Renewable Energy

We went to a talk about renewable energy in WA which was quite interesting. A guy from verve energy talked about possible renewable energy recourses for WA. I actually though it is so sunny and windy here, why don’t they put up solar cells and wind farms and they should have enough energy for everyone! But unfortunately it is not that simple. The highest demand for energy in summer is in the evening, when the sun is setting. They set up wind farms already, but setting up more will be difficult because the coast is either too far away from the grid or it is a nature reserve.
I think the crux of the matter is the cost for energy and also water here in WA. Water costs around A$0.45 per 1000 litre (compared to A$3.30 in Germany)!!!! Setting up a rainwater tank to water the garden will take years to be profitable! Energy costs about A$0.13 per kWh, compared to A$0.32 in Germany. With prices that low, renewable energies are hardly profitable and people don’t feel the need to save water.