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Published on November 4th, 2014 | by Guest Contributor

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Australia Falls Out Of The Top 15 Utility-Scale Solar Countries

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November 4th, 2014 by  

RenewEconomy.
Sophie Vorrath.

The global utility-scale solