels are of a suitablevoltage, you should just be able to add a batterybank, charge controller and appropriate inverterand stay with the array size you currently have.The only real drawback with doing this is thatthe overall system efficiency is lower than a pureGI system, as there are battery charging losses,and unless you have a maximum power pointtracking charge controller, the use of the panels isslightly less efficient too, as they will not be run-ning at their maximum power point.

Even without expanding the system this workand extra components will cost a fair amount,so you might want to consider the size of thefinal system. If the panels aren’t suitable, mak-ing the system a bit smaller will cover the cost ofthe panel exchange and mean that the battery,inverter etc can all be a bit smaller and cheaper.

So, you need to find an installer who knowshow to set up the sort of system outlined above(any installer should be able to do this).

Another option (that we don’t advocate inany way) is to go guerilla—ie connect the sys-tem without signing the agreements, and justdon’t tell the power company. They may or maynot get suspicious when your power bills mas-sively reduce, of course. This is what many peo-ple in the US did due to the inability of thepower companies there to come up with intelli-gent and fair contracts—many people just gaveup, installed their systems and threw the switch.

Lance Turner

Energy efficient TVsI was wondering if you have any infor-mation on energy efficient TV sets foruse in solar powered homes?

I’m sure I recall seeing LCD TVs ataround 50 watts but have recently seenthat they have been reported as not be-ing so efficient.

[email protected]

The energy consumption varies enormously, butthere are several factors that affect it. The first is

the size of the display—the bigger they are, themore energy they use, as you would expect. Also,resolution plays a part. HD TVs use more en-ergy as they have more pixels, all of which haveto be switched on and off.

The brightness of the display also affects en-ergy use. Adjusting the brightness down canreduce power consumption, so watching TV ina dark room rather than with the curtains wideopen is the best way to do it.

Some LCDs are now using LEDs as theirbacklighting source. Because the LEDs are di-rectional, they are more efficient than the CCFLtubes they replace and so use less energy.

Most TVs have decent standby power rat-ings now. Some use less than one watt in stand-by, so look for one of those, as the odds are theoverall consumption will have been reduced aswell. However, there are no givens with thesedevices, so your best bet is to check the powerrating on each machine in the store. While thisis a maximum power consumption rating, itdoes give you a number for comparison withother TVs.

You might be better off sticking with thatstandard CRT, some of them use surprisinglylittle power. My 80cm Akai uses less than 100watts on average. There are several new tech-nologies due to be released in the near future,including SED, OLED and laser TVs. Goto http://en.wikipedia.org and search for ‘TV’.Go to the bottom of the page and click the linksto the pages for the various new technologies.

Lance Turner

Wind turbine challengesI’m in the process of setting up a com-bined wind and solar RAPS installation.The site has great energy harvestingpotential as we have a grassy knoll onfive acres at an elevation of 450 metres,and very little surrounding disturbanc-es to airflow. My question relates to thesiting of equipment as the house is some60 metres from the hilltop.

If I’m using a 24 volt AC wind tur-bine, am I better to minimise the 24 voltcable length between the turbine andthe battery regulator, leaving a longerlength of 240 volt cable from the in-verter to the house, or take the reverseoption, with a long 24 volt run from theturbine to the regulator, leaving a short240 volt hop to the house?

Robert SpittleWonyip VIC

The higher the voltage, the lower the energy lossfor a given size of cable, so for a long 24 volt runyou will need a heavy cable, whereas for a 240volt run, even with standard cable there won’tbe much in the way of losses. The only problemthat can arise is that on some inverters, longcable runs can provide enough of a capacitiveload that it will falsely start the inverter whenthere is nothing connected. However, most larg-er inverters have adjustable autostart load set-tings, so that shouldn’t be an issue.

Lance Turner

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Greywater buyers guide What about tenants?

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