Solar Energy In The Daintree

The Daintree Coast - the area north of the Daintree River - has no grid power. Residents must generate their own electricity. In 1995 the State and Federal Governments repurchased large blocks of land in the Daintree to reduce the size of the settlement.

As part of the process, grants were made to all residents in the Daintree to install alternative energy systems, mainly solar installations with a few micro-hydro systems to provide basic electricity needs.

What IS a solar energy system?

Essentially it consists of an array of solar panels (called photovoltaic or PV) which convert sunshine directly into electricity, which is then used to charge a battery bank. Energy is drawn from these batteries, though an inverter, which uses the Direct Current (DC) from the batteries to generate Alternating Current (AC) to power the electrical needs of the resident. The solar panels are usually mounted on the roof, although they may be on separate structures.

Solar power generation has the virtue of being silent, non-polluting, and more or less free, in comparison with a fossil fuel powered generator (which the larger commercial establishments in the region rely on). However, even the best solar system needs a ‘back–up’ generator for those grey and rainy days which typify a tropical rainforest environment.

Despite this, some households in the Daintree are able to service over 90% of their power needs using solar energy, and they can do so without burning significant amounts of fossil fuels - very much where we ALL have to move in the near future.

Another form of solar energy used in the area, is solar thermal - in this case solar hot-water systems, which greatly reduce our need for burning propane gas to heat water. Solar hot water requires even less attention than solar electric systems and further reduces our dependence on non-renewable energy sources - it is the one solar energy system we should ALL have on our roofs!!

More Information

If you are interested in learning more about solar energy, make sure you visit The Bat House while you are in the Daintree.

Written by Dr. Hugh Spencer, Director of Austrop Foundation and The Bat House

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