Keith of James Cook Uni, The Univeresity of Adelaide

Climate change and electricity generating costs require energy use to change from fossil fuel to electricity and renewable sources. This has advantages and problems for both generators and consumers. South Australia is a world leader with a >70% renewable electricity grid. Solar PV results in negative wholesale prices on most days. Time of Use Tariffs encourage more midday demand and discourage early morning and evening demand. The talk will give a background on the present electricity supply, look at future changes and discusses what steps can be taken by consumers to minimise their energy costs and the payback times involved. The presenter’s home will be used as an example.

Biography:

Cornelis (Keith) Kikkert, has been an academic since 1970 at both The University of Adelaide and James Cook University. For 7 years he was the head of Electrical and Computer Engineering at JCU. He has written a book on RF electronics (4 ed), 4 book chapters, more than 100 peer reviewed papers and is the inventor on 5 patent applications. His research area is the design and development of electronic equipment for frequencies from 50Hz to microwaves. Over the last 12 years the PV and battery system on his home has changed, so that now his total energy bill is close to zero and his house is carbon negative.

Email:

Address:Mount Barker, South Australia, Australia, 5251