AuSES Chief Executive, John Grimes said today: “The Federal Budget delivers on the Government’s commitment to a clean energy future.”

“If fully implemented as outlined in the Budget, the Clean Energy Future package will supercharge solar through the combination of a carbon price, renewable energy target and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.”

“Solar power makes sense economically and environmentally and the Budget provides the basis for investment in Big Solar right across Australia.”

“The Budget could go further and address recent cuts impacting the solar hot water industry which provides manufacturing jobs for Australians.

“AuSES will continue to work closely with the Government as solar energy transitions into a mainstream solution for domestic and commercial power demands.”

As the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, largest population centre and second largest economy, China is facing the extraordinarily difficult challenge of disconnecting its rapid economic growth from soaring greenhouse emissions. China is introducing a pilot emissions trading scheme in seven provinces, with a combined population of 250 million people, before introducing a national emissions trading scheme from 2015-16. China is committed to reducing its national carbon output per unit of GDP by 17 per cent by 2015, and 40-45 per cent by 2020.

China has also made a strategic investment in renewable energy, with the unstated aim of leading the world as it moves into the next industrial revolution. China is already the world’s leading manufacturer and installer of wind turbines and is the home of seven of the world’s top ten solar PV manufacturers (up from four in 2009). It won’t be long before China takes the lead as the largest installer of PV.

Having recently returned from a 12 day trip to China, visiting 11 cities, travelling 4,000 kilometres by rail and road and visiting most of the world’s leading solar PV manufacturers, it has become so apparent to me that Australia is looking at China through a rear vision mirror – with an out dated view of the Chinese economy; ignorant of the connections that already exist between Australia and China; and oblivious to the opportunities that lie ahead as China positions itself at the centre of the next industrial revolution.

China’s strategic investment in solar has profound implications for the global energy mix. This strategic investment has helped drive down the cost of PV modules by more than 60 per cent over the last three years, sending PV closer than ever to parity with other forms of electricity. The US, Chinese and Indian Governments have now all said they expect PV to be competitive with fossil fuels by 2020 at the latest. Indeed, China is likely to reach grid parity for industrial users by 2014, and for residential users by 2017. By this point, China is expecting to have more than 100 gigawatts of installed solar capacity.

The dramatic change in the economics of solar is a game-changing outcome with profound implications for Australia’s energy future. It may be the driver that allows Australia to go beyond the International Energy Agency’s projection that solar could provide five per cent of Australia’s electricity by 2020 (it’s around one per cent now) and the global projection of fifty per cent of global electricity demand being met by solar by 2050.

China’s solar story is Australia’s solar story. It is an untold story of Australian innovation and climate change action. Everywhere I went in China, I met Aussies. So many of the leaders of China’s PV industry – indeed the global PV industry – were trained in Australia, at the University of New South Wales or the Australian National University.

Suntech is just one example of Chinese and Australian innovation, action on climate change and strategic investment in solar. Its founder and Chief Executive, Dr Shi Zhenrong, is an Australian citizen, educated at the School of Photovoltaics at the University of New South Wales. Its Chief Technology Officer, Dr Stuart Wenham, is an Australian citizen, who is also the Deputy Director of the School of Photovoltaics at UNSW. Many of its senior executives have strong connections to Australian universities, and Suntech itself has a partnership with UNSW and Swinburne University in Melbourne.

Suntech, headquartered in Wuxi, China, is now the world’s leading PV manufacturer, employing more than 20,000 people, delivering more than 20 million solar panels to customers around the world and building 2,400 megawatts of installed capacity, with the extraordinary goal of providing 20 million people with basic electricity by 2020. Australian innovation has been at the core of this success story.

The story is similar in most of the other leading PV manufacturers, with UNSW PhD graduates holding senior positions in Trina, JA Solar, Yingli, Sunergy, Hanwha, LDK and many other companies. Trina’s partnership with the Australian National University, supported by the Australian Solar Institute, has the potential to make solar even more affordable by developing high efficiency silicon solar cells.

The Australia-China solar partnership is already helping drive massive investment in PV, substantially cutting global greenhouse emissions. More than 40 gigawatts of PV have now been installed around the world, with an annual added installation rate of more than 17GW.

In addition to the PV story, the University of Sydney can claim credit (through the work of Dr David Mills and Dr Q-C Zhang) for the evacuated tube technology that is used in solar hot water systems throughout China and around the world.

This solar story must rank as one of Australia’s greatest contributions to tackling climate change, but it has not been recognised as such.

The solar partnership between Australia and China is well established, if not well recognised, but it is still in its infancy. There is much China can learn from Australia in research and development, the development of industry standards and the development of a renewable energy target. There is also a lot Australia can learn from China in the commercialisation of technologies, prioritisation of policies and strategic investment by government. There is a hunger for investment in Australia, but there are not yet the projects to match the hunger.

