Sunday, January 31, 2016

Indian solar market: 2015 year in review and key issues ahead




2015 was the first year in which the announcement of the 100GW target by 2022 started having an impact. While this announcement was made in 2014, the target was only formally passed by the cabinet in June last year.  As a first step towards achieving this target, close to 7GW of state and central policy projects were allocated just in 2015. Of this 7GW, a capacity of 1.2GW was allocated under National Solar Mission (NSM), while 5.9GW was allocated by states such as Telangana and Tamil Nadu who tendered 2GW each.
In terms of annual installations, the solar market in India almost doubled to 2GW in 2015 as compared to 0.8GW in 2014. In 2015, the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh emerged as the fastest growing sub-markets, removing the western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan from their mantle.
Another important trend emerging is the sub INR 5/kWh tariffs, which is the new normal for solar in 2015. In the first two rounds of NSM phase II bids in Nov-Dec 2015, projects were won at INR 4.63/kWh. It will be interesting to see how tariffs will evolve in 2016 and whether project developers can get sufficient returns with levels between INR 4.60-5.00/kWh.
A similar pace of activity is also expected in 2016, however, there are hurdles that will rise with increasing solar capacities in India.
Some of the key issues are:
Incompetent grid and transmission infrastructure
In 2016, it is expected that another 4.8GW of new capacity will be added. However, Indian grids and transmission infrastructure is incompetent to absorb such bulk solar capacities. Furthermore, 80% of this new capacity will be added by southern states (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka) where grid curtailment is already very high, reaching up to 15% in select locations.
It is also important to note that in other developed countries like Germany, which meets almost 7.5% of its power from solar in a year, there is a robust grid infrastructure and its gas based generation assets help in balancing the grid. India, on the other hand, does not have a robust grid and also has a very limited ability to balance it with other continuous sources of power generation. Clearly India’s ambitious solar plan would require upgrades of transmission networks at a massive scale.
Project delays
Another important concern is the rising number of project delays in the solar sector. Out of a total 1,485MW of capacity allotted under state tenders from October 2011 till September 2014 (whose expected commissioning time is by December 2015), nearly 50% (680 MW) has been delayed or partially lost for various reasons. Out of this 680MW, it is expected that almost 10% of the projects are completely stalled. Clearly 50% is a big number and if this trend continues then the government will surely fall short of its targets. 
Project financing
Banks in India are not actively supporting solar PV projects, and the interest rates charged by them are also very high because they already have a high exposure to power sector debt, which is underperforming. So it is still not clear how these winning bids at INR 4.63/kWh will be financed. If it will be mainly from private investors then what about the IRR expectation from such projects? It will be interesting to see how tariffs will evolve and whether project developers can get sufficient returns with levels between INR 4.60-5.00/kWh.


 




OriginalPost: Jyoti Gulia

India’s NTPC Launches 750 MW Solar Power Tender



India’s largest power generating company, NTPC Limited, is on an expansive spree to launch solar power tenders under the country’s National Solar Mission. Yet another large-scale solar power tender has been launched by NTPC Limited to set up a solar power park in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. The tender will involve allocation of six solar power projects with 125 MW capacities each.
NTPC has successfully allocated projects in several large-scale solar power parks in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and most recently, Rajasthan. All these tenders are part of the National Solar Mission.
The last three auctions by NTPC – two in Andhra Pradesh and one in Rajasthan – have brought down solar power tariffs to record low levels. An auction of 500 MW capacity in Andhra Pradesh, results for which were announced in early November 2015, saw SunEdison secure the entire capacity at a historic low tariff of Rs 4.63/kWh (US¢6.91/kWh).
A month later, SB Energy (a three-way joint venture company between SoftBank, Foxconn, and Bharti Enterprises) matched this tariff to secure part of the 350 MW capacities on offer.
Earlier this year, NTPC announced results of yet another tender where 420 MW capacity was on offer. The solar power park is set to come up in the north-western state of Rajasthan. Another foreign project developer pushed the tariff to fresh low of Rs 4.34/kWh (US¢6.5/kWh).

A number of these solar power parks are part of India’s ultra mega solar power programme wherein over 2 dozen solar power projects will be set up across various states. The combined installed capacity of these projects will be around 20 GW. The programme is critical to India’s target to have 100 GW of operational solar power capacity by March 2022.






