Walk into any pub in the New England and you’ll meet at least one person who professes to know everything there is to know about solar and renewable energy. Go to your favourite social media platform, and you can guarantee there will be 20 people who will tell you they know everything about solar and renewable energy. Indeed, they may know, but it’s more likely that they a spruiking stories that have little foundation.
You would think that finding the facts about solar and other renewable energy would be a gruelling task. All that science and the mystical way a flat black solar panel can turn sun power into electricity is surely beyond we mere mortals.
It isn’t.
David Mailler and Methuen Morgan from Uralla’s Meralli Solar discovered the virtues of solar power when they were at UNE. Methuen, a lecturer and David, a student, saw the value of renewable energy and how the business could help communities thrive, not only in the New England but around Australia.
The first project: Australian and no government money!
David was instrumental in the successful installation of Australia’s first privately funded award-winning solar farm. He also project managed ‘Dunblane’ the largest solar farm of its type in the world, 11MW installed in just 10 weeks.
David knows a lot about the technology, but he also knows that without people, none of his projects would come to fruition. Staff are the most important part of any of his projects.
“Staff are what make you the money – they get it installed”.
Those teams David builds for each project come from local communities. The problem for many organisations is that they look for people who have the skills to do the work. David Mailler has a different approach. He believes that to get the job done, mindset is more important than skillset.
“We’ve taken people from all sorts of backgrounds…people who have never had a job before…skilled them up to think about what they are capable of, and (once they have completed their contract) they have moved on to other jobs.”
That impact on the community is positive. New jobs, exposure for those who may never have had an opportunity to get work, and the self-value it instils in that person and their family. All of this done with private funding, no taxpayers money.
Cheap power
The building of the renewable farms are a financial boon to the local communities and offer those communities jobs and training. But the real question is the bottom line. How does renewable energy compare to coal and gas?
There are four coal/gas power stations in NSW. If one of those stations goes offline, the power severely impacted.
There are 16 solar farms and 16 wind farms in NSW, 32 sources of renewable energy. If one of those farms goes offline, there are 31 solar/wind farms to make up the lost power. Add to that more than a million households with solar panels, and the supply picture becomes clear.
The infrastructure and the decentralised power stations should be the big selling point, and it is, but there is an even greater selling point, the cost of wind and solar power is half the cost of coal and gas.
So why do we pay so much for electricity?
Wholesale electricity prices have become cheaper since 2022, but power bills have continued to climb.
According to the regulator, the Default Market Offer (DMO) which sets the maximum price retailers can charge customers on default contracts, there are multiple factors including weather and power system events that can impact the market and increase wholesale power prices and impact on retailers’ expectations for future contracts. David Mailler has a different take on the problem.
“We see power prices going up because we haven’t prepared enough renewables in this space to keep your power price down.”
Moratorium?
The call from the NSW Nationals for a moratorium on renewable energy projects has left many people confused.
“We have to remember, the previous government put this in place. For them to ask for a moratorium, on their own work, is a bit odd,” Mailler said.
You can watch the full interview with David Mailler at our video channel, New England Today: https://youtu.be/ehtp2tbOXHU
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