Solar Energy Sustainability
I have joined the ranks of the sustainable energy producers. It has been quite a long process. A solar energy company launched a Solar Project in our area. Just like others in the state they were promoting the Solar Homes and Communities Plan (previously Photovoltaic Rebate Program). In January this year I paid my deposit and applied for the rebate. At this time the solar company assessed my roof for the potential site of the panels. They had to go on the rear, as the solar hot water system was on the north facing section of roof. I was also 'given' a Wattson Energy metering device (part of the deal). The Wattson shows you how much energy in watts that you are using at any moment in time. Now that the system is up and running it shows how much I am producing and also the nett amount. Initially, this helped identify where I was wasting/using energy and I subsequently turned off the television and computer at the wall and was very mindful of energy usage.
Upon approval of the rebate in late March, I had to wait for more people in my area to take up the solar offer for us all to qualify for the Solar Project. We received the final go ahead in late May. I paid the final amount on 2 June and the panels were erected on 5 June. The electrical work was completed on 8 June. I had applied for the Grid Connect Process through Country Energy in late May, not knowing that it would take five weeks for this approval to be processed (I should have applied for the Grid Connect earlier!). On 3 July Country Energy came to connect the two-way meter for the grid connection - a full month after the system was on the roof and ready! And for some unknown reason it has taken until now for me to receive my rebate, some 19 weeks later.
I applied to sell my RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates) at the end of July and they were eventually sold and I received the money at the end of September. This also took longer than I expected.
I paid $12,547.00 minus $8,000 rebate minus $792 RECs (22). The whole system ended up costing me $3,755.
I have a 1080W (1.08kW) system including 6x180W Kyocera panels and a Latronic PVEW2500 inverter (for future expansion, possibly wind). I have included a few photographs from various angles. I have been taking readings from my two-way meter at the end of each month to compare my usage and production. Last month I produced 57% of what I used! With Summer fast approaching this will increase every day. I can't wait for my next electricity bill!

Blackberries Be Gone
Over the last year my Dad has been progressively trying to eradicate selected patches of blackberries, working away at them with the mower and whipper snipper with a steel disk instead of line. About a month ago he finished cutting down a large patch of blackberries on the walls of the front dam. Then three weekends ago I sprayed the new shoots that had emerged since Dad had finished cutting using a backpack spraying device that had been bought years ago and never been used. The poison I used was called Erase Biaquatic Total Weed, which was supposed to be frog and fish friendly but would kill blackberries. I also sprayed a few stray blackberries coming up through the wood piles next to the wood shed. After three weeks they are actually showing signs of being sick. Some leaves are yellowing and curling. I haven't been over to the dam since I sprayed but I think I will have to spray them a second time to actually kill them. I was going to do that this weekend but it was way too hot to be outside spraying weeds. Maybe another weekend. I have included a photo of the cleared area. Unfortunately, we don't have a 'before' photo. This whole area was covered with at least 1 metre high blackberries.

Shed Skylight
About six months ago in an Autumn storm a sheet of corrugated iron came off the shed roof. Because it was over the car area I didn't rush out to fix it. Then I realised that I liked light shining into the front end of the shed, as it was very dark in this area. I eventually bought a sheet of Laserlite. Then six months after the original sheet of iron came off, I eventually arranged for a handyman to come and install the Laserlight sheet (plus mend numerous other loose iron sheets and ridge capping). Now I have a skylight in the front of the shed. Of course this introduced another problem of the sun shining on the freezer. This problem was remedied by using two reflective 'space blankets'.

Last Lamb
On 30 September there was a new lamb. I thought all the ewes had either had their lamb or lost their lamb/s. The mum was Rosie, one of the lambs from last year! (My neighbour tells me that it is 'okay' for sheep to mate with their father but not their grandfather.) This little lamb is a boy and so there are no worries of that happening. My neighbour, who sold me the ram, says Rambo only has one season left in him, so I am keeping him until maybe April or May next year and then selling him, probably for pet food or something (poor Rambo). Rambo has given me three good merino lambs from last year and two from this year, plus a few eating lambs as well.

Profit on Wool
Bobby was shorn on 11 October. I had no trouble getting him on the trailer and off the trailer at the other end. He walked on the lead very well and made me look like I knew what I was doing. I now have another bag of brown alpaca fleece. I have actually started spinning one of his fleeces from a previous year, although I have a long way to go.
The sheep were also shorn on 15 October. Steve stayed over to help me with the skirting and bagging the fleece. This year I borrowed two bale bags from the wool brokers, one for merino and one for the cross breeds. We kept two of the merino lambs fleeces separate. And of course we bagged Ebony's grey wool and Coco's black wool separately, plus Rambo's wool because it was short, as he was shorn at crutching time this year. I didn't take a photo of either the sheep all naked and white or the wool haul but I guess that never changes. Although, I would have liked to have shown the comparison between the two small bags of merino lambs wool (one was accidentally put with the rest of the merino, otherwise there would have been three) that sold for more than the huge bale of 7 cross breed fleeces. I have today paid for the shearing and I sold the wool last week, making a profit of $140!