Australia’s 1 million solar systems, 8,000 solar jobs, and solar’s financial benefits
the recent national 1 million systems milestone being reached
Australia’s solar industry currently employs over 8,000 Australians.
a good quality 5kW solar power system can return a financial benefit of up to $2,540 each year, depending on installation location.
Australia’s Top Solar Postcodes – 2013 Update http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3675 8 April 2013. Australia’s Clean Energy Council (CEC) has released updated data showing the nation’s top solar postcodes.
Top 10 postcodes in Australia (ranked by number of installed solar panel systems), current as of 10 March 2013: Continue reading
Wollongong’s revolutionary “solar renewal house”
A Photovoltaic Thermal Air System creates heat in winter while in summer the system creates cool air through the night. In winter the thermal storage allows the system to store heat during the day and then release this to the home at night. In summer the reverse occurs.
Solar renewal in the suburbs http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/solar-renewal-in-the-suburbs/story-e6frg8io-1226611687319 BY:STEPHEN BROOK :The Australian April 05,
A QUIET design revolution is taking place in the streets of Wollongong which, if successful, could change the shape of the construction industry and our suburban landscape at the same time.
A team of 30 students from the University of Wollongong and the adjacent TAFE Illawarra, schooled in the disciplines of engineering, architecture, creative design, construction and marketing, supported by a network from industry and academia, are close to realising their dream – the transformation of the humblest of domestic dwellings, the fibro home, into an energy- efficient house of world class.
Just how world class will become apparent in August when the project – dubbed the Illawarra Flame – is displayed on the world stage.
The Illawarra Flame has won a place in the finals of the Solar Decathlon, one of the world’s biggest renewable energy competitions, scheduled to take place in August in the city of Datong, in northern China. Continue reading
Rapid growth in Australia’s home solar systems
1,000,000+ Rooftop Solar Power Systems Installed In Australia http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3674 5 April 13 More than one million solar panel systems have been installed on the rooftops of homes and businesses throughout the nation. According to a Sydney Morning Herald article, the milestone was passed last month states an analysis by SunWiz Consulting; which found 1,011,478 systems had been installed by the end of March. This figure does not include solar hot water systems.
It wasn’t that long ago the 1 million mark seemed like a pipe dream – in 2001 only 118 Australian homes had solar panels installed. Continue reading
Solar energy plant for Broken Hill approved by New South Wales govt
$200m Broken Hill solar plant approved ABC News By Eugene Boisvert Apr 2, 2013 A $200 million solar power station for the far west has been recommended for approval by the NSW Government.
Electricity company AGL is planning to build the plant at Rob Day Station south-west of Broken Hill.AGL has indicated there will be 150 jobs in construction and four ongoing positions once the solar power plant is operational at the end of 2015.
The company has agreed to environmental conditions the state has imposed in approving the solar power station….. AGL is also planning to build a wind farm near Silverton. It has not yet been approved for construction.
Both have been named major projects by the NSW Government. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-02/24200m-solar-plant-approved-by-state-government/4604438
Queensland’s way of slowing down solar rooftop energy
Political moves in Australia’s renewable energy landscape, PV Magazine 25 MARCH 2013 BY: JONATHAN GIFFORD, “……….In the state of Queensland, where over 1 GW of photovoltaics is expected to have been installed when its Feed In Tariff expires on July 10, a report into the electricity market has suggested new pricing structures for households installing a photovoltaic array……
The report recommended that a price of AUD0.0755/kWh be paid for electricity fed back into the grid from photovoltaic arrays, in south east Queensland, in 2013/14. It also found that compulsory minimum FITs were not required, and left the possibility of “gross FITs” open. Gross Feed In Tariffs have been vigorously opposed by the solar and renewable energy industry as they essentially prevent the self-consumption of electricity from a rooftop array.
In areas outside of the major population centers in the state, the Competition Authority report recommends the monopoly utility pay between AUD0.08 – AUD0.14/kWh for solar electricity from households.
