Queensland’s proposed Solar Dawn concentrating solar power plant has vowed to carry on despite the newly elected Liberal-National government’s vows to withdraw funding from the project. Under the previous Labour regime, the Queensland government had promised to put forth $75m in funding for the project in order to enable it to meet funding requirements to procure funding through the Federal Government’s Solar Flagships program.

The Queensland LNP government will withdraw funding from Solar Dawn project as part of an election campaign promise to eliminate State government climate change initiatives that were deemed ‘redundant’ in the light of the introduction of a Federal tax on carbon. The one renewable energy initiative that will go untouched is Queensland’s Solar Feed-in Tariff, which is seen as cost-effective and important for the future of the state’s solar power industry.

The Solar Dawn Consortium has said that it will move forward with plans to construct the 250 megawatt (MW) facility in Chinchilla despite the government pull-out. The Consortium will have to find a way to make up the $75m funding gap, which may undermine its status as an initially successful applicant under the Solar Flagships program. Under Solar Flagships rules, projects must prove that they have managed to secure 2/3 of the funding for the project from non-Federal government sources in order to be eligible for the Federal government contribution.

According to an independent socio-economic study conducted by AECgroup, the Solar Dawn project offers significant potential economic, social, and environmental benefits to the state. Among these are job creation and contributions to the Queensland economy–including $1.5b of direct investment and indirect economic activity, plus $560m in gross value-added activity and $338m in wages and salaries over 3 years.

The estimates in the AECgroup report don’t account for the possibility of development of further solar projects in the region thanks to the creation of facilities for Solar Dawn. ”These are expenditure estimates only, including engineering, procurement, and construction,” Said Solar Dawn Project Director Anthony Wiseman about AECgroup’s estimates of Solar Dawn’s contribution to Queensland’s economic activity. “So they’re not the full project development spend and they don’t account for a possible ‘solar cluster’ developing in the Western Downs region, which would bring even greater advantages.”

The other Solar Flagships ‘winner’, NSW’s proposed Moree Solar Farm, has also run into problems with obtaining funding. At present, the future of the Moree project is up in the air, having been thrown back into the running against the competitors it had initially bested. Whether the reason be bureaucratic hurdles or an unstable government policy environment, the turmoil and constant delays and holdups of both projects have done little to instill confidence in investors that Australia is a safe place for commercial solar power. Similarly, the problems create the image that commercial-scale solar power is something that is difficult and new, when large-scale solar technologies are already in operation in other parts of the world such as Spain and the US.

There have been numerous instances of Australia failing to take advantage of its renewable energy potential and the potential of its own clean energy innovators; many cases of which were pointed out in a recent article by Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) Chief Executive John Grimes in an article in RenewEconomy.

Top image via Solar Dawn.

© 2012 Solar Choice Pty Ltd

35% of the electricity generated in Scotland came from renewable sources in 2011, according to figures published by the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change. This puts Scotland ahead of its intermediary target of 31% renewable energy by 2011. The country plans on generating the equivalent of 100% of its energy from renewables by 2020.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing welcomed the news: “It’s official: 2011 was a record breaker with enough green electricity being produced in Scotland to comfortably beat our interim target. And Scotland met almost 40%of the UK’s renewables output in 2011, demonstrating just how much the rest of the UK needs our energy.”

Scotland’s achievement serves as a powerful demonstration of how a nation blessed in renewable energy resources can effectively harness its potential, and gives one pause when considering why certain Australian political figures have recently called for the Australian Renewable Energy Target to be scrapped or scaled back. Beyond climate change considerations, economic foresight plays a significant role in the country’s drive to shift to renewables. Scotland is keenly aware of its vulnerability to the rising cost of electricity generation from fossil fuels, which generally need to be imported. Scotland’s case can be seen as a comparison to Australia’s, which is blessed with abundant sunshine, wind, and open space but has not yet begun to seriously harness its renewable natural natural resources.

Scotland’s move to renewable energy is also expected to bring down electricity prices in the long-run. When contrasted to a ‘business as usual’ scenario (i.e. all power met using fossil fuels), electricity prices under the 100% renewables scenario are projected to be nearly 100 pounds less per year in 2020.

In addition to the strong encouragement of renewably generation (mostly hydropower and wind power, but also including a growing segment of ocean wave power), Scotland’s success can be attributed to its growing energy efficiency endeavours. Dr Sam Gardner, senior climate change policy officer at WWF Scotland, pointed out that “while attention has been focused on renewable electricity, we need to step up efforts on energy efficiency. With over 50% of our climate change emissions coming from heating buildings, more also needs to be done to support greater renewable heat technologies.”

