1. Solar panel take-up heads towards
the millionth home
Australian roofs now have a solar power
generating capacity equivalent to half
the Snowy Hydro scheme as consumers
react to soaring power prices and
sinking prices for photovoltaic (PV)
panels.

2. First solar farm opens in WA
Some 858,000 homes have solar PV panels
with an installed capacity of just under 2
gigawatts, according to the latest data from
the Australian Clean Energy Regulator (ACER).
At the current rate of take-up, the millionth
home will tap into solar power before the end
of June next year, said Professor Ray Wills,
chief adviser to the Sustainable Energy
Association (SEA), an industry lobby group.

3. Significantly, the growth in demand for solar has
largely weathered the slashing of generous feed-
in tariff in 2011 — and subsequent dive in orders
after the loss of the subsidy — to recover much
of its expansion pace.
Intense international competition among
suppliers, particularly from China, now means
households can expect payback periods of as
short as four years, with a typical 1500-kilowatt
unit selling for $1500-$2000, Professor Wills said.

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“By 2013-14, solar panels will be so cheap that
you’ll coat every surface that has exposure to
sunlight,” he said. “You might even throw a coat on
your dog.”
Residents in the sprawling outer suburbs of major
cities may have a reputation for preferring hulking
SUVs and expansive “McMansions”, but they are
also among the fastest-growing purchasers of solar
PVs, said Professor Wills, speaking on the sidelines
of the All-Energy conference in Melbourne.

5. Planting a set of panels on the roof is leading to a
shift in consumer habits, resulting in average
power use falling about 20 per cent compared to
households without solar PV.
“People who have installed solar panels for any
reason do consider their energy use more
closely,” he said. “The latest crop is doing so
because it makes economic sense to generate
electricity from a solar panel. Many are less
worried about saving the planet and more
worried about the bottom line.”

6. The spread of solar panels to more than 10 per cent
of Australian households presents a challenge for
large-scale power generators such as Energy
Australia (formerly known as TRUenergy).
To the surprise of many forecasters, power demand
has dropped since the end of 2010. A high dollar has
forced some manufacturers to scale back production
or shift operations abroad but the uptake of solar PV
and the spread of other renewable energy sources
such as wind have added to the reduction in
electricity demand from the national grid to about
2004 levels.

7. The energy white paper outlining the federal
government’s long-term plans for the sector is
likely to be released at the end of the month,
while other policies are under review, including
the target of 20 per cent sourcing from renewable
energy by 2020.
Professor Wills, who also works as an industry
consultant for the advisory firm Duda & Wills, said
pressure from incumbent power suppliers to limit
the spread of solar and other renewable energy
suppliers will only delay the industry’s inevitable
transformation.

8. “If we make the wrong decisions by
defending the old market, renewables
will still arrive,” he said. “It will take
longer and in the meantime we’ll pay
more for electricity than we have to.”
SOURCE: smh.com.au: Peter Hannam

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