NEWSFLASH - National Solar Schools Program Shock Suspension

 

The Australian National Solar Schools Program (NSSP) that provided grants of up to $50,000 for schools to install solar power systems was abruptly suspended without prior notice by the Rudd government today.
 
According to an announcement posted on the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts web site, demand for funding from the program has been very high, and the Department has now received "enough claims" to meet the program's full budget allocation in 2009-10. 
 
The program's next round of funding will be available in July 2010, but DEWHA said it will open the program to new claims in May 2010 so schools can get a head start on preparing their claims for funding. 
 
The announcement came as a shock to providers and schools alike as there was no forewarning that a suspension was imminent.
 
Max Sylvester, co-founder of solar power solutions provider Energy Matters was astounded by the move. "I spent today at an event speaking to principals about the program, only to come back from the event to learn of this development. There will be many severely disappointed school communities around Australia this evening who were looking forward to playing their role in reducing power related carbon dioxide emissions and providing a unique educational experience to their students this year."
 
Mr. Sylvester also pointed out that this is the third time this year that solar power rebates have been suddenly axed. "I'm really starting to wonder about the commitment of our government to a clean, renewable energy future and the solar industry. In early June they ended the $8,000 SHCP solar rebate prematurely and then left everyone hanging for nearly two months before the Solar Credits program legislation was finally passed, then in late June they axed the remote power rebate with no warning; and now this." 
 
"It's incredibly difficult for consumers and industry alike to plan under such conditions and it leaves me concerned about what bombshell will be dropped on Australian renewable energy next. Situations like this and the talking down of solar power by some government officials lately do nothing to help encourage investment in the Australian solar industry."
 
A press release from Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water, Greg Hunt, used more colourful language to describe the situation.
 
"Peter Garrett didn’t have the guts to announce it himself... There is a pattern here. Peter Garrett and Kevin Rudd are solar frauds."

What are your thoughts? Discuss it in the Energy Matters forums.

Note to schools: Energy Matters encourages schools to register their interest in the NSSP with us in order to beat the inevitable rush when funding does become available again.

Canada's Largest Solar Farm Officially Opened

 

Canada's largest solar farm was officially opened early today and is now producing power for the people of Stone Mills in Ontario.
  
First Light Solar Park; a joint venture between SunEdison Canada and SkyPower Corp consists of over 126,000 solar panels situated on 90 acres. The solar farm is expected to generate over 10 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable electricity in its first year and will be enough to power 10,000 households. Over 20 years, the 9.1-megawatt system will displace nearly 152 thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of removing almost 33,000 cars from the road.
   
This new green energy supply will help support Ontario's elimination of dirty, coal-fired generation, which is Canada's single largest climate change initiative. With two more large solar projects expected to come on line by the end of 2009, Ontario will join the elite ranks of North America's leaders in installed solar capacity.
   
While the tar sands operations of Alberta in Canada have sullied the country's global reputation for working towards addressing climate change, in Ontario, the nation's second largest province, it's a completely different story. The province has seen solar power uptake skyrocket, due to favourable support from its government.
   
Since October 2003, Ontario has added more than 1,200 megawatts renewable energy electricity generation capacity and if projects come online as expected, Ontario is on pace to increase its solar capacity nearly 25-fold in the last four months of this year alone.
   
Ontario's feed in tariff program was also recently relaunched. Owners of solar panel systems will receive AUD 84c (current exchange rates) per kWh on all power produced; one of the most generous feed in tariff schemes in the world.
  

Victoria's Waubra Wind Farm Connected To Grid

 

The commissioning of the Waubra wind farm in the Australian state of Victoria was completed last week after being connected to the mains grid.
   
The Waubra Wind Farm site is located 35 kilometres North West of Ballarat on cleared agricultural land used for potato farming and grazing. The facility consists of 128 AW-1500 wind turbines with a generation capacity of 1.5 megawatts each. Tower heights and blade lengths range from 110 and 120 metres.
  
According to the company behind the project, Acciona, the power generated by the facility will be able to meet the needs of 140,000 Australian homes and avoid 635,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. 
   
During the project, over 200 direct jobs have been created, and another 26 permanent jobs will be provided relating to the ongoing operation and maintenance of power plant.  The 192 megawatt capacity wind farm represents an investment of around 450 million Australian dollars. The wind farm will generate additional income for local landowners involved in the project and is also expected to bring tourism associated benefits to the area.
   
The Waubra facility is the biggest wind power installation completed by Acciona to date in the world. The plant is also currently the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere. 
   
Acciona Director for the Asia-Pacific area, Brett Thomas, said the project "represents a highly important milestone for Acciona, the region of Waubra and the renewables sector in Australia, and a major step forward in the reduction of CO2 emissions in the state of Victoria through the development of green technologies".
  

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