Australia to Build Two Major Solar Power Stations

The Australian government has selected two of the four large-scale projects that make up the cornerstone of its aggressive effort to produce a total of 1,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power capacity.

Solar Dawn and Moree Solar Farm are part of the Solar Flagships programme’s US$1.5 billion infusion to create grid-connected solar power stations in Australia using CSP and PV technologies. Once complete, the two projects they selected will be among the world’s largest for their respective technologies.

The combined capacity of the two projects, in the neighborhood of 400MW, would represent a large percentage of the nation’s current solar capacity. According to a recent EPIA global report, Australia ended 2010 with 504MW of installed PV capacity.

A consortium of AREVA Solar, CS Energy and Wind Prospect CWP has been selected to develop a CSP project in Round 1 of the Solar Flagships Programme.

Solar Dawn is a proposed 250MW CSP/natural gas hybrid power plant and will be the largest plant of its kind in the world when complete, according to the company. The project is also expected to receive more than US$500 million in government contributions.

Solar Dawn will be built in South West Queensland, near CS Energy’s recently announced 44-MW Kogan Creek Solar Boost Project. Like Solar Dawn, Kogan Creek Solar Boost will also use AREVA Solar’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar thermal technology.

As a CSP/hybrid power plant, Solar Dawn will combine AREVA Solar’s CLFR solar steam generators with a gas boiler back-up system, giving it the ability to deliver around-the-clock power.

The Solar Dawn consortium will look to finalise approvals and financing arrangements, as well as engineering, construction, operations and maintenance contracts by the end of this year.

A consortium of Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), BP Solar and Pacific Hydro won the government tender to build and operate Australia’s first large-scale PV solar power station. The 150MW PV facility will be located in the New South Wales Tablelands near the town of Moree.

FRV is an independent power company based in Madrid that specialises in solar power generation and has projects under development across the United States and Europe.

The project, the first large-scale solar power station to be built in Australia, will also be one of the largest solar facilities in the world, the company said. Construction is due to begin in 2012 with electricity produced to be sold into Australia’s National Electricity Market.

Once complete, the Moree Solar farm will comprise around 650,000 PV panels. The farm is expected to deliver significant benefits to the local economy, including job creation during the four-year construction phase.

Silver Investment News: Silver’s 74% Surge Creates ‘Headwind’ for Solar Rivalry With Fossil Fuels

Soaring silver prices are hampering the solar industry’s ability to compete with fossil fuels.

Panel makers consume about 11 percent of the world’s supply of silver, the material in solar cells that conducts electricity. The metal has appreciated 74 percent to $35.30 a troy ounce on average so far this year from $20.24 last year.

Prices for solar cells have dropped about 27 percent this year and would be even lower if each panel didn’t require about 20 grams of silver, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. That’s pushing back the date when companies such as Solarworld AG (SWV) and LDK Solar Co. can deliver solar power at prices that are competitive with traditional energy.

“Global silver prices have gone up a lot, and solar cells use silver paste as the front-side contact material,” Shawn Qu, chief executive of Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ), which is based in China, said in an interview. “The increase of the silver costs will give us a challenge in efforts to reduce solar cell costs.”

Prices for photovoltaic solar panels were $1.49 a watt in June, compared with about $1.80 in January, New Energy Finance estimates, as manufacturers especially in China raised production and incentives were trimmed in Europe.

Silver Investment News: Silver’s 74% Surge Creates ‘Headwind’ for Solar Rivalry With Fossil Fuels

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Australia's First Commercial Solar Roof Lease Launched In The ACT

National solar solutions provider Energy Matters recently launched Australia's first commercial solar roof lease; further affirming the ACT's standing as Australia's solar power capital.

Energy Matters' groundbreaking 'pay now, pay later, pay never' commercial solar initiative was launched to prominent ACT business owners at Ullrich Aluminium’s Hume site on Tuesday 17th May. The launch was presided over by Simon Corbell, Minister for the Environment and Sustainability, who lauded the program for its positive impact in "cementing the ACT as the solar capital of Australia".

Energy Matters has a commitment to playing its role in ensuring all Australians have the opportunity to participate in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and accelerating the uptake of renewable energy in Australia, but understands the challenges that the cost of system ownership can pose.

As the first ever program of its kind in Australia, the Ullrich Aluminium solar lease launch paved the way for ACT businesses to benefit from generous government incentives; whether their budgets stretch to outright system