Australia ial ec Sp Country
The government is getting down to work Measured by the international emission rates per capita, Australia is one of the world’s biggest emitters of carbon pollution. So it’s not surprising that the news of a Clean Energy Future Plan has advanced to one of the hottest topics on the fifth continent and that the government is committing to action with investments into renewable energies.
n October 12th, the supporters of Australia’s able energies and reducing its carbon footprint of ne new climate change policy had reason to be arly one half in only ten years, says a report recently Ocheerful. After a series of heated debates, presented in Sydney. Scientists of the University of the House of Representatives paved the way for the Melbourne, engineers and environmentalists colla Australian Clean Energy Future Plan with 74 votes in borated on the report that identifies suitable loca favour and 72 against. The comprehensive plan aims tions for the construction of wind and solar power to introduce a carbon price and investments into de plants on the continent. Investments in the range of veloping and commercialising clean energy technolo about € 26 billion annually will be necessary to meet gies. Supporters of the initiative hope that the majo Australia’s ambitious targets. According to the re rity will now also be reached in the Senate. Australia searchers, the time is now particularly favourable as is committed to completely changing over to renew Australia will need to replace its power plants from
44 Sun & Wind Energy 12/2011 The “Cullerin Range There are many examples. One is an arrangement Windfarm” in New South for the promotion of small-scale PV plants that was Wales, which has a total cancelled by the government only nine days after the capacity of 30 MW, is 30 MW cap had been exhausted. Another PV incen operated by the company tive offered by the government of Western Australia in Origin Energy, one of June 2010 with a capacity limit of 150 MW had to be Australia’s leading ener- closed as soon as August 2011. The rush had been so gy providers with wind strong that the government was forced to upgrade projects in the range of the budget of AUD 23 million up to AUD 127 million 587 MW in the pipeline. (AUD 1 = € 0.75). Western Australia now has com Photo: Origin pletely abolished the feed-in tariff for residential rooftop PV systems. On September 1st 2011, the Victorian government in South-East Australia an nounced the introduction of a temporary premium for solar power that will be offered to investors until the beginning of the year 2012. PV rooftop systems with a capacity of up to 5 kW will be paid out a feed-in tar iff of 0.25 AUD/kWh over a period of five years. The incentive is limited to a total capacity of 100 MW. PV on the right track
Nevertheless, the promotional measures are showing an effect. Australia’s sunny climate is ideal for the uti lisation of PV technologies, which are very well- received. “In 2010 alone, the investments into re newable energies reached AUD 4 billion in Australia”, says Seb Henbest who heads the research division of New Energy Finance in Sydney. According to informa tion by the Australian PV Association (APVA), the in stalled PV capacity had grown from 180 MW in the year 2009 to about 300 MW in the following year the 1960s and 70s. The political debates on climate 2010. Australia is becoming increasingly attractive change have been heated for years. After the conser for companies in the global PV sector, says the asso First Solar recently com- vatives had long followed a preventive strategy and ciation. The same is suggested by a joint venture re menced the construction slowed down international climate negotiations, the cently entered between First Solar (USA), Verve Energy of a 10 MW solar park, Labor Party who had promised radical change in the (Australia) and GE (USA). The companies plan to build which will be the largest energy policy had come out as winners of the elec what will be the largest solar plant in Australia with a of its kind in Australia. tions in 2007. Australia is now driving renewable en capacity of 10 MW. The system is scheduled for com Photo: First Solar ergy projects and targets to deliver 20 % of the electri pletion by the next year. So far, the largest PV sys city from renewable sources by 2020. tems in Australia have capacities of only around 1 MW. The “Greenough River Solar Farm” will com Incentives short-lived prise 150,000 thin-film PV modules supplied by First Solar, which will also provide the engineering, pro However, according to observers of the different in curement and construction services. “This demon centives introduced for solar power on the federal strates the significant potential for renewable energy and state level, the measures tend to be only short- generation, especially utility-scale solar in Western lived. Either the programmes are quickly cancelled Australia and throughout Australia,” says Jim Brown, again or they are replaced by other measures, which President of the Utility Systems Business Group at is often due to the capacity limits that restrict the First Solar. The demand for private rooftop PV sys newly installed capacities for solar power production. tems, in particular, has been unbroken in Australia The situation has led to many uncertainties that are throughout the last years even though the promotion threatening the stability of the domestic PV market, al programmes generally tended to be short-lived. says Ray Wills, CEO of the Sustainable Energy Associ The Australia-based energy provider Origin reacted ation of Australia (SEA). “It’s clear that planning secu and recently entered a joint venture with the compa rity and sustained policy measures that are based on ny Trina Solar, China. Trina has agreed to supply solar market mechanisms with the aim of promoting the panels with a total capacity of 22 MW over the next solar industry are more important than the size of the twelve months for the construction of residential financial incentive. Unfortunately, these two aspects rooftop systems. were confused in the energy policy of the Australian However, the development meanwhile seems to government, which has led to negative effects for the be meeting its limits. Ausgrid, the operator of one of industry.” the largest electricity networks in Australia, has al
