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CSP: It needs a new way of thinking about energy
Solar thermal technologies (CSP) hold the potential to provide up to half of Australia’s electricity needs, give it a significant place in the global supply chain and even become an exporter of renewable energy. But it may require a new way of thinking about energy grids – out with baseload, and in with dispatchable energy. -
Our power prices are plunging, but only for a chosen few
Australia’s demand for electricity has slumped sharply again, sending wholesale prices down to record lows. As the energy market operator prepares to cut its demand forecasts, some questions need to be asked. Is the energy market as it is currently constructed serving a useful purpose? And why do brown coal generators need compensation? -
Solar Insights: why solar will win the energy wars
Last week’s surge in solar PV production in Germany is just a taste of what’s to come. And with solar PV costs to fall below coal by the end of the decade, the energy industry is about to be turned on its head. Plus, Yingli’s “hockey stick” demand prediction. (Warning: This story contains graphs that owners of conventional power plants may find disturbing). -
18GW of solar by 2022? That depends on who’s connected
A new report suggests that Australia could have 18GW of solar PV installed by 2022 – around one third of Australia’s electricity capacity. The principal barrier, however, will not be about cost or a lack of demand – it will be the ability to get connected.