Top image via Wikipedia, by Ruhrfisch.

© 2012 Solar Choice Pty Ltd

An ambitious project showcasing the potential of solar PV has just come to a close. Pulling into Monaco on 4 May 2012, MS Turanor PlanetSolar catamaran has become the first vehicle to complete an around-the-world trip relying only on the power of the sun.

PlanetSolar arrives in Monaco. (Click to enlarge. Image via PlanetSolar.org.)

PlanetSolar’s historic journey, taking over a year and a half (584 days, to be exact), was obviously not an attempt to show demonstrate the potential speed of a solar-powered boat, but required nothing in the way of fuel. Instead, the vessel was designed with a cumulative total of 93.5 kilowatts (kW) of on-deck solar panels serving in the place of conventional propellant.

The trip, which began and ended in Monaco, led the 4-person crew across the Atlantic, between the Americas, to the east coast of Australia, through Southeast Asia, past the tip of India, and between Africa and the Middle East at the gulf of Iman.

To learn more about PlanetSolar’s voyage and vision, visit PlanetSolar.org.

PlanetSolar's journey. (Click to enlarge. Image via PlanetSolar.org).

All images via PlanetSolar.org

© 2012 Solar Choice Pty Ltd

A unique hybrid geothermal-solar photovoltaics (PV) plant is now producing power in Churchill County, Nevada. Although Nevada is home to a number of geothermal power plants, the hybrid Stillwater plant is the first anywhere in the world to set up the two technologies side-by-side.

The combined peak capacity of the plant is 59 megawatts (MW)–with the 89,000 monocrystalline solar PV panel array supplying up to 26MW. The solar panel array, located on a lot adjacent to the geothermal (earth-heat) facility, will provide an additional boost to the plant’s ordinary generation during peak hours when the sun is shining. There are a number of benefits to the technology, such as its capacity to raise production when geothermal production is at its lowest, its ability to deliver more power during peak hours, its ability to more closely follow the energy load profile, plus the cost savings that result from shared infrastructure, including transmission interconnection.

Regardless of the semantics whether the it is a bona fide ‘hybrid’ as opposed to two independent generation facilities located side by side, the Stillwater plant is a great example of how local resources can be effectively harnessed to produce power for local use. Furthermore, Stillwater’s power production is renewable and largely emissions-free.

American Energy Secretary Stephen Chu said in a press release, “As the first of its kind in the world, this project demonstrates how we can tap renewable energy sources to provide clean power for American families and businesses and deploy every available source of American energy. Supported in part by the Recovery Act, the Fallon facility is expanding domestic renewable energy sources and helping to build the infrastructure we need to stay competitive in the global race for clean energy technologies.”

Top image via Inhabitat

© 2012 Solar Choice Pty Ltd

The last remaining operational nuclear power plant in Japan has been shut down for routine maintenance and testing, leaving the country nuclear-free for the first time in over 40 years. The country has a total of 50 nuclear reactors, and was once the world’s 3rd largest user nuclear power. Facing power shortages of up to 20% this summer, Japan will have to resort to electricity demand reduction and the possibility of rolling blackouts. Rooftop, distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) generation is already growing quickly in Japan, and can be expected to continue on the upward trajectory thanks to the county’s nation-wide Solar Feed-in Tariff and growing anti-nuclear sentiments.

Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Tokyo to celebrate the closure, according to an article in the Guardian. Although nuclear plants are slated to start going back online in the coming months following local approval, strong public opposition following last March’s earthquake, tsunami, and ensuing nuclear crisis means that Japan faces the possibility facing its energy future sans nuclear power. Trade minister Yukio Edano and 3 other ministers have been trying to win public support for bringing the plants back online to help meet demand during hot summer months, when muggy weather drives higher air conditioning use. The previous summer was spent in an environment of a kind of electricity austerity, with various areas of the country being required to reduce their electricity consumption at different times in order to ensure that the remaining generation sources were able to meet demand.

Pressure for the government to support the growth of renewable energy has grown since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor crisis. Japan is being watched closely by the solar PV industry and renewable energy advocates around the world, who are looking to the country as a potential future hotspot for solar power, as well as an experiment in how alternative energy and energy distribution technologies can be deployed on a large scale to meet the power needs of an industrialised, developed nation. A relatively high national feed-in tariff of 42 yen (about AUD $0.51) has been put in place by the government to speed the adoption of distributed generation systems such as rooftop PV.