Sun & Wind Energy 12/2011 45 Country Special Australia
ready warned that the large numbers of rooftop sys Key figures forA ustralia: tems feeding electricity into the network in some re gions could cause voltage rises that might damage Area 7,741,220 km2 household devices. In Queensland, the first applica Capital Canberra tions for the installation of new rooftop solar systems have already been rejected and the energy company Population 21,766,711 (July 2011e) Energex urges customers to make sure their solar PV GDP per capita US$ 41,000 (2011e) plants can be installed without threatening the net 2 work operation. “It is similar to the water network – Global radiation 1,500 - 2,000 kWh/(m a) the pipes get smaller and the pressure is designed to coal: 75 % be lower as you get closer to the house,” says Energex natural gas: 13.8 % Spokesman Mike Swanston. “Start pumping water Primary energy sources hydro power: 7 % backwards into the smaller household pipes and all renewables: 3.2 % oil: 1 % sorts of strange things happen.” The frequent power cuts occurring due to overload problems show that Installed capacities PV: 300 MW (end of 2010) there will be no way around a grid expansion. Solar thermal: n/a Wind: 1,180 MW (end of 2010) Wind farms under planning Source: National institutions
The fact that Australia has a very sunny climate may energy capacities in the south-western Australian suggest that PV enjoys the best prospects of all the network will almost double. The ongoing expansion different forms of renewable energy, which is under course in Australia is also supported by the Victorian lined by the increasing demand for residential PV sys government. In a joint venture, the companies AGL Denmark-based Vestas will tems. But Australia also benefits from enormous wind Energy Limited (Australia) and Meridian Energy (New supply its V 90 and V112 resources. “The wind conditions and the vast land Zealand) are building the “Macarthur Wind Farm”, turbines for the construction of available in Australia provide many opportunities for which is expected to be operational by 2013. On com a number of wind projects now the development of wind power”, says Felicity Sands, pletion, the AUD 850 million project will be the larg under planning in Australia. Policy Analyst of the Clean Energy Council. The condi est wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere with a gen Photo: Vestas tions are particularly favourable south of longitude eration capacity of 420 MW of clean and renewable 40, he says. “Tasmania, Victoria, South energy. The system will produce enough electricity for Australia and Western Australia have ex more than 150,000 households. The V112 turbines cellent wind resources.” Instead of of will be delivered by Vestas, which also functions as fering a feed-in tariff for wind power, the EPC contractor. Yet another project was announced by projects are tendered by the govern the Queensland government. The “Kennedy Wind ment on the federal as well as the state Park”, a 700 MW project developed approximately level. The largest projects that are cur 290 km South-West of Townsville, is scheduled to be rently under construction in the west of operational by 2014. Information on the costs and Australia will shortly be completed. The turbines used has not been disclosed yet. “Collgar Wind Farm” near Merredin is Australia’s new Labor government seem to be expected to be operational by April committed to action as regards the promotion of re 2012. The 250 MW project is one of the newable energies. There are several indicators of largest wind farms currently under plan this: investments in the range of AUD 730 million are ning in Australia and has required a to planned to flow into the construction of what will be tal investment volume of about AUD 750 come the two largest solar power plants in the world. million. The V90 turbines are supplied In addition, the government has announced the by Denmark-based Vestas Wind establishment of a new Australian Renewable Energy Systems, which will provide the installa Agency that will oversee and administer all national tion and operation services. The “Mum renewable energy initiatives and institutes in the bida Wind Farm” is another project ex renewable energy sector with funding worth pected to commence operation in AUD 3.2 billion. Australia by the next year. The 22 tur Markus Grunwald bine wind farm is developed as a joint venture between Verve Energy and Macquarie Capital Group. The turbines Further information: are supplied by GE Energy and will pro Ausgrid: www.ausgrid.com.au duce a total output of 55 MW, enough to Australian PV Association: www.apva.org.au Clean Energy Council: www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au supply 35,000 households with clean First Solar: www.firstsolar.com electricity. The project site is located in Mumbida Wind Farm: www.mumbidawindfarm.com.au Geraldton, north of Perth, and involves New Energy Finance: http://bnef.com Sustainable Energy Association of Australia: www.seaaus.com.au a total investment volume of about Trina Solar: www.trinasolar.com AUD 150 million. With the completion of Verve Energy: www.verveenergy.com.au “Mumbida Wind Farm”, the renewable Vestas Wind Systems: www.vestas.com
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