Original Post: Saurabh Mahapatra 

Friday, January 29, 2016

'US firms keen to participate in India's solar programme'




Several American companies are looking at opportunities in India's renewable energy sector and are keen to participate in the National Solar Mission, US Exim Bank said on Friday.

"We are working with a number of renewable energy companies in the US and they are looking to increase their business here," said Fred P Hochberg, chairman of Export Import Bank (Exim) of the United States.

The Bank is also helping companies like GE and Westinghouse in setting up nuclear projects in India. "...talks are moving forward. The real progress has been made in liability issue and Convention on Supplementary Compensation (CSC) issue and we are moving well on that path that will open India not only to United States but also to other countries to participate in generating nuclear power in India," he said.

Asked about the solar mission dispute with India at the WTO, he said: "I very much respect the idea of Make in India, at the same time we have to balance between local manufacturing and innovation in best technology. One has to find a path through that."

In 2014, the US dragged India to 
WTO on the country's solar mission. The US alleged that India's programme appears to discriminate against the US solar equipment by requiring solar energy producers to use locally manufactured cells and by offering subsidies to those developers who use domestic equipment. It also alleged that forced localization requirements restricted US exports to Indian markets. After losing the battle at WTO last year, India is looking to modify its solar power programme.

National Solar Mission aims to establish India as a global leader in solar energy by creating the policy conditions for its diffusion across the country as quickly as possible. The US primarily exports thin film technology for the solar panel.





Original Post: BS Reporter

Thursday, January 28, 2016

India agrees to modify solar programme to allay US concerns




India has agreed to modify its solar power programme and sent a proposal to the US in a bid to strike a bilateral deal ahead of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) final ruling on their dispute on Friday. India lost the preliminary case at the WTO in August last year.
According to the proposal worked out jointly by the commerce ministry and the ministry of new and renewable energy, India will now use the domestic content requirement for buying solar panels for its own consumption—such as by the railways and defence—and will not sell the power generated from such subsidized panels for commercial use. “We hope the US will accept the proposal and withdraw the case from the WTO. This is also in the interest of the US as China has taken over the solar panel production and the US is no longer a large player in this business,” a commerce ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
In February 2013, the US requested consultations with India concerning certain measures relating to domestic content requirements under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (NSM) for solar cells and solar modules. In May 2014, the WTO set up a dispute settlement panel to examine the complaint. China accounted for 66% of Indian imports of solar power panels during April-June of 2015, power minister Piyush Goyal informed the Lok Sabha in December. More than 29 million of the 44 million imported solar power panels came from China during the period. Other countries on which India depends heavily for the import of solar panels include Taiwan and Malaysia.
In August last year, Goyal informed the Lok Sabha that the total annual installed domestic manufacturing capacity of solar cells and modules is 1,328MW and 2,523MW, respectively.India has an ambitious solar power programme under the NSM, which is aimed at adding 100,000MW of solar power by 2022. However, the local content requirement is only for 5,000MW each for rooftop and land-based projects where the government provides a subsidy.The government has offered financial support of up to Rs.1 crore per MW to the implementing agency for setting up large solar capacities by placing orders with domestic manufacturers.
Sambitosh Mohapatra, who oversees the power and utilities practice at consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, said that with renewed interest in manufacturing solar panels in India by companies such as contract manufacturing giant Foxconn and Chinese solar-panel maker Hareon Solar Technology Co., India will be able deal with any adverse judgement by the WTO.
“The government’s M-SIPS scheme through which it provides capital and revenue subsidy is attracting solar panel producers to manufacture in India. Even most government tenders do not have a local content requirement. The context for the WTO judgement case has changed a lot since it was filed in 2013,” he added, M-SIP stands for modified special incentive package scheme, which was extended for another five years last year.
WTO members are not supposed to insist on national content requirements that discriminate against foreign products. Governments are also required to provide sellers “national” treatment, under which imports must be treated on a par with domestically manufactured products.
In a confidential report issued to the US and India in August, a three-member dispute settlement panel headed by former New Zealand envoy David Walker ruled that New Delhi had violated global trade rules by imposing local content requirements for solar cells and solar modules under the NSM, Mint reported on 27 August 2015.
The panel also struck down the Indian government’s incentive policies, especially subsidies provided for domestic solar companies for manufacturing solar cells and solar modules.
After the US dragged India to the WTO in 2013, it blocked the first request by the US to set up a dispute settlement panel after negotiations failed between the two countries.
Under WTO rules, the trade body was obliged to set up the panel after the US made a request for the second time.
The US charged India with violating provisions in what are called the trade-related investment measures (TRIMS) by imposing local content requirements that discriminate against foreign products.
Washington claimed that the Indian government’s measures to impose national content provisions and deny “national” treatment have impaired benefits accruing to US companies. Environmental groups criticized the preliminary ruling, saying it threatens the clean energy economy and undermines action to tackle climate change.
“Today, we have more evidence of how free trade rules threaten the clean energy economy and undermine action to tackle the climate crisis,” said Ilana Solomon, director of Sierra Club’s Responsible Trade Program, on the preliminary ruling when it was issued in August last year.
India’s national solar programme, said Solomon, “has driven dramatic growth of India’s solar capacity that will help reduce its reliance on dirty coal and spur the development of new clear energy jobs”.
“The US should be applauding India’s efforts to scale up solar energy—not turning to the WTO to strike the programme down,” she added.