At present, solar PV in Japan is more expensive than virtually anywhere else in the world–although there are hopes that the feed-in tariff will help to change this. Additionally, the government is working with the solar industry to find ways to curtail the cost. Jesse Pichel, of stock analysts Jeffries, wrote, “On the hells of the new FIT [feed-in tariff], a new master energy plan is being revised in Japan, and it may target up to 100GW of cumulative PV capacity by 2030, from 4.7GW installed at the end of 2011.” The growing presence of overseas manufactures is also likely to foster greater competition in the domestic market.

Top image by AP, via the Guardian

© 2012 Solar Choice Pty Ltd

A number of major players from the global solar photovoltaics (PV) industry have announced the formation of a Global Solar Council (GSC). The goal of the GSC’s establishment is to promote the sustainable, cost-competitive expansion of global development of solar power through encouraging the use of supportive government policies and trade environments.

The GSC is composed of CEOs from a number of big names in the solar industry, including First Solar Inc., Siemens AG, and Suntech Power Co Ltd. Their aim is to emphasise governments to create circumstances that allow the solar industry have competition that is free, fair, and based on “quality, technology, service, and price”, alluding to the US-China solar trade dispute, at the heart of which is contention over Chinese government subsidisation of solar PV manufacturing.

The aims of the organisation go beyond the promotion of the deployment of solar PV globally to also encompass job creation and economic growth through “favourable policy regimes, energy market access, reducing import duties on manufacturing inputs, providing pre-competitive research and development support and other measures that will allow firms to lower their costs and compete at lower prices.” According to the GSC website, “The Council addresses all parts of the solar equation such as material supply chain, financing, policy support, research and development, cross-national cooperation, and grid development and management.”

The formation of the organisation represents a larger degree of cohesion to the solar industry, and is symbolic of its growing global clout. Whether it will succeed in its goals–in particular in heading off trade disputes–remains to be seen.

Top image via Global Solar Council website.

© 2012 Solar Choice Pty Ltd

Origin Energy CEO Grant King has suggested that Australia should consider reducing its target of 20% renewable energy production by 2020 under the Federal Government’s Renewable Energy Target (RET). Thanks to rising electricity prices and expected associated demand reductions, plus accelerated uptake of rooftop solar PV systems and solar hot water, Origin claims that Australia will overshoot the target by 6%. But is this really the case?

When the RET was created, it assumed that Australia’s national electricity demand in 2020 would be 300 terawatt-hours (TWh). King argues that, due to falling demand for power from the electricity grid, this number is likely to fall to 250TWh, meaning that the 20% target based on fixed generation figures as it currently stands will actually result in 26% of Australia’s power coming from renewable sources. In a presentation to Macquarie Australia conference in Sydney on 2 May 2012, Origin suggested that a 20% RET based on actual demand would reduce costs for the end-users of electricity. Reduced costs would come from “reduced requirements for expensive renewable generation, reduced network costs, and reduced requirements for peaking generation (required due to wind energy intermittency)”.

The timing of Origin’s suggestion for changes to the RET is slightly confounding, seeing as how it also issued a virtually simultaneous statement about the company’s having just signed made a commitment to purchase power from South Australia’s 270MW Snowtown II windfarm . The power purchase agreement (PPA) with Snowtown II is the largest renewable energy PPA to date in Australia.

Energy from renewable sources as planned under the RET and as suggested by Origin. (Image via Sydney Morning Herald.)

Advocates of renewable energy have rejected calls to alter or reduce the RET. Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) Chief Executive John Grimes responded to Origin’s proposal, saying “Nobody should be surprised that a big fossil fuel and coal seam gas company wants to scuttle the Renewable Energy Target. The Australian Government must ignore this ongoing campaign from vested interests and keep building our clean energy future.”

“Renewable energy schemes are only responsible for 3% of electricity prices rises across Australia, according to the Australian Energy Market Commission. Transmission and distribution and wholesale electricity costs make up a whopping 80% of the electricity cost increases.”

“Origin has wide-ranging fossil fuel investments, with exposure as Australia moves to a low carbon economy. Its recent rhetoric shows Origin is under pressure from an increasingly competitive solar industry.”

Tristan Edis of Climate Spectator has likewise cited vested interests as Origin’s main motivation for calling for a RET reductions. The company currently sits on a surplus of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). If the target is reduced, this surplus will mitigate Origin’s need to purchase or generate renewable energy. Electricity generators are required to submit a set number of RECs annually; these RECs can only be acquired by buying or generating renewable energy.

