Solar power in Australia Totally Explained

Everything about Solar Power In Australia totally explained

Solar power use in Australia, despite the country having a reputation for a hot dry and sunny climate that might make it ideal for utilisation, provides less than one percent of electricity needs. This is mainly due to the higher cost per kW than other power sources because of the cost of solar panels. Feed-in tariffs and Mandatory renewable energy targets are designed to assist Renewable energy commercialisation in Australia. A 154 MW photovoltaic (PV) Solar power station in Victoria is planned and is expected to cost $420 million. 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 zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Incentives

Rebates

Australia has a rebate program that provides up to AU$8,000 rebates for installing solar panels on homes and community use buildings (other than schools), through the Solar Homes and Communities Plan. However, on May 13, 2008, effective at midnight, this program was restricted to those with an income of less than AU$100,000. Government figures estimate that this will reduce the number of solar installations by 60%, angering the solar industry and causing layoffs.
Schools are eligible to apply for grants of up to AU$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.

Feed in tariffs

Feed in tariffs are being introduced by a number of states to increase the amount of solar PV power generated. Feed-in tariffs can be defined by a number of factors including the price paid, whether it's 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. 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.

Mandatory Renewable Energy Targets

MRETs require generators or retailers to sell a minimum proportion of the total amount of electricity sold from renewable sources by a certain date or face financial penalties. MRETs can stimulate demand for renewable energy, but this might be from other sources apart from solar PV.

Projects and status by state

The list of solar power projects below isn't 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 (External Link)	No site chosen	ActewAGL	A 33 megawatt plant, which might cost $100million to build. Such a plant might cover about 100ha or 20 football fields. It should service 10,000 homes. The study should be finished in July and the plant by mid next year. The technology used could be either photovoltaic or solar thermal.
VIC	North West Victoria, (See Solar power station in Victoria)	(Swan Hill used)	154,000	preparation stage	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.
NSW	Buronga		50,000	proposal	Wentworth	EnviroMission	solar tower technology
NSW	Dubbo		50	commissioned 1998		Country Energy	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(External Link)		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, New South Wales		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	50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne		4	Complete	Melbourne	Going Solar	High-rise installation in Melbourne's CBD.
QLD	Caboolture		5	commissioned 2000		Stanwell Corporation	Photovoltaic
QLD	Tewantin (PO)		5	commissioned 2001		Australian Postal Corporation	Photovoltaic
SA	Wilpena Pound		100	commenced 1998		AGL	Photovoltaic
SA	Whyalla	(Town, not project)		announced March 2008 (External Link)		Wizard Power Pty Ltd (External Link)	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

Major solar power companies

Solar Systems

Solar Systems is a world leader in high concentration solar photovoltaic applications, and the company is preparing to build the world's largest photovoltaic Solar power station in Victoria, Australia. (External Link

) This project will use innovative concentrator dish technology.
Solar Systems has already completed construction of three concentrator dish power stations in the Northern Territory, which together generate 720kW and 1,555,000 kWh per year. This represents a saving of 420,000 litres of diesel fuel and 1550 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. (External Link

) In 2003 Solar Systems completed construction of the first concentrator dish power station at Umuwa in South Australia.(External Link

)

BP Solar

BP has been involved in solar power since 1973 and its subsidiary, BP Solar, is now one of the world's largest solar power companies with production facilities in the United States, Spain, India and Australia.(External Link

)Further Information

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