OriginalPost: LiveMINT

India Coal Plant Developer Switches to Solar for Site in Punjab




A prominent developer of coal-fired power plants in India is seeking to switch to solar for an 800-acre (324-hectare) site in Punjab it had earmarked for another thermal plant, saying the economics of photovoltaics are more attractive.
RattanIndia Power Ltd. which has 1.6 gigawatts of thermal capacity in central India, asked government permission to install solar panels at the site in Punjab instead of the coal plant it was planning, said Rajiv Rattan, chairman of RattanIndia Group.
“In the next three to four years, you will see the entire 800 acres getting used for solar,” Rattan said in an interview. The decision highlights increasing interest in India’s solar program after Prime Minister Narendra Modi set out a target to install 100 gigawatts of capacity by 2020 at an estimated cost of $100 billion. Incentives and regulations designed to draw finance from companies to help meet the target have attracted a handful of overseas developers to bid in auctions for power contracts in India, reducing the cost of solar electricity to a record low. RattanIndia is the only domestic firm to take on large foreign companies in Indian government auctions for solar contracts, which were dominated by SunEdison Inc. of the U.S., SoftBank Group Corp. from Japan, Fortum OYJ of Finland and Solairedirect Group from France.
RattanIndia has made a bold statement by making aggressive bids and competing with foreign companies in large government solar tenders where most Indian corporates were out, the solar research firm Bridge to India said. "The focus now should be on execution,” said Vinay Rustagi, managing director at Bridge to India. “There is enough space for all players because India’s solar story is one for the long term."
Rattan intends to double his company’s solar capacity to 500 megawatt in the next six months and will also raise 6 billion rupees ($88 million) to fund 240 megawatts of projects won in recent auctions.
The cost of solar power touched a record low of 4.34 rupees (or 6 cents) a kilowatt-hour for contracts awarded on Jan. 19 in the sunny southern state of Rajasthan, where a total of 420 megawatts of capacity was granted. RattanIndia, through its unit Yarrow Infrastructure Ltd., obtained 70 megawatts out of that chunk at a cost of 4.35 rupees a kilowatt-hour. The remaining capacity was won by foreign firms. The Indian company won another 40 megawatts at 4.43 rupees a kilowatt hour on Jan. 23 in Maharashtra, where it has over 200 acres.
RattanIndia was neck to neck with SunEdison last November quoting 7 cents (or 4.63 rupees) a kilowatt-hour for a 500-megawatt project in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The Indian company lost out there because of a lag in bidding on an electronic platform.





OriginalPost: Bloomberg Business

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Foreign firms bring down solar bids in India



Foreign firms are pushing down solar tariffs in India, with the lowest bid in the last auction at Rs 4.34/kWh. While the low prices have evoked mixed reactions as to the sustainability of such aggressive bids, what is interesting is that all the foreign firms are serious players in the segment. Past auctions have seen low bids only by unknown names or not-so-serious players. An analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance of the seven Centre and state auctions as of last Thursday shows that in five out of the seven, a foreign company emerged as the lowest bidder.

Bharat Agrawal, analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said, “There was much higher competition and participation from the foreign companies in the solar mission auctions, where NTPC was entering into the power purchase agreements. In fact, there were total three of such auctions by NTPC and each one of them saw a foreign company as the lowest bidder. Also, in two of them the entire capacity of the auction was won by the lowest bidding foreign company.” Mr Agrawal pointed out that another important highlight of the auctions was that all of the successful bids were significantly below Rs 5/kWh. “None of the state auctions so far has seen bid prices falling below Rs 5/kWh.”

Vinay Rustagi, managing director, Bridge to Solar, a consultancy firm, said, “The recent most aggressive bids have seen participation from leading international players, including Fortum, Softbank, SunEdison and GdF. These are very credible and well-capitalised players. Hence, we see little risk attached with these bids specifically.” The Narendra Modi-led BJP government has set an ambitious target: 100 gigawatts of solar capacity. India has committed at the Paris climate conference to raise the share of non-fossil fuel power capacity to 40 per cent of the country’s power mix by 2030 (from the current 30 per cent). The government is also working to provide power to all by 2019.

Mr Rustagi added, “Foreign firms are attracted to the Indian solar market despite severe competition and operating challenges because of the huge growth potential. We expect the Indian solar market to be one of the top three markets worldwide from next year. International developers have the advantage of deeper pockets and lower cost of capital. They also have very strong technical and procurement capability. Hence, they will always be among the most aggressive bidders, particularly for projects tendered by the Central government entities as these projects have the best off-take and policy risk profile.”

Solar tariffs have come down sharply in the past two years, led by a sharp decline in capital costs — 60 per cent over the past four years — decline in cost of debt, or assumption of lower cost of debt post commissioning, according to Kotak Institutional Equities. In a recent research note, the brokerage said, “Our analysis suggests upper single-digit to lower double-digit equity internal rate of returns, at best, for bids at Rs 4.63 per unit; companies have given mixed views on the viability of the recent bids. Aggressive bidding and its aftermath (low or no equity returns) could create risk aversion among investors (both equity and debt) and impact the sector’s growth plans.”

Fortum Finnsurya, a unit of Finland’s state-controlled Fortum Oyj, bid for the Rs 4.34/kWh for 70 MW in Rajasthan. Indian firms Acme Solar had bid at Rs. 4.40/kWh, Hero Solar at Rs 4.44/kWh, and Reliance CleanGen had bid at Rs 4.48/kWh in the same project. Fortum said it can talk about details only after power purchase agreements are signed. SunEdison’s president and CEO Ahmad R Chatila told The Hindu in a recent interview that people should not be surprised with the lower bids. “Everything we do is based on calculations, not gut feeling or risk. SunEdison has completed 1,600 projects with no stranded projects in a decade. Today, a watt is less than 50 cents. Therefore, it is sustainable, based on our own math. People were surprised at our bid, but they shouldn’t be. Many of these companies will do better than us. As shocking as the Rs 4.63 price point: one day we will look back at it and laugh.” Mr Rustagi said that whenever prices go down sharply, the government should examine the true underlying reasons and the capability of bidders to actually implement projects. “We believe the government should put stronger safeguards in place to this effect.” He said Indian players, with stronger on-the-ground presence and better ability to manage local off-take and land acquisition issues, will need to focus on their strengths. “We believe that the Indian developers will continue to play an active role in the sector, particularly in state government tenders and private PPA projects.”






OriginalReport: Sanjay Vijaykumar



Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Solar panel costs predicted to fall 10% a year




Solar power costs are tumbling so fast the technology is likely to fast outstrip mainstream energy forecasts. That is the conclusion of Oxford University researchers, based on a new forecasting model published in Research Policy

Since the 1980s, panels to generate electricity from sunshine have got 10% cheaper each year. That is likely to continue, the study said, putting solar on course to meet 20% of global energy needs by 2027. By contrast, even in its “high renewable” scenario, the International EnergyAgency assumes solar panels will generate just 16% of electricity in 2050. Its widely cited future energy scenarios in previous years failed to predict solar’s rapid growth. Mathematics professor Doyne Farmer, who co-wrote the paper, said the research could help to shape clean energy policy. “Sceptics have claimed that solar PV cannot be ramped up quickly enough to play a significant role in combatting global warming,” he said. “In a context where limited resources for technology investment constrain policy makers to focus on a few technologies… the ability to have improved forecasts and know how accurate they are should prove particularly useful.” Farmer’s model, jointly developed with economist Francois Lafond, draws on historical data from 53 different technologies. “We put ourselves in the past, pretended we didn’t know the future, and used a simple method to forecast the costs of the technologies,” Farmer explained. The research was supported by the European Commission and US Department of Solar Energy Technologies Office. It comes as India and France are championing a solar alliance to scale up the technology worldwide, boosting energy access and curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Last week India’s coal minister Piyush Goyal said solar was now cheaper than coal in some states after the latest auction of solar capacity. “Through transparent auctions with a ready provision of land, transmission and the like, solar tariffs have come down below thermal power cost,” he tweeted. “We are moving rapidly towards realising the clean energy vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”





Original Post: Oxford University Research 

Monday, January 25, 2016

Modi, Hollande dedicate International Solar Alliance to the world




Calling it a landmark initiative to save the world from global warming, and to push solar energy as a viable alternative across the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande jointly inaugurated the Interim Secretariat of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in Gurgaon on Monday. They also laid the foundation stone of the ISA secretariat, which will be hosted by India at the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) campus in Gurgaon.
NISE, Gurgaon will provide 5 acres of land for the construction of the ISA secretariat, and during the interim period three floors of the Surya Kiran building at the campus will be allotted to run the alliance. The Alliance comprises more than 100 solar-resource-rich countries working together with the objective of globally increasing the use of solar energy. Both PM Modi , and the French president Hollande travelled in Delhi Metro till Arjangarh Metro station, and reached NISE by road which is 11 km from the station. A DMRC spokesperson said that a special train was arranged for the two heads of the state to travel to Gurgaon, and scheduled in such a manner that movement of other trains was not disturbed.
In his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that that it launch of Solar alliance in Haryana was a historic occasion as it was happening in the land which has given the message of Geeta. “The people of India are dedicated to life, and respect all forms of energy particularly the Sun. This alliance which aims to harness solar energy is part of our belief system, and would be taken to logical conclusion”, he assured. The PM described the solar alliance as one of the two landmark initiatives, apart from innovation, that emerged during the two-week Climate Change Conference held in Paris last year, in which key roles were played by India and France. “We realised that if oil producing countries can unite, then 122 nations in the world who get more than 300 days of Sun can also unite, and the idea of solar alliance was born out of this thought. I assure you that this idea will impact generations as world would generate more green power”, said Modi. He appreciated the role played by French President in the formation of Alliance, and brining all nations together.
The French Development Agency will allocate 300 million Euros to developing solar energy over the next five years in order to finance the initial projects to be undertaken by the International Solar Alliance (ISA). Speaking on the occasion, the President of France, Francois Hollande, described the Alliance as India’s gift to the world for combating climate change. He said that the Prime Minister had approached him last year with the idea of an international coalition aiming at development of solar energy, particularly in countries with the greatest potential for it, and making this energy accessible to all. Following this, he and Narendra Modi had together launched the International Solar Alliance at the opening of the Paris Climate Conference on November 30, 2015.
Hollande said that the Alliance was faced with the challenge of raising global investment to the tune of 1,200 billion Euros required to develop solar energy by 2030.
The French President said that several French-Indian projects would be launched in order to contribute to the success of the Alliance, and a number of agreements have been signed for this purpose. Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Union minister of state for power, coal and renewable energy, Piyush Goyal were present on the occasion along with several dignitaries.