Every solar company I visited in China asked the same question – if you have so much sunshine, if you have such great people, why don’t you have a strong solar industry? It is a question I ask myself every day, but I am confident we are closer to solving that puzzle.

The solar partnership between Australia and China is making the economics of solar persuasive, and the introduction of a carbon price, the establishment of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the continuation of the Renewable Energy Target will open up investment opportunities.

Within a few years, Australia will start to see significant investment in solar in remote mining communities, the development of a commercial and community solar industry and the establishment of larger solar farms and Flagship projects. Over time, this will also create manufacturing opportunities in Australia. Then we will begin to meet our potential as the sunburnt country.

The partnership between Australia and China should not be based on misapprehensions or misunderstandings. This will be the Asian Century, and the opportunities for Australia are endless.

As we move to a low-carbon economy in Australia and throughout our region, we should take heart from the Australia-China solar partnership, and look at ways to strengthen and broaden that partnership so that a clean energy partnership is at the core of Australia’s role in the Asian Century.

John Grimes is chief executive of the Australian Solar Energy Society

The Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) congratulates Senator Bob Brown on his extraordinary contribution to public service in Australia throughout his 25 years in the Australian and Tasmanian Parliaments.

Bob Brown has been a national and global leader in the promotion of solar and renewable energy sources.

Together with the new leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Christine Milne, Bob Brown made a major contribution to the development of the legislative package that will supercharge solar in Australia – the 20% Renewable Energy Target, carbon pricing, the $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the $3.2 billion Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

AuSES congratulates Senator Milne on her election as the leader of the Australian Greens.  Senator Milne is a passionate supporter of solar as a cornerstone of the new economy and as a major solution to tackling climate change.

AuSES looks forward to working with Senator Milne in her new capacity, and wishes Senator Brown a rewarding retirement.

The State Governments and electricity companies are hiding behind the yet to be implemented Price on Carbon and the Renewable Energy Target (RET) as a cover for these massive price hikes.

AuSES strongly opposes calls to axe the RET. Without the RET we will not have a solar Australia, or investment in large-scale clean energy projects.

These are the Facts:

• The fact is that the electricity companies have failed to maintain their infrastructure adequately since the 1950s or upgrade to a smarter grid and now have, according to the Federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson, a $100 billion bill to fix the ageing facilities.

• The Energy Market Regulator says 94% of the price rises are down to this single fact.

• It is dishonest to blame solar and other renewables for this shameful situation.

• The fact is all independent reports including the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) report out yesterday say renewables like solar have had a minimal impact on the cost of electricity other than reducing the demand on polluting electricity generators.

• The fact is if the public are concerned by recent electricity price rises they will be shocked about the rises still to come with further electricity infrastructure investment.

• The fact is the RET is a convenient smoke screen for the States and electricity companies. Without it they would still need to hike prices and so be directly exposed to public outrage.

It is time the States and electricity companies worked with the renewables industry to look at ways solar can reduce or postpone costly investment so cost hikes are not passed on to householders

The price on carbon is designed to encourage polluting generators to look at smarter, cleaner, more sustainable ways to provide electricity, because they have demonstrated they are not going to change without a financial penalty.

About the Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) www.auses.org.au

Since 1954, the Society has worked as a not-for-profit national organisation dedicated to promoting the use of solar energy in Australia.  Our members include academics and researchers, the solar industry, and the general public.

“With support from municipal, provincial and central governments, China is now the 7th largest market for PV solar in the world, and will only assume even greater importance in coming years as China works towards ambitious targets to reduce its energy consumption and carbon emissions while boosting renewable energy production levels.”

Grimes believes China’s goal to cap coal energy consumption by 2015 has provided a gap in the market that Australia can fill. “We are one of the major markets for solar energy in the Asia-Pacific region which will account for around one-quarter of global solar PV demand by 2015,” said Grimes.

AuSES Chief Executive John Grimes (right) with Mr Shi Dinghuan, Chairman of China Renewable Energy Society

PV

AUSES CELEBRATES 50^TH YEAR WITH TWO INDUSTRY CONFERENCES

The Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) is celebrating its 50^th year in 2012 by hosting two key solar industry conferences to showcase how far solar has come in the past 50 years in Australia.

“AuSES is one of the world’s oldest solar energy organisations.  Indeed the prestigious International Solar Energy Society was born out of AuSES, and was headquartered in Melbourne for many years,” said John Grimes the Chief Executive of AuSES.

One of the key events this year is the East Solar Expo & Conference to be presented by AuSES and international partner AUPVSEE at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre from the 21-22^nd of August.  www.eastsolar2012.com

“This event will feature a line-up of expert solar speakers who will chart the rise of solar and its market prospects out to 2020.  Best of all it will be a free event, to educate people on the significant contribution solar is already making,” said Grimes.

