Tag Archives: Big Solar

Little Opportunity for Big Solar

22 July 2010

John Grimes, CEO
Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES)
Website: www.auses.org.au
Email: CEO@auses.org.au

The Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) was hoping today’s election announcement by Prime Minister Gillard on climate change would contain a roadmap for making big solar in Australia a reality. Australia has an unprecedented opportunity to build a big solar future, as we have the world’s best solar resource, solar availability closely meets energy demand, and big solar can provide 24 hour energy availability through energy storage and dispatch.

“This announcement was a lost opportunity to outline policies to pull through the investment needed to exploit our fantastic solar resource,” said John Grimes the CEO AuSES. “While $100m a year for ten years to connect new renewable energy projects to the grid already announced in the May budget is a good start, the announcement does nothing to drive those new projects to be developed. Funding for renewable energy infrastructure should come from broader infrastructure funds rather than scarce renewable energy funds.” “The Prime Minister said there have been 52 big solar projects proposals, but only 2 will be successful. Instead of making future dirty coal fired power stations carbon capture and storage ‘ready’, we should be making the other 50 big solar projects a reality”. “AuSES calls on the parties to commit to a target for big solar of 5% of energy production by 2020, supported by loan guarantees and a big solar feed in tariff to the most competitive projects that can help us meet the target.”

The Australian public constantly support solar as the number one climate change solution. The technology is ready, the resource is abundant, clean and free, and the public want to see a solar powered Australia. “Clean energy investment and clean energy jobs could be created overnight with the right policy settings”.

< Back to Blogs

Solar Energy Society Backs Victorian Feed in Tariff, Calls for National Action

21 July 2010

John Grimes, CEO
Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES)
Website: www.auses.org.au
Email: CEO@auses.org.au

The Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) has welcomed the Victorian Government’s commitment to generate 5% of the State’s electricity from solar power by 2020 and $50m in funding for a 154MW solar project at Mildura. “This announcement by the Victorian Premier, John Brumby, of a feed-in tariff for large scale solar makes Victoria the sun smart State” said John Grimes the CEO of the Australian Solar Energy Society. “By generating 5% of its electricity from solar power, Victoria will lead Australia in powering homes and communities with pollution free energy from the sun”. “Premier Brumby’s announcement is good news for Victoria’s environment, for regional communities and for the Australian solar industry. This policy will generate thousands of clean economy construction and manufacturing jobs in north-west and central Victoria, boosted by $50m in funding for Solar Systems, a subsidiary of Silex”.

The Australian Solar Energy Society calls on the Federal Government and Opposition to match Premier Brumby’s announcement and commit to at least 5% of Australia’s electricity coming from Big Solar by 2020. A 5% target can be met through a Commonwealth Budget funded competitive feed-in tariff and loan guarantees. “Big Solar is becoming big business throughout the world, and Victoria will soon be riding the clean energy investment wave. With leadership from Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott, the sunburnt country can be the sun-powered country.” AuSES also welcomes Premier Brumby’s commitment to further investigate a feed-in tariff for commercial-scale solar. This is the fastest growing area of solar energy globally, but it remains an untapped market in Australia.

< Back to Blogs

Sun Rises on Big Solar

11 May 2010

John Grimes, CEO
Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES)
Website: www.auses.org.au
Email: CEO@auses.org.au

The sun is rising on Australia’s Big Solar industry following some important announcements in last night’s Federal Budget. “The Australian Government is really starting to back Big Solar in Australia”, said John Grimes, the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES). “Last night’s announcement of two major solar projects, the short-listing of eight Solar Flagships proposals and funding for solar research and development mean the sun is starting to shine on Big Solar”. “AuSES congratulates its member companies Wizard Power and AREVA Solar and their partners for successfully obtaining funding to build 40 and 23 megawatt solar power plants. I look forward to seeing the ground turned on these major infrastructure projects, and I can’t wait to see clean energy jobs being created in Queensland and South Australia.” “However, Big Solar won’t become a reality in Australia until Federal Parliament approves the Enhanced Renewable Energy Target, and AuSES calls on all political parties to pass the legislation as soon as possible.” “Once the legislation is passed, the Australian Government should turn its attention to expanding a strong and sustainable Big Solar industry. Without a price on carbon, that means ensuring Big Solar delivers its fair share of an expanded Renewable Energy Target, and introducing a competitive feed-in tariff, tax reform and loan guarantees for Big Solar.”

< Back to Blogs