The report has been criticized by supporters of renewable energy, because it does not take into account the advantages and savings that additional photovoltaic capacity adds, but rather assesses it only as a cost. These advantages include the reduction of wholesale electricity prices – the “merit order effect” – and a reduction of demand in peak times.
The report was also illustrative of some of the potential obstacles the solar industry may face in the future in Australia. The Queensland Department of Energy Supply and Water proposed to the Competition Authority that a limit be introduced to the amount of electricity that could quality for a FIT from each household and even the right of utilities to refuse solar connections http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/political-moves-in-australias-renewable-energy-landscape_100010677/#ixzz2OxVmPPeE
The facts on Australia’s potential for rooftop solar energy
Rooftop Solar Could Supply 134% Of Australian Residential
Power Needs (includes excellent table illustrating Australia’s rooftop potential and costs) http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3660 27 March 2013: Australians feeling the pinch from high electricity prices have an economical alternative, and if every suitable rooftop in Australia was turned into a solar power station, the amount of energy generated would supply more than 134.8% of the country’s residential electricity needs.
Not only would the installation of solar on every roof be a boon for jobs, the cost of the electricity being generated would be reduced to a mere 7 cents per kWh. This potential new pricing point is in total contrast to what Australians are currently paying; up to 40 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh)1 in some parts of the country, which is predicted to continue climbing. Continue reading
Commercial solar panel leasing takes off in South Australia
Energy Matters’ Australian First For Commercial Solar Leasing http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3657 28 March 13 National solar solutions provider Energy Matter has announced a commercial solar leasing program offering South Australian businesses the opportunity to install a solar power system with zero up front costs.
The announcement was made at the recent formal unveiling of Ullrich Aluminium’s latest solar installation; a 30kW commercial system at their Pooraka, South Australia facility. Continue reading
Australia’s politicians cool on solar power, but public enthusiastic
Solar-loving Australians want more action on renewables: survey http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/solar-loving-australians-want-more-action-on-renewables-survey-30990 By Sophie Vorrath 19 March 2013 Where does Australia – with its abundant solar resource and expanses of and suitable for wind farms – rank in the global renewable energy production stakes? The answer: 31st. Surprising? Well, it was to the majority of respondents to a new national survey on renewable energy, two-thirds of whom had assumed their country would be ranked better than that.
The survey of 1,283 Australians – commissioned by WWF-Australia for Earth Hour, conducted by AMR Research and released today – has found that 87% of Australians want more action by all sectors, including government, to make Australia a top-10 global producer of renewable energy.
Rather less surprisingly, the survey also found that the average Australian is, by and large, more positive about renewable energy than the nation’s politicians – believing that renewable energy should account for 27 per cent of Australia’s total energy mix by 2020, rather than the current national target of 20 per cent renewables by 2020. Continue reading
New solar panel safety regulations
New Solar Panel Fire Rating Regulations in Australia http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3612 27 Feb 13 From July 16 this year, all makes and models of solar panels installed in Australia will need to have passed a new fire safety test. Continue reading
“Buyer Beware”: need for research in buying solar panels
From July 16 this year, all makes and models of solar panels installed in Australia will need to have passed a new fire safety test.
Energy Matters also offers a popular Solar Power Consumers Guide; a free 23 page electronic publication designed to help consumers select the right solar power system for their needs and avoid some of the potential pitfalls.
Consumer Affairs On Solar : ‘You Get What You Pay For’ http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3620 4 March 13, Shoddy solar products are in the headlines again after a major solar company went into voluntary administration last week and news other companies are in the spotlight for issues relating to quality.
According to AdelaideNow, two “significant” companies with a presence in South Australia have been called into compulsory conciliation meetings after a number of complaints relating to workmanship and materials.
“People get what they pay for … people need to do their research,” said Consumer Affairs Commissioner Paul White, who noted some cases of relatively low-quality inverters and panels being installed. Continue reading
Solar air conditioning is the answer for Australians affected by extreme hot weather
Grandparents Carking It In The Heat? Install Renewable Energy!, Clean Technica March 1, 2013 Ronald BrakelsWorld temperatures are rising, resulting in increasing mortality from heat stress. Or to put it another way, more people are dropping dead because it’s too damn hot. Unfortunately this is nothing new in Australia. Dropping dead from damn hotness has always been popular in these parts. Here in South Australia about 75 people currently die from it each year.
Other people building wind turbines or installing solar on their roofs can push down electricity prices for everyone and help prevent old people from dying when it’s too damn hot, but an excellent way to keep down electricity prices for the elderly is to put solar panels on the roofs of any old people whom you’d like to see continue to shuffle around on this mortal coil.
Rooftop solar is especially good for powering air conditioners as it produces the most electricity on hot, cloudless, summer days. It is particularly good for air conditioning when it faces west, or partially west, as then it can produce plenty of power all through the afternoon. It will produce less electricity when it’s cloudy, but it’s not so hot when it’s cloudy, so that’s not a real problem. And sure, it can still be hot after the sun goes down, but that’s not such a big deal if the house is already cool. No one is likely to die from it being too damn hot if they turn off their air conditioner at sunset.
For most Australians the feed-in tariff for new solar is now about 8 cents a kilowatt-hour. This means it will cost a person with a couple of kilowatts or more of rooftop solar perhaps 18 cents an hour to run a room air conditioner in a heat wave. Considering that ice-cream cones can cost $7.50 here, that’s a pretty good deal and only the most price sensitive of Australians would be too cheap to turn on the air conditioner at that cost.
Mildura area(Victoria) to get revolutionary new solar spin cell project
Solar Spin Cells To Be Manufactured Near Mildura http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3609, 25 Feb 13, A major solar project has been announced for north-west Victoria’s large-scale industrial hub at Thurla, south of Mildura. SIL Global Limited (SILG) has acquired a 20-acre site at Thurla Industrial Park and a licence to manufacture solar products for the US technology developer V3Solar Corporation.
Construction of the manufacturing and assembly plant will begin this year says President of V3 Solar, Michael Neistat.
“The facility will enable production of spin cells for the second stage of the SILG solar power generation plant. The plant will allow us to implement our plan to build a solar generation plant comprising 800,000 spin cell units – the largest power station of its type in the world.”
The Thurla Industrial Park is evolving as a hub for large-scale industrial development in north west Victoria and the estate’s developer, Col Beasley, says the new interest from solar heralds what will be the strongest year of employment and economic growth in the park’s history.
“The new players in the solar field are going to be the catalyst for a lot of other industries going in out here,” he said. “It’s exciting that the vision we had when we started the industrial estate is starting to come together now.”
The Thurla Industrial Park has attracted a strong mix of industrial and technology clients, due mainly to its location and large lot sizes.
“We’re getting more and more inquiries. It’s been surprisingly strong and seems to be generated mostly by these solar announcements and by our location as a cross-road between Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide,” Mr Beasley said.
Thurla Industrial Park is located at Red Cliffs in Victoria’s Sunraysia region, 16 km south of Mildura and 544 km north-west of Melbourne.
Australia not actually DOING much about solar thermal, but doing Research anyway
It would be better if Australia were to get going on building solar thermal power plants, rather than stick to just research for 8 years. Sort of a delaying tactic?
Australia’s CSIRO to lead solar thermal research initiative http://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/article/australia-s-csiro-to-lead-solar-thermal-20130218 Dan McCueMonday, 18 February 2013 Australia’s CSIRO is partnering with six Australian universities and the United States’ Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia National Laboratories and Arizona State University on an eight-year solar thermal research initiative, which aims to lower the cost of solar thermal power from 25 to around 10 cents a kilowatt hour. Continue reading
Solar pholtovoltaic energy plant planned for Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Investec plans 50MW solar PV plant near Kalgoorlie, REneweconomy By Giles Parkinson 13 February 2013 Global banking and asset management group Investec is working on a proposal to build a 50MW solar PV power plant near Kalgoorlie, in what is likely to be the first solar plant of its size in Australia.
Investec is hopeful of sealing land tenure at Mungari, about 26kms from Kalgoorlie, in the next month or so, and then will go to market to seek a power purchase agreement and lock in project finance. Construction on the project could begin next year.
