The Sun in Australia has always been hot. It’s not even ten o’clock in the morning here and we are already sweating. On average, there’s 300 days of sunshine a year. It’s just roasting hot today, and we get it.
Harnessing Solar Power
The Sun is strong, so strong that it can power our lives. My name is Dr. Gemma Green, and I am a co-founder and the chairman of Power Ledger, a technology company that facilitates peer-to-peer trading of electricity.
Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading
Every day, people with solar panels can trade electricity with their neighbors. Neighbors like Martin are part of a program that lets them and other participants in their apartment complex buy and sell excess power from each other. Because Martin can buy and sell solar power, he can turn on the lights, the ceiling fan, his computer, and even charge it or turn on the kettle—all on solar power.
A New Concept in Solar Energy
We came up with this concept recognizing that in the past 15 years, households across Australia have been installing solar panels, but they haven’t had the ability to trade electricity with each other. So if one house hasn’t used its solar supply, residents can sell it to a house in need. They can even set their own price, like Martin does. “We can actually set the minimum price we’d like to sell it,” Martin explains.
Building a Solar Community
There are other benefits too. It also creates a sense of community because people with solar panels and batteries can donate their electricity to community groups and schools. It’s just a small part of our lifestyle going into the sharing economy.
A Sunny Future
There is definitely no shortage of sunlight here in Australia. We’ve got enough Sun to run this country’s energy needs over and over again. My hopes for projects like these are that they’ll demonstrate what’s possible in our energy future. Citizens will be empowered to get involved, and we will really deliver a low-cost, clean, and resilient electricity system.
