Australia has an estimated 300 MW of installed photovoltaic (PV) power (September 2010),[1] contributing an estimated 0.1 to 0.2% of total electricity production (as of July 2009) despite the hot and sunny climate that would make it ideal for utilisation. Feed-in tariffs and mandatory renewable energy targets are designed to assist renewable energy commercialisation in Australia.
Contents |
The combination of Australia's dry climate and latitude give it a high potential for solar energy production. Most of the Australian continent receives in excess of 4 kWh per square metre per day of insolation during winter months, with a region in the north exceeding 6 kWh/day. Australia's insolation greatly exceeds the average values in Europe, Russia, and most of North America. Comparable levels are found in desert areas of northern and southern Africa,south western United States and adjacent area of Mexico, and regions on the Pacific coast of South America. However, the areas of Australia with highest insolation are in the interior, away from population centers. [2]
Until June 2009 the Australian Government provided a rebate program that offered up to A$8,000 rebates for installing solar panels on homes and community use buildings (other than schools), through the Solar Homes and Communities Plan.[3] However, on 8 June 2009, this program was phased out, to be replaced by the Solar Credits Program, where an installation of a solar system would receive 5 times as many Renewable Energy Certificates for the first 1.5 kilowatts of capacity under the Renewable Energy Target (see below)[4]
Schools are eligible to apply for grants of up to A$50,000 to install 2 kW solar panels and other measures through the National Solar Schools Program beginning 1 July 2008, which replaces the Green Vouchers for Schools program.[5]
Feed in tariffs are being introduced by a number of states to increase the amount of solar PV power generated. can be defined by a number of factors including the price paid, whether it is on a net or gross basis, the length of time for which the scheme is guaranteed, the maximum size of installation allowed to benefit, the type of customer allowed to participate. Current Australian State tariffs are only net basis tariffs, whereas conservation groups are arguing for gross feed in tariffs. From March 2009 the Australian Capital Territory(ACT) has introduced a solar gross feed in tariff. For systems up to 10 kW the payment is 50.05 cents per kWh. For systems from 10 kW to 30 kW the payment is 40.04 cents per kWh. The payment is made quarterly based on energy generated. The tariff rate is guaranteed for 20 years.[6][7] In Germany, a guaranteed PV tariff means that Germany now has the highest PV capacity per capita – at 10W for every person in Germany compared to Australia at 2.6W per capita.[8]
The Federal Government MRET will ensure renewable energy obtains a 20% share of electricity supply in Australia by 2020. The MRET will increase from 9,500 gigawatt-hours to 45,000 gigawatt-hours by 2020. The scheme lasts until 2030.[9]
The MRET requires wholesale purchasers of electricity (such as electricity retailers or industrial operations) to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), created through the generation of electricity from renewable sources. These sources include Wind, Hydro, Landfill Gas and Geothermal, as well as Solar PV and Solar Thermal, providing a stimulus and additional revenue for these technologies.
The Solar Flagships program sets aside $1.6 billion for solar power.[10] The government funding is for 4 new solar plants that produce coal plant scale power (in total up to 1000 MW - coal plants typically produce 500 to 2,000 MW). This subsidy would need additional funding from the plant builders and/or operators. As a comparison Abengoa Solar, a company currently constructing solar thermal plants, put the cost of a 300 MW plant at 1.2 billion euros in 2007. In 2009, the Arizona state government announced a 200 MW plant for 1 billion US dollars.[11][12]
The list of solar power projects below is not complete as there are many more sites that have solar power or hybrid solar/wind systems to generate their own power needs. Projects with a power rating less than 3 kW are not listed.
| State | Project/Location | Coordinates | Capacity kW | Status | Council | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACT | No site chosen | 33,000 | Proposal announced 20 March 2008 [1] | No site chosen | ActewAGL | Proposed | |
| NSW | Pymble Ladies' College | 16 | commissioned 2011 | Ku-ring-gai | Autonomous Energy | Photovoltaic | |
| NSW | Johnson & Johnson Medical | 200 | commissioned 2010 | Energy Matters | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Buronga | 50,000 | proposal | Wentworth | EnviroMission | solar tower technology | |
| NSW | Dubbo | 50 | commissioned 1998 | Country Energy | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | GPG Solar | 45 | commissioned 2008 | GPG Solar Panel | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Building 46, Newington Armoury | 64 | commissioned 1999, refurbished 2007 | Sydney Olympic Park Authority | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Newington | 10 | commissioned 1996 | Energy Australia | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Leichardt | 3 | commissioned 2000 | Leichardt Council | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Liddell Power Station [2] | 1,000 | complete | Solar Heat and Power / Macquarie Generation | Solar thermal | ||
