The Australian government’s recent pledge to set binding targets for renewable energy is triggering investments in the nation’s wind and solar power capabilities.
Conergy, Germany’s largest solar energy company by sales, announced plans yesterday to build an A$2 billion (US$1.8 billion) wind farm in New South Wales, and Melbourne-based Solar Systems announced investments in a solar manufacturing plant and a large-scale R&D facility.
The federal government said in September that 15% of Australia’s energy would come from clean sources by 2020; New South Wales has set a target for renewable sources to generate 10% of the state’s power supply by 2010.
The Conenergy development will be Australia’s largest wind project, with as many as 500 turbines generating about 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, according to Epuron Australia, a wholly-owned unit of Conergy.
Construction of the first phase of the wind farm will begin in 2009 and will produce between 300-400 MW. Completion of the project is expected to take three to four years.
This very large project hinges on strong government legislation on renewable energy targets.
Conergy’s goal is to generate 25-30% of sales from the Asia-Pacific region within five years, up from 2-3% currently. The company, which is involved with various kinds of renewable energies, has about 15% of Australia’s solar market. Conergy wants 50% of its business to be outside of Germany, and 50% from non-solar renewables by 2008.
On the solar side, Solar Systems’ new Melbourne headquarters and manufacturing plant is expected to open in 2009, with an annual capacity of 300 MW. The company says that’s one of the largest in the world, and six times Australia’s current manufacturing capacity.
The factory will produce modules specifically for Solar Systems’ solar concentrator systems, which, the company says, produce 1500 times more electricity per square metre than traditional PV modules.
The modules will be used in a number of domestic and international projects, including the A$420 million (US $377 million) North West Victorian power station announced late last year.
Solar Systems also intends to build an A$10 million (US $8.9 million) R&D facility near Bendigo in Victoria to continue development of its technologies.
The company plans to install large-scale, grid-connected power stations.
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