The Blue Mountains Permaculture Institute has co-ordinated two community bulk buy projects and is initiating a 3rd bulk buy project for window insulation:

• Solar Panels with Aussie Solar - to date over 200 households in the Blue Mountains have chosen to go solar

• The Hazelnut Tree Project (initiated by Blackheath C.A.N. in 2008 and continued by the Institute for 2009). In 2008 over 400 hazelnut trees became part of a "distributed orchard" in the Blue Mountains. Orders are now being taken for trees which will be available at the end of July.

Bathurst Community Climate Action Group BCCAN is now also co-ordinating a Community Bulk Buy of Hazelnut trees. A seminar on growing hazelnuts will be held in Bathurst at 2pm on the 30th May, 2009. See calendar for more details.

In partnership with the Blue Mountains/Central West Branch of the Alternative Technology Association the Institute is now also taking orders for a discount bulk purchase of Clear Comfort transparent window insulation kits.

This is a low budget, quick and effective way to insulate windows. Contact Lis if you'd like to take part.

Ph. 61 - 2 - 47877533

The Hazelnut Tree Project

In 2008, Blackheath CAN Inc. co-ordinated The Hazelnut Tree Project - a community bulk buy of hazelnut trees from Australia's Largest Hazelnut tree propagator in the Megalong Valley. As a result of the community bulk purchase the trees were made available to local residents for only $13 each. To date over 400 hazelnut trees have been distributed through the Mountains with 4 main varieties selected for optimum pollination and nut production - the J5, the Butler, the Halls Giant and the Ennis.

Blackheath's local chocolate shop, Josophan's, has used the locally grown Ennis hazelnuts to make an exceptionally delicious chocolate.

As well as producing a high protein food with trees that are wind, not bee pollinated, hazelnuts are also an excellent hedge plant.

Orders are now being taken for 2009. 

PRESS RELEASE

Blue Mountains Set to Become a Solar Neighbourhood

Thanks to the Community Bulk Buy Discounts on solar panels that we've co-ordinated with Aussie Solar, the Blue Mountains is well on the way to becoming a Solar Neighbourhood. Due to an unprecedented run on the Federal Government's Solar Panel rebate scheme, around 1000 households a week are applying for solar panel rebates - 30 times more than the Government budgetted for. According to Lis Bastian, who is co-ordinating the Bulk Buy Programme, Aussie Solar has guaranteed that, despite huge price increases on imported solar panels, the price of the current offer will remain the same for this project. It means you can get a 1kW system with a 2 kW inverter (which allows you to add another kW at a later date) for under $2000 after receiving the rebate. A 1kW system has an output of about 5kWh per day, which is about one third to one quarter of your energy needs, depending on your energy usage. This could reduce your annual energy bill by around $300 per year. This means that it would only take about 3 years to earn back your investment. If feed-in tarrifs are introduced you might even start earning money from the grid."

Supporters of renewable energy have been lobbying hard for feed-in schemes like those in Germany and other countries. According to Lis this would make solar energy more viable for all Australian households. "The principle of feed-in schemes in Germany," said Lis, "is that you get paid more for the energy that your solar panel produces than you would pay if you bought that energy yourself from the grid. If, for example, you went away on holidays over summer, your solar panel would continue to convert the sun's energy and feed it into the grid. If the feed-in tarrif was at least $0.60 per kWh your solar panel would be earning you around $3 a day while you were away. If you had a 2 kW system this would be about $6 a day, and so on. Add this to your other savings for having the panels, and this would make your investment in solar extremely viable.

Several Australian states already have feed-in tariff schemes in place - South Australia, Queensland and Victoria have introduced net feed-in tariffs which means they pay homeowners for the electricity exported to the grid minus what is consumed in the home at the time it is produced.
According to Lis, however, there should be a National Feed-in Tariff and it should be a Gross feed in rate. This means that you are paid for all the energy made by your system and any extra power you use from the grid you buy at the current rate.

For example, a home that uses on average 20kW per day and has a solar system that produces on average 10kW per day will be paid for that at say 60c per kW ($6.00) and will pay say 15c per kW to the energy company for the power it uses to supplement the solar system. Net daily gain would be $4.50.

On July 2nd, the ACT Parliament passed the Electricity Feed-In Tariff Bill which approved Australia's first gross feed-in tariff. The bill comes into effect no later than July 2009 but there is every expectation that this bill will be effective before the end of this year.

Key features of the Bill are payment will be 3.88 times the tariff - approx 60c/kWh. Both business and the residential sector can benefit. This is also the first time there are incentives in place to encourage the commercial sector to invest in solar power.

"Buying solar panels now, with the Community Bulk Buy discount and the current rebate while it still exists, and before import prices go up even further, is an extremely smart move," said Lis. "Then we just have to lobby NSW to follow the ACT's lead! It's estimated that with a 2kW system, the per annum net gain in the ACT will be in the realm of $1629."

If you'd like to be part of this Discounted Community Bulk Buy of solar panels contact Lis on 47877533.

To find out more contact Lis at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it