The annual Solar 2010 conference, hosted by the Australian Solar Energy Society, kicked off yesterday in Canberra. The conference was opened by the ACT Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Simon Corbell MLA.
Minister Corbell thought that it was appropriate for such an event to be held in Canberra, which is aspiring to become the solar capital of Australia. The ACT’s solar feed in tariff is now the country’s most generous, with a gross rate of 45 cents.
Guest speaker US Ambassador Jeffery L Bleich reasoned that governments should choose renewable energy for more than just environmental reasons. Mr. Bleich said we are relying on fuels that are exhaustible and from an economic and security point of view this is very dangerous.
Mr Bleich said that governments needed to turn to renewable energy in order to also prevent their economies from becoming dependant on oil-rich countries.
Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Christine Milne, said that Australia must de-carbonise by 2030, not just impose a carbon tax. “We don’t have a vision for 100% renewables. We also have no comprehensive strategy on energy efficiency.”
Setting a carbon price is not enough said Senator Milne, citing that support of the solar industry via subsidisation was needed to offset the subsidization of coal-fired energy. She spoke of the approach of peak coal and the necessity of developing technologies which utilized infinite energy resources.
Dr Larry Kazmerski, Executive Director of Science and Technology at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the US, shared a brief history of solar energy and showed the audience a version of the Vaguard I, the first solar powered satellite launched in 1958.
Dr Kaz, as he is affectionately known by his peers, spoke of the great potential of solar as the future for energy. Comparing solar maps of Germany, the US and Australia, he said out that if the solar market can be so big and successful in Germany, than it can be here as well; pointing out that the average solar resources in Germany are about the same as Anchorage, Alaska.
The Solar 2010 conference will continue until Friday 3 December, with workshops, speakers and solar tours providing insights into developing technologies and commentary on the future of solar in Australia.
