AUSTRALIA HAD RECORD YEAR IN SUN

APVA reports on Australian solar industry's record-breaking year
Nicholas Stone, 6 June 2011 (PV magazine)

"The Australian Photovoltaic Association’s (APVA) report on the state of the market in 2010 has been released…Despite current fears in the industry about the stripping back of funding, drops in feed in-tariffs, photovoltaic installation safety, and a potential boom-bust scenario, [PV in Australia 2010] provides an image of an industry developing rapidly under favorable conditions with increased attention paid to developing new technologies. [A total of AUD$641.3 million (€470 million) was spent by the Australian and State and Territory Governments on photovoltaic R&D, demonstration and market stimulation]…

"The grid connected photovoltaic market in Australia grew more than 480 percent in 2010, from 73 megawatts (MW) to 383 MW installed in the year. This was driven by a combination of support via the Solar Homes and Communities program, Solar Credits and feed-in tariffs, bolstered by rapid international photovoltaic price drops, a high Australian dollar exchange rate and streamlining of local photovoltaic system delivery chains."

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"Of the newly installed systems, 99 percent were grid-connected, taking the cumulative grid-connected portion to 85 percent, up from 54 percent last year. Total installed capacity in Australia is now 571 MW, which is up from 104 MW at the end of 2008…

"Peter Newman, the CEO of the APVA, said that the most significant development he saw was the volume of take up that the market saw in 2010…Newman says that next couple of years may see the market plateau, but this would provide long-term stability. The rapid increase in photovoltaics uptake that resulted in the curtailment or reduction of government support programs has raised concerns that the market may over-correct itself in the short term, which has led the APVA to act by working closely with the government bodies to make sure there is a smooth transition…"

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"The report indicates that the total value of photovoltaic business in Australia is AUD$1.26 billion (€923 million)…Typical module and system prices continued to fall in 2010, although there was still a wide spread of prices in Australia. Module prices averaged AUD$3.20/Wp, but ranged from AUD$2.0 to 3.70 and small grid system prices averaged AUD$6/Wp, down from AUD$9/W last year…

"Interest in larger systems has been raised by the Australian Government’s Solar Flagship program, with winners of the first stage, for 150 MW of photovoltaics, to be announced in 2011. State governments have also shown interest in developing commercial-scale photovoltaic markets. These will provide better economies of scale for the industry, as well as better matching electricity load profiles…Until this initiative, the vast majority of incentives have been for household units…"