The Mungari project is one of two currently being studied by Investec in WA – the other being the Chapman solar PV project near Geraldton, which was originally billed as a solar hybrid but may emerge as a solar PV only project.
WA is emerging as one potentially of the hottest regions for the utility scale solar industry, thanks to its excellent solar resources and relatively high electricity prices.
Bloomberg New Energy Finance last week said that solar PV plants in WA would have an estimated levellised cost of energy of around $157/MWh, compared to more than $190/MWh for new coal-fired generation in the state, where the cost of coal is expensive. BNEF expects the LCOE of solar PV to fall below $100/MWh by 2020.
Despite this, and helping fund the country’s first utility scale solar plant, a 10MW facility near Geraldton, the conservative state government is focused on new coal-fired generators, and is currently restoring its ageing Muja coal fired generator near Collie (and facing a major cost blow-out).Investec project manager Lynne Lagan said Kalgoorlie made sense because of its excellent solar resources and its location at the edge of the South-West Interconnected System – the grid that services the south west corner of the state.
Lagan said there was a single 220kW line going to Kalgoorlie, so a limited amount of generation could be brought in. “It makes sense to put some generation in this part of the network,” she told RenewEconomyby phone from Kalgoorlie on Tuesday.
“That’s why chosen this location. We been working on project for 18 months on land tenure and we are now looking to finalise those arrangements.”
Lagan said Investec’s numbers on the cost of the solar plant were about the same as Bloomberg New Energy Finance. And she noted there was a huge amount of interest from miners, many who operate on remote locations but are forced to truck in gas or diesel at horrendous costs – often at around 400/MWh or even more. Building this plant could open up further opportunities.
“This sort of project makes sense regardless of whether it considered as a “renewables” project,” she said. “There is a lot of expensive diesel generation here and we are having discussions with some of mining operations. They just want power that makes sense at a sensible price.”……
City of Kalgoorlie Boulder CEO Don Burnett told ABC radio that the region was a perfect and secure location for a large scale solar station because of the guaranteed sunshine.
“It’s a great location for a solar proposal and the benefits to the city and the region would be immense, but also it’s a great opportunity for the state and federal governments to be involved in innovation in sustainable energy.” http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/investec-plans-50mw-solar-pv-plant-near-kalgoorlie-22039
Port Augusta, South Australia – ideal for solar thermal power plant, not for just a cheap solar booster for coal
What’s really needed is a solar thermal plant with molten storage, in
fact it is the only option if repowering Port Augusta is to be more
than just a green-washing option. The plant needs at least six hours
of storage in order to accommodate the evening peak
CLIMATE SPECTATOR: Don’t waste solar energy on coal, Business
Spectator, Matthew Wright, 14 Feb 2013 Port Augusta is the ideal
location in South Australia for a solar thermal power plant, due to
its very good direct annual solar radiation and its proximity to a
strong piece of grid infrastructure that services the old lignite
burning power plants that are located there, owned by Alinta.
There has been a campaign for some time to repower Port Augusta, after
the town was named as one of 12 key power generation sites in the Zero
Carbon Australia stationary energy plan.
This campaign has garnered a lot of support and gained a great deal of momentum.
But now we’re at a turning point where we may get a type solar thermal
plant that is of little use in promoting a shift away from fossil
fuels. A plant that will not create an inspiring vision, nor support
greater understanding and learning-by-doing that will shift us from a
19th century fossil fuel economy, to a 21st century renewable-powered,
cleantech economy.
The plant being proposed is a cheaper option being proposed by
electricity company Alinta. But buyer beware – you get what you pay
for.
The marketing name sounds alright – it’s a “solar booster”. The idea
is that steam is preheated in a solar thermal mirror field then fed
into the steam cycle of the existing coal fired power plant.The
problems with this are many and varied and it would be far better to
invest in a 100 per cent solar thermal plant independent of coal, with
molten salt energy storage**.
Lock-in of inferior technology Continue reading
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