Antinuclear

Uranium Enrichment company Silex now runs Solar Firm

the re-opening of the plant will force a moral dilemma on go-greeners in the country. Do they really want to invest in Australian-made solar panels, when they will also, indirectly, be investing in nuclear energy?

Sydney’s largest solar panel plant rescued from the brink of extinction,  Photovoltaics International27 April 2010 | By Emma Hughes “……As BP closed its doors for the final time, Australia’s PV manufacturing industry looked like it would never again see the light of day. It was then that the unexpected occurred, the fate of the dormant plant was left in the hands of a nuclear energy research company. SilexSolar has now given the facility a new breath of life as it opens its doors once more……

Australian uranium enrichment group Silex Systems’ subsidiary, SilexSolar, spotted the bargain and managed to purchase the plant from BP Solar in 2009 for a far lower figure than would be expected, as BP was keen to move on. SilexSolar then worked to get the facility up-and-running as soon as was possible.

Now that the plant’s machines are back in action, the Olympic Park plant will produce up to 10,000 rooftop solar panel systems a year, filling more than 10% of Australia’s demand for solar panels, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

However, while the revival of the plant is an obvious boost for the lagging Australian industry – – which suffers from a lack of investment compared with other countries such as China, the U.S. and Germany – – the re-opening of the plant will force a moral dilemma on go-greeners in the country. Do they really want to invest in Australian-made solar panels, when they will also, indirectly, be investing in nuclear energy?

Silex Systems’ CEO, Michael Goldsworthy thinks they will. “Solar and nuclear energy are a great fit,” he said. “

April 28, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, business, solar, uranium | antinuclear, Australia, enriched, nuclear costs, renewable, solar, uranium