AUSTRALIA SOLAR GROWING SLOWER

From Washington, D.C.’s Earth Policy Institute (EPI): Average price for a photovoltaic (PV) module excluding installation, 1975: $US100/watt; 2007: Less than $US4/watt ($A4.60/watt); 2010 (assuming increased polysilicon supply): $A2.30/watt; 2010 (thin film PV): $A1.15/watt . Dr. Jonathan Dorn, EPI: "[At $A1.15/watt in 2010]…solar PV will become competitive with coal-fired electricity".

Australia’s development of solar energy has been surprisingly slow for such a sunny nation. Origin Energy built a $20 million pilot thin film PV plant in South Australia that has struggled due to poor government and public support.

But Australian farmers and rural landowners are beginning to realize drought conditions may make their land more profitable as an energy resource than an agricultural resource. 60% of recent Australian solar energy development is on farmlands.

Australia has top notch solar energy resources. (click to enlarge)

Australia falls behind in switch to solar energy
Rosslyn Beeby, 02 January 2008 (Canberra Times via Nyngan)

WHO
Earth Policy Institute (EPI) (researcher Dr. Jonathan Dorn); Suntech Power (founder/CEO Dr Zhengrong Shi); potential Auastralian solar energy producers and consumers; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO)

WHAT
While Dr. Dorn’s EPI report shows worldwide production and use of solar energy is booming, Australian uptake is lagging behind.

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has been developing a variety of solar thermal research projects in which fluid running through tubes is heated by sunlight on parabolic mirrors and flows to where it heats water to drive a steam turbine.

WHEN
- Solar energy is presently one of the world’s fastest growing energy sources.
- Photovoltaic solar cell production doubles every 2 years.
- 2007 world solar photovoltaic (PV) installation: 3800 megawatts
- 2006 world solar PV installation: approximately 1900 megawatts
- Total Australian PV capacity 2004: 40 megawatts
- Total Australian PV capacity 2008: 50 megawatts

WHERE
- Australia PV installation, 2006: 8 megawatts
- Japan PV installation, 2006: 350 megawatts
- U.S. PV installation, 2006: 141 megawatts
- Spain PV installation, 2006: 70 megawatts
- Top 5 solar cell producers: Japan, China, Germany, Taiwan, the U.S.

WHY
- Growth in China is described as “most astonishing.” 400 companies produce solar cells. China went from 1% of the world market in 2003 to 18% in 2007. China tripled PV production in 2006 and doubled it in 2007.
- Dr. Shi’s Suntech Power in China is the world’s biggest solar cell manufacturer. It has 4 factories and 4000+ employees. Dr. Shi was educated at Australia’s University of New South Wales.
- Thin film PV is expected to increase cell efficiency by 20%, changing the solar energy landscape.

CSIRO is also developing building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) projects like this one. (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Dorn, EPI, on solar growth: "Growing by an impressive average of 48 per cent each year since 2002, photovoltaic production has been doubling every two years, making it the world's fastest-growing energy source."
- Dorn, EPI, on China’s solar growth: "Having eclipsed Germany in 2007 to take the No2 spot, China is now on track to become the No 1 PV [photovoltaics] producer in 2008…"