AuSES is also proud to be running the Solar 2012, the organisation’s 50^th anniversary event in early December in Melbourne.  This golden jubilee event will showcase solar research, and spotlight real solar projects that are delivering cost effective, emission free electricity.

“Australian inventiveness, and can do attitude has proven decisive in many solar breakthroughs.  From the pioneering engineers of the CSIRO who helped develop solar hot water, to the University of New South Wales who regularly set global solar photovoltaic efficacy records.”

“Our universities have trained some of the global solar leaders including executives at SunTech, China Sunenergy, Trina, CSG Solar and Solarfun.”

“We have also seen leading solar companies launched in Australia make it big internationally. Areva Solar (formally Ausra) is an excellent example of this.”

“This is an exciting time as over 1 million Australian homes have solar hot water, and over 500,000 have solar panels.  We expect much more to be done in the next three years as the cost of solar falls to record lows with production increases”.

Media Contact:

DMG Media Marketing

(02) 8006 0424  team@dmgpr.com

Susan Fitzpatrick-Napier

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MEDIA RELEASE

12 March 2012

About the Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) www.auses.org.au

Since 1954, the Society has worked as a not-for-profit national organisation dedicated to promoting the use of solar energy in Australia.  Our members include academics and researchers, the solar industry, and the general public.

TICKY FULLERTON, PRESENTER: Clouds of uncertainty continue to roll over the solar industry.

The apparently on-the-fly policy changes are really spooking the clean energy sector.

The latest to be hit is the solar water heater sector after the Government called an early end to household rebates.

Read full transcript here

TICKY FULLERTON, PRESENTER: Clouds of uncertainty continue to roll over the solar industry.

The apparently on-the-fly policy changes are really spooking the clean energy sector.

The latest to be hit is the solar water heater sector after the Government called an early end to household rebates.

This report from Rebecca Nash.

REBECCA NASH, REPORTER: You would assume living in a country renowned for its excess of sunshine would make the solar energy sector a sure bet, but those directly involved in the industry say they’ve been burnt by successive governments turning the clean energy policy switch off and on.

JOHN GRIMES, AUSTRALIA SOLAR ENERGY SOCIETY: We call this the “solar coaster”. It’s the policy roller coaster ride for solar energy. Relying on government policy, being at the end of a long policy tail, has actually been no fun for the industry.

REBECCA NASH: Industry representatives say the constant change is particularly frustrating, because the take-up of solar has nearly reached the point where subsidies won’t be needed at all.

The Melbourne Energy Institute estimates solar energy will reach grid parity in Australia within four years. It says pulling government support will delay the technology becoming self-sustaining.

MIKE SANDIFORD, MELBOURNE ENERGY INSTITUTE: Abrupt changes lead to boom/bust cycles for industry, which of course feed through to the deployment and don’t allow us to get the scale and the costs down on the installations.

REBECCA NASH: That boom/bust cycle appears to be in danger of becoming entrenched as incoming governments also move the goalposts. Last year the NSW Government slashed the feed-in tariff, with devastating consequences for many solar businesses in that State.

JOHN GRIMES: We call on governments across Australia to put in place a fair price for solar: to value solar at an appropriate level, pay that fair price and recognise the contribution that solar is making to our overall electricity generation network.

REBECCA NASH: While the Melbourne Energy Institute believes feed-in tariffs were initially too generous, it argues they should still sit about 50 per cent above the retail price for electricity. Professor Sandiford argues it’s still good value for the taxpayer dollar.

MIKE SANDIFORD: It certainly is an expensive way to generate electricity compared to other schemes, but it doesn’t need to be delivered over poles and wires, and it’s important to understand that the cost of retail electricity is largely through the distribution and transmission, not through the generation.

REBECCA NASH: The dangers of confusion and uncertainty in policy are very real for those at the front line.

GARETH JENNINGS, RHEEM AUSTRALIA: Today we’ve got 400 people that showed up for work to make heat pump and solar water heaters. We’re not exactly sure what we’re going to do with the products they’re making.

REBECCA NASH: Gareth Jennings says his industry has already seen demand halve in the past two years.

GARETH JENNINGS: It’s quite possible that this could drop the market by another 50 per cent. If that happens, I don’t think there’s room for the two manufacturers that currently exist in Australia.

REBECCA NASH: John Grimes wants greater industry consultation, so the state of play is understood before the rules are changed again.

JOHN GRIMES: We need to work collaboratively so that we land the aircraft of subsidies; that we bring it down gradually over time.

REBECCA NASH: The Government’s renewable energy certificate scheme is up for review this year.

“It has given the industry no time to prepare and makes business planning almost impossible.”

The Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) has called on the Government to reinstate the rebate, challenging the sudden axing of what AuSES Chief Executive John Grimes called “one of the most successful clean energy programs introduced in recent years.”

Read full article here

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus, announced the sudden closure of the Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme that provided rebates of $1,000 to install a solar hot water system or $600 to install a heat pump.

Read full article here