Components of Average Electricity Retail Bill 2010-2011. (Image via RenewEconomy. Click to enlarge.)

Because of a phenomenon called the merit order effect, solar power and wind power have the potential to eat into the profits of electricity retailers who rely on fossil fuels to meet peak electricity demand. This is not just an issue in Australia: Big electricity retailers in Germany are also crying foul in the face of competition from renewables, which can produce cheaper instantaneous electricity than conventional sources once they are operational. Large-scale deployment of renewables would reduce the profitability of their business models.

Meanwhile, the claim that electricity demand will fall by the amount suggested by Origin by 2020 remains in question. Michael Mazengarb of Global Voices Australia notes in response to Edis that the Australian Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE) predicts (pdf) that demand will actually be slightly higher than expected under the RET by the year 2020. “The onus is on Origin to substantiate their claims that electricity demand will be much less than expected (and not much higher than current levels) in 2020.”

© 2012 Solar Choice Pty Ltd 

A collaboration between Natcore Tech and the US Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has birthed the darkest silicon solar cells in the world. The cells absorb 99.7% of all light that occurs on its surface–only 0.3% of light is reflected. By comparison, most solar cells commercially available today absorb just 95% of incident irradiation.

The main advantage of the super-black cells is their ability to perform almost as well in cloudy conditions as in full sunlight. $150,000USD will be invested in the collaborative project, whose aims are to facilitate commercial uptake of the cells by reducing their price tag by 2-3% and to increase the daily solar output of a panel from 3-10% without using the use of solar tracking technology. Although peak efficiency of the cell, at 18.6%, is not record-setting, its amenability to inclement weather means that it will potentially produce more kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power per day than other cells with nominally higher peak efficiency.

“This technology will play an important role in moving forward the availability of solar technologies. It is one more step to help bolster the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative to make solar energy cost competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade,” said NREL Vice President for Commercialisation & Technology Transfer William Farris said in a press release.

Solar PV cells and modules are becoming increasingly more efficient and cheaper as time passes, due in part to the public and private support provided for research and development into innovations like the super-black silicon solar cells. It is incremental efficiency improvements such as those used here that have enabled polycrystalline silicon to become as efficient as monocrystalline at comparable cost. Once these technologies become mass-produced and widely available, price points come down and the overall affordability of solar PV comes increases. It is the mass production of solar PV technology that has played a major role in driving down prices to record low levels globally.

Top image via Natcore Technology

© 2012 Solar Choice Pty Ltd 

Clearly the global solar panel industry has grown at a rapid rate over the last few years with Germany leading the way. However, the next step of this rapidly evolving market is how to manage the surplus power that our solar panels are generating. It seems logical and sensible to consider that Electric Cars are the ideal solution to such a predicament.

Improvements in Electric Car Battery technology

In the past an Electric Car was considered something of a novelty and never a serious contender to fossil fueled vehicles. Today the idea of 1 in 5 electric cars being on the road come 2030 (an IHS Global prediction) is beliveable. According to Bloomberg there is currently an over supply of electric car batteries equivelant to 10GWh or 400,000 Electric Cars. This over supply is seeing the costs of these once hugely expensive batteries fall.

In addition; thanks to investment and growing competition the efficiences of these products is fast improving. Therefore, with the ever reducing costs of production, improving efficiencies/performance and growing competition. We are quickly making our way towards Electric Cars competing with traditional fossil fueled vehicles.

Solar Panels and Electric Vehicles; The Dream Team?

Many people who have installed solar panels know that often in the middle of the day when your yield as at its best you tend to generate more solar power than is required on site. Therefore, we need a way of effectively storing this power for use at another time.

The Electric Car is an ideal solution for this. Your home can be fitted with an electric car charging point which can then send any surplus power into your Electric Car’s battery. This should remove the odds of any oversupply from your solar panels, thus allowing you to make the most of your solar panels yield.

Electric Vehicles and Solar Power (Image Source: www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk)

Looking at the bigger picture, Australia has huge areas of car parks for instance that are essentially a neccesary but waste of space. However, if these carparks were fitted with a solar panel roof (making it a solar carport), an entire fleet of electric vehicles could be charged with both green and free electricty. This has to be the future when we consider the growth of the solar industry and the potential of Electric Vehicles.

Robert Llewellyn recently completed a video article on the potential of teaming up Solar Power with Electric Vehicles.

Written by Tom Charlesworth

This article originally appeared on the Solar Selections website

© 2012 Solar Selections Ltd/Solar Choice Pty Ltd