Turning our homes into suburban powerhouses
by Clare Peddie, Environment Reporter /Feb 19, 2008
Source: The Advertiser/AdelaideNow
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23236527-2682,00.html
ADELAIDE’S suburbs can be power stations within five years when solar roof panels and special glass windows become cost-effective, a former Adelaide thinker in residence says. Urban ecologist Herbert Girardet says if three conditions are met each house can become a solar power station where houses produce more energy than they consume. These conditions are electricity prices going up, solar technology prices going down, and supportive policy in place, such as the State Government’s new feed-in laws that pay for excess electricity fed in to the grid.
“I think it is a matter of maybe five years before people see it is a cost-effective investment to put solar on houses on a very, very large scale,” he said. “That is then your solar power station in the suburbs.”
Many households in SA already have solar power. The Federal Government rebate has given the industry a boost and the state feed-in laws will make solar more attractive.” Meanwhile, Mr Girardet said the price of silicon used to make solar panels is coming down and there is a “massive increase in production capacity worldwide”, particularly in China and India.
Founder and chief executive of China’s largest solar company Suntech, Dr Zhengrong Shi, said solar was not expensive. He predicts the cost of solar will soon match coal, not in 50 years time but in five years or less. And when solar achieves “grid parity”, the market he says will be “boundless”.
Anticipation is growing around thin film solar cells, which are manufactured overseas. Dr Shi said a thin film of polysilicon could be wedged between two sheets of glass to make “tinted power windows”. “It’s ideal for a city rich in sunshine like Adelaide,” he said. Japanese Kaneka thin film solar panels are a favourite with Solar Shop Australia.
Electrician Aaron Bryant helped install 20 60W panels on a suburban home at Greenacres yesterday. “Since the rebate increased to $8000 we’ve just been so busy, extremely busy, it’s been fantastic,” he said. “I’m sure there will be more interest now the feed-in law has been passed. Customers will be paying off their systems twice as fast.” Ibrahim Iddrisu said he was “very happy” with the new 1.2kW system.