21 July 2014 Announcement from Mike Laughton-Smith - Chair of SEA Board of Directors

It is my regret to inform you that our CEO, Kirsten Rose, is leaving SEA. Kirsten has accepted an exciting leadership role with another industry association in WA.

This is not surprising considering the outstanding contribution she has made to SEA and our industry over the last two years. Articulate and engaging, Kirsten has built strong relationships with members and stakeholders. She has been a dedicated and effective advocate for our industry, most recently through her leadership of the WA Renewable Energy Alliance.

These are dynamic and challenging times for our industry. The SEA Board and Executive believe that the need has never been greater for a strong industry association to support and promote the interests of members. We are now engaged in a transition plan and appreciate your continued support. Kirsten will leave us in mid August and we will keep you informed of developments.

We thank Kirsten for her considerable contribution to SEA, and wish her continued success in her new role.

Mike Laughton-Smith
SEA Chair

13 June 2014 - CitySwitch Green Office Program

SEA has joined CitySwitch Green Office which currently has over 600 commercial office tenancies signed up to the free national energy efficiency program.  The program embraces a diverse cross-section of industry, including financial services, architecture, government, legal services, the property sector and not-for-profits - and these commercial tenancies cover more than TWO MILLION square metres.  The CitySwtich Green Office program works with tenants to reduce carbon output and increase energy efficiency, as well as saving money on power bills by implementing an energy plan that covers technology, behaviours and the features of the building itself. Each tenancy is eligible to receive a free energy audit to identify relevant no-and-low-cost energy upgrades and benchmark energy efficiency improvements using the NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) tool.

If you are a small to medium sized office-based business, and are interested in finding out more information, please contact Christina Hughes at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.cityswitch.net.au.

21 May 2014 - IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO OWNERS OF SOLAR PV SYSTEMS:

WA EnergySafety issued a warning on 21 May 2014 about a switch used in some solar PV systems installed since January 1, 2012 that may be dangerous. Specific makes and models of this switch are faulty and have caused fires in homes and businesses in Queensland and New South Wales.

This is not an issue that affects all systems, but it's important to check whether your PV system includes one of the potentially faulty switches. The type of switch that is at issue is called a ‘DC isolator', and it is used to disconnect the current produced by the solar panels so electricians can work safely on the installation.

Although all PV systems will have a DC isolator, there are many brands of this type of switch and only a few are potentially faulty. The defective brands are:

• ‘Avanco' branded DC isolators
• ‘PV Power' branded DC isolators
• ‘GEN3' and ‘SPM' branded isolators

Although the Sustainable Energy Association believes these isolators are not used widely in Western Australia, we remind members and consumers alike that safety is the most important concern.  We strongly advise PV owners to follow the instructions issued by Energy Safety which can be found here, and check to see if their system includes one of the defective isolators. Detailed instructions on what to look for can be found here.

If you believe your system does include one of these brands of DC isolators, please follow EnergySafety's instructions for shutting down your system, which a homeowner can do simply and safely. Then contact the PV retailer you bought your system from.

If you have any difficulty reaching the PV retailer, contact EnergySafety directly on 08 6251 1900 or contact SEA directly on 08 9228 1292 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

RET Review Submission

SEA has co-authored a submission to the RET Review with WAREA - WA Renewable Energy Alliance, a group of individuals and organisations formed to advocate against any dilution or removal of the RET.

A delegation from SEA and WAREA recently appeared before the RET Review Panel in Perth, where the focus of the session was on investment, jobs, and certainty (both SRES and LRET), and the benefits of renewables and the problems of taking away the RET.

Key points from the submission were covered, and all representatives did a great job bringing many of those points to life through 'real life' examples.

There was a good balance between discussing overall issues and how those play out here in WA, and they were able to point out some of the subtle, but important differences between the WEM and the NEM.

To read the submission to the RET Review please click here.

March 2014 - Energising WA 2014 - 6th Edition

Read the latest stories and acheivements from a selection of our members in the electronic edition of our annual liftout produced in conjuction with The West Australian Newspaper - a SEA Enterprise member. To download a low resolution PDF copy (3mb) please click on the cover image below, or for a higher resolution (11mb) please click here.

2012 - 6 Star Building Guides

Perhaps working with SEA may be of interest. SEA is a lean, not- for-profit industry association, but it is always happy to consider volunteers and unpaid interns to help keep research and information provision at its best. If you would like to know more and you know you have what it takes to build a better sustainable energy future for Australia, please contact us.