| NSW | Little Bay | 4 | commissioned 1994 | University of New South Wales | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Lord Howe Island | 10 | commissioned 1997 | SEDA | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Newcastle Foreshore | 6 | commissioned 1996 | Energy Australia | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Pine Bluff | 6 | commissioned 2002 | Trinity Grammar School | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Queanbeyan | 50 | commissioned 1999 | Country Energy | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Singleton | 400 | commissioned 1998 | Energy Australia | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Sydney | 7 | commissioned 1997 | SEDA | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | Sydney Superdome | 70 | commissioned 1999 | Energy Australia | Photovoltaic | ||
| NSW | White Cliffs Solar Power Station | 45 | Constructed 1981 25 kW, upgraded 1996, decommissioned 2004 |
White Cliffs | Originally steam piston then photovoltaic |
||
| VIC | Brunswick | 20 | Citipower | Photovoltaic | |||
| VIC | Fosterville | 24 | Solar Systems Pty Ltd | Photovoltaic | |||
| VIC | Queen Victoria Market | 200 | commissioned 2003 | Melbourne City Council | Photovoltaic | ||
| VIC | Ballarat University, SMB Campus, Grant Street, Ballarat | 8.5 | Complete | Ballarat | Going Solar | Building Integrated PV - the largest contiguous BIPV vertical facade in Australia. | |
| VIC | Ballarat Solar Park. Ballarat Aerodrome. Mitchell Park, Ballarat. | 300 | Complete | Ballarat | Origin Energy / Sharp Corporation | Photovoltaic. Victoria’s first ground mounted, flat plate and grid-connected solar farm[13][14] | |
| VIC | Bendigo Solar Park. | 300 | Complete | Bendigo | Origin Energy / Sharp Corporation | Photovoltaic. Victoria’s first ground mounted, flat plate and grid-connected solar farm[13][14] | |
| VIC | 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne | 4 | Complete | Melbourne | Going Solar | High-rise installation in Melbourne's CBD. | |
| VIC | 45 Faversham Road, Canterbury | 4.94 | commissioned 2011 | Melbourne | Sunstainable[3] | Photovoltaic. | |
| VIC | North West Victoria, (See Solar power station in Victoria) |
(Swan Hill used) | 154,000 | Proposed | Either: Gannawarra, Swan Hill or Mildura | Solar Systems | concentrator photovoltaic |
| VIC | Tullamarine-Calder Interchange Solar Freeway Noise Wall, Essendon Airport, Melbourne | 24.4 | Complete | Melbourne | Going Solar | Building Integrated PV - Australia's first Solar Noise Wall: Solar Panels used as a noise barrier on a freeway.[15] | |
| QLD | Caboolture | 5 | commissioned 2000 | Stanwell Corporation | Photovoltaic | ||
| QLD | Tewantin (PO) | 5 | commissioned 2001 | Australian Postal Corporation | Photovoltaic | ||
| QLD | Coorparoo | 5.5 | commissioned 2007 | Clyde Anderson Pty Ltd | Photovoltaic | ||
| QLD | Cloncurry Solar Power Station | Stalled | Solar thermal | ||||
| QLD | Windorah Solar Farm | 150 | Completed December 2008 | Ergon Energy, Solar Systems | Photovoltaic [4] | ||
| QLD | University of Queensland St Lucia campus | 1220 | Completed July 2011 | Ingenero, Trina Solar, RedFlow | Photovoltaic [5] [6] | ||
| SA | Adelaide Showgrounds | 1000 | Completed 2009 | Built Environs and Solar Shop Australia [7] | Photovoltaic [8] [9] [10] | ||
| SA | Wilpena Pound | 100 | commenced 1998 | AGL | Photovoltaic | ||
| SA | Whyalla | (Town, not project) | announced March 2008 [11] | Wizard Power Pty Ltd | Solar Thermal with ammonia thermochemical storage (1000 homes) | ||
| WA | Carnarvon | 46 | 15.8 commissioned 2005; 30.2 added 2007 | Carnarvon Shire | Alexander Fullarton | Photovoltaic | |
| WA | Kalbarri | 20 | commissioned 1995 | Verve Energy | grid-connected tracking system | ||
| WA | Noranda | 3 | commissioned 2001 | Noranda Primary School | Photovoltaic | ||
| NT | Bulman | 56 | commissioned 2002 | NT PowerWater | Photovoltaic | ||
| NT | Hermannsburg | 192 | commissioned 2005 | Solar Systems | Photovoltaic | ||
| NT | Kings Canyon | 241 | commissioned 2003 | NT PowerWater | Photovoltaic | ||
| NT | Lajamanu | 288 | commissioned 2005 | Solar Systems | Photovoltaic | ||
| NT | Yuendumu | 192 | commissioned 2005 | Solar Systems | Photovoltaic |
The 150 MW PV Mildura Solar Concentrator Power Station is planned and is expected to cost as much as $905 million over its lifetime. It is expected to be the biggest and most efficient solar photovoltaic power station in the world. The power station is expected to concentrate the sun by 500 times onto the solar cells for ultra high power output. The Victorian power station will generate electricity directly from the sun to meet the annual needs of over 45,000 homes with on-going zero greenhouse gas emissions.[16]
There are 30 solar concentrator dishes at three locations in the Northern Territory: Hermannsburg, Yuendumu and Lajamanu. Solar Systems and the Federal government were involved in the projects.
The solar concentrator dish power stations together generate 720 kW and 1,555,000 kWh per year, representing a saving of 420,000 litres of diesel and 1,550 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.[17]
The solar power stations at these three remote indigenous communities in Australia’s Northern Territory are constructed using Solar Systems’ CS500 concentrator dish systems. The project cost AUD $7M, offset by a grant from the Australian and Northern Territory Governments under their Renewable Remote Power Generation Program.[18]
The project won a prestigious Engineering Excellence award in 2005.[18]
The Federal Government has funded over 120 innovative small-scale standalone solar systems in remote indigenous communities, designed by Bushlight, incorporating sophisticated demand side management systems with user-friendly interfaces.
Solar Cities is a demonstration programme designed to promote solar power, smart meters, and energy conservation in urban locations throughout Australia.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||