Chilean authorities approve 3.1 GW solar project

Australian Authorities are still in love with king coal

© Gilberto Perez / Wikimedia Commons CC-by-SA

09.01.2013: A total of 3.1 GW of PV projects have been approved by the authority Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental (SEA) in Chile, according to the December report of the Chilean renewable energy research institute Centro de Energías Renovables (CER). The PV projects currently under examination for approval have a total capacity of 908 MW. The report notes that despite the increase in PV projects submitted during the last months, the country has only 2.4 MW of on-grid PV system power up and running, while 2.5 MW of projects are under construction. Furthermore, the report reveals that 4.8 MW of small-sized off-grid PV systems have been installed in the Chile. Source: Centro de Energías Renovables (CER)

http://www.cer.gov.cl
http://cer.gob.cl/boletin/diciembre2012/Reporte%20Diciembre.pdf
The complete press release can be viewed in PHOTON's archive using the following link:
http://www.photon-international.com/newsletter/document/72972.pdf

STUDY: Renewables Can Supply 99.9% Power by 2030

STUDY: Renewables Can Supply 99.9% Power by 2030 - Solar Feeds

“Aiming for 90 percent or more renewable energy in 2030, in order to achieve climate change targets of 80 to 90 percent reduction of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the power sector, leads to economic savings,” said authors of the study.

How so? Just read the article published recently on Solar Feeds.
It only will not happen, as corporations of opposing interest are way too strong for a fledgling industry trying to kill the establishment. And eating their own lunch? Does anyone seriously believe that Chevron, Shell, Exxon etc would voluntarily transform their own business of printing money?

I don't.

The same thing goes for Australia where king coal is at the helm of energy politics. Beyond zero emissions have costet this scenario earlier for Australia.

If only the people weren't so phlegmatic in decisive numbers, they could at least try and influence at the course at the ballot box, but no ...

Solar farm gets planning nod - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

30 MW solar power project approved near Kerang

… or at least the planning for it.

The shire's Jason Russell says while the development is not guaranteed, the planning approval will allow it to begin.

Read the full story on the ABC website.

Being a possible development in Victoria I am sure the established coal industry will fight nail and tooth to find reasons why this project and similar ones being looked at cannot go ahead.

PV Parity: New Press Release

European consortium highlights competitiveness of Solar Photovoltaics (PV) in 11 EU countries

Something we all have been waiting for: Grid parity of Solar PV.

But what does it actually mean? There are many different opinions and benchmarks, and dependent on who the discussion is being conducted with, these parameters shift. Sometimes based on facts, sometimes on political interest, or on economical goals.

In Europe 11 countries have put their heads together and founded the PV Parity project, let's see what they found:

In the residential segment the earliest date on which competitiveness can be achieved and the latest one varies widely for the different target countries, with the time range due to irradiation differences, the maturity of each national PV market (which influences cost of capital and thus PV system costs) and  the level of retail electricity prices in each country.
According to the results, grid parity is starting to be achieved already in Germany, Southern Italy, Netherlands and Spain in 2012; they should be followed by Northern Italy, Portugal and Austria in the next two years and then progressively by other countries. By the end of the decade, depending on how prices will evolve but also the cost of financing, grid parity could be achieved in all target countries.
The consortium also has analysed the commercial/industrial and the utility scale segments. Detailed results of the simulation are available at the following link. http://www.pvparity.eu/results/.

Exciting times! Would love to see something like this project in Australia though. 

Denmark Reaches 2020 Solar Goal Ahead of Schedule - Solar Feeds

Every month, another 36 MW of solar capacity is added to the grid in Denmark

More and more often we can read about the successes and progress made in other countries if it comes to renewable energy. One might think: Why aren't we in Australia in the headlines?

Seems that too many still believe that fossil fuels are still "cheaper" than renewables, they only need to be dug up. That this is the wrong track to a sustainable future is something many countries including Saudi Arabia have realised.

But check out Denmark's story for a moment, a nice example.

Panasonic Freezes New Investment in Malaysia PV Manufacturing | Renewable Energy News Article

Invested too much?

Something I found on Renewable Energy World shows that even the biggest companies might overdo it in investing, they too have put on the brakes occasionally:

Japanese electronics giant Panasonic, which became a major global solar PV manufacturer after taking over rival Sanyo, will freeze new investment in its state-of-the-art wafer, cell and module manufacturing plant in Malaysia amid ... Read the full article

Sydney launches $4.3M project to boost renewable energy – News Watch

A new article on National Geographic about renewable energy

Have you ever heard of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group?
I don't know, but some fantastic initiatives never make it into the mainstream news. Is it because blood and gore and guts sell better than good news?
In this case it is about a project undertaken to combat pollution and energy cost. It will allow the people in the city to breathe lighter and allow the city to spend money on more productive things than fuel.

The project economics are compelling, thanks to steep reductions in the cost of solar panels and favorable pricing on any surplus power they produce. As a result, the City was able to contract nearly twice the amount of solar PV for less than half the cost than originally envisaged in 2010.

Read more about this initiative on National Geographic's website.
To read the full press release about the project launch, click here.