Original News: HT

Sunday, January 24, 2016

China Overtakes Germany To Become World’s Leading Solar PV Country





China has overtaken Germany in 2015 in terms of solar PV capacity, according to data from China’s Photovoltaic Industry Association.
Reported by China’s state-run media outlet, , the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) reported that China added 15 GW of solar PV capacity during 2015, a 40% increase on 2014 numbers, bringing the country’s total solar PV capacity up to 43 GW.
Meanwhile, according to Germany’s Federal Network Agency and Fraunhofer ISE, Germany only installed 1.3 GW in 2015, reaching roughly 40 GW.
“Many PV companies began to turn a profit last year thanks to the government’s positive stance on green and innovative energy production and investment,” said CPIA secretary general Wang Bohua, who added that technology research and development, as well as company financing, required more attention, and that 2016 would likely see policies related to PV power grid connection and subsidies.
China is aiming to increase its non-fossil fuel energy capacity to 15% of total primary energy consumption, with the country’s National Energy Administration predicting China’s solar PV capacity will reach 150 GW by 2020.
The PV Market Alliance reported earlier this month that global solar PV installations reached at least 51 GW during 2015, accurately reporting that China had installed 15 GW. At the same time, Tim Buckley from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) that China’s electricity demand growth had slowed to only 0.5% in 2014, that coal consumption had dropped 5% and coal imports had dropped by 35%. Part of this drop in coal has been the parallel increase in renewable energy within China, which has resulted in coal-fired power generation declining by an estimated 4% during 2015.
All of which places China on the road to an impressive solar PV industry over the next few years — especially if national policies can be implemented to further shore up the future of the industry. 





Original Post:Joshua S. Hills




Thursday, January 21, 2016

Indian Cabinet approves 5GW of Solar PV projects




The proposed projects would be developed under Batch-lV of Phase-ll of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), a government initiative that is aimed to have 20,000MW of grid connected solar power by 2022 which is now enhanced upto 1,00,000MW. The government plans to provide Rs50.5bn ($742.3m) in Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for the projects. The solar plants will be developed in four tranches of each 1,250MW capacity during four financial years viz. 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19. More than 30,000 would be created as part of the development of these projects. The government would invite bids from solar power developers for the construction of the grid connected solar power projects on build, own and operate basis. The projects will be set up in the solar parks of various states,developed through coordinated efforts of central and state agencies. Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) will sign power purchase agreement (PPA) with the selected developers and the power sale agreement with the buying entities for the clean electricity generated at the projects. The projects are expected to generate more than 8,300 million units of clean electricity that will be enough to power nearly 2.5 million households every year, reducing about 8.525 million tons of CO2 emissions into environment every year. Commissioning of the projects would take place within 13 months from the date of signing of PPAs with the selected developers and the power sale agreement with the buying entities for the clean electricity generated at the projects. The projects are expected to generate more than 8,300 million units of clean electricity that will be enough to power nearly 2.5 million households every year, reducing about 8.525 million tons of CO2 emissions into environment every year. Commissioning of the projects would take place within 13 months from the date of signing of PPAs. 

Key: The solar PV projects are expected to generate more than 8,300 million units of clean electricity.











                                             





Original Post By: CleanTechnologyBusinessReview



Australia’s Two Largest Solar PV Plants Completed, Doubles Large-Scale Capacity

 Australia’s Two Largest Solar PV Plants              Completed, Doubles Large-Scale Capacity


AGL-2

Australian utility AGL and global solar PV manufacturer and provider First Solar have completed Australia’s two largest solar PV plants, doubling the country’s total solar PV capacity.
The 102 MW Nyngan and the 53 MW Broken Hill solar projects are the two largest projects in the country, and reached completion this week and are now feeding electricity into the national electricity grid thanks to 2,044,140 solar panels. Together, the plants are now producing approximately 360,000 MWh of renewable energy annually, the equivalent of powering more than 50,000 average Australian households.
“Australia has some of the most intense sunshine in the world, and there is obviously an incredibly bright future for large-scale solar in this country,” said Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Kane Thornton. “The first time you build a new technology on a large scale such as this, a whole host of challenges and opportunities become apparent. Trail-blazing projects like AGL’s at Broken Hill and Nyngan make building the next generation of solar power plants cheaper and more efficient, and that’s great for the entire industry.”
AGL-1
“In the future, this historic achievement will mark the moment big solar started to become a major contributor to Australia’s energy supply,” said Ian Kay, acting CEO of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). “It comes less than a week after ARENA released the shortlist of 22 projects invited to progress to the next stage of its $100 million large-scale solar PV competitive round.”
“This new funding has attracted unprecedented interest from the sector and all levels of government, and is set to double the nation’s large-scale solar generation in two years.”
“The AGL plants, along with other ARENA-supported large-scale solar projects currently underway and the $100 million funding round, are part of ARENA’s efforts to make large-scale solar in Australia more competitive with other sources of energy generation,” added Kay. “Ultimately, this momentum will allow us to capitalise on Australia’s world-leading solar resource and speed up the transition to renewable energy for our electricity needs.”






Original Post by :