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- 5 June 2007
Solar Energy
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Speakers - Draper Mr Peter
Business - Private Members Statements
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Page: 766
Mr PETER DRAPER (Tamworth) [6.01 p.m.]: Climate change, the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the provision of sustainable energy have become some of the most important issues facing not only Australia but also the entire world as we move into the twenty-first century. With huge amounts of sunlight covering our continent, we have a potential renewable energy source with unlimited quantities available, should our communities embrace the installation of solar photovoltaic power technology, or solar energy.
Solar energy is a renewable resource that is environmentally friendly. Unlike fossil fuels, solar energy is available just about everywhere on earth. The source of the energy is free and it is immune to rising energy prices. Solar energy can be used in many ways, such as to provide heat, lighting, mechanical power and electricity. With photovoltaic energy, sunlight is converted to electricity using solar cells. Photovoltaic cells are semiconductor devices that are usually made of silicon. Hopefully, new technology being introduced into Australia utilising titanium dioxide will reduce the initial production costs of solar panels. Solar panels produce electricity as long as light shines on them. They require little maintenance, they do not pollute and they operate silently, making photovoltaic energy the cleanest and safest method of power generation.
Australia appears to be lagging far behind many other parts of the world when it comes to the introduction of this technology, despite having the potential to reduce our housing sector greenhouse gas emissions to zero with a sensible roll-out plan. Germany, a country with far less sunlight than Australia, installed 960 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power in 2006 and will be installing over 2,800 megawatts by 2010. At the current growth rate of solar electric installations in Germany, in 2010 they will be installing the equivalent of over 1 million units on house rooftops per year. The German photovoltaic industry is worth approximately $A7 billion and employs more than 8,000 people. The industry in Germany is growing at about 30 per cent per year. Germany's feed-in tariff scheme allows excess power to be fed back into the grid and the owner of the solar system is paid premium prices. This reduces the payback time of new solar systems to less than five years and encourages new installations.
Evidence suggests that if Australia matched the annual international growth rate of photovoltaic installation, by 2020 every home in Australia could be powered by zero emission energy. The solar energy industry in Australia has released a blueprint showing that if we commence in 2010 with 685 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity, which is a quarter of what Germany will install, with a 20 per cent yearly growth, by 2020 Australia could install over 22,000 megawatts of solar panels. This would equate to a large three-kilowatt photovoltaic system on every residence in Australia. The industry points out that 22,000 megawatts of clean solar energy is equivalent to 11 large coal power stations running at full capacity.
Stationary energy accounts for more than half of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. The industry suggests that combined with a 10-star energy rating system for homes, a massive roll-out of wind power, demand side reduction, energy-efficient measures and solar air-conditioning, solar photovoltaic technology could lead Australia to be a zero emissions stationary energy sector by 2020. Along with cuts to emissions, savings on water use for hydropower could be achieved. Because solar energy potential peaks on the hottest days in full sun, widespread photovoltaic installation will reduce any likelihood of brownouts from water stress caused by drought that coincides with excess power usage. In developing the use of solar technology, we are fortunate that Germany, California and Japan have borne the considerable cost of creating volume markets for solar panels. By 2010 solar panels are projected to fall in price by as much as 40 per cent.
We are also fortunate that organisations such as the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of New South Wales are internationally recognised for research in the area of photovoltaics. The school was the first organisation to offer international undergraduate training in photovoltaics and solar energy and has since extended its educational programs to include postgraduate and research training opportunities. We have the way; all we need is the will! We need all three tiers of government to combine to develop an affordable program to roll out photovoltaic technology so that its accompanying benefits can be delivered to this nation. Tamworth is known as the City of Light because it was the first place in the Southern Hemisphere to roll out electric street lighting. A little bit of vision could well result in Tamworth, the City of Light, being powered by clean, renewable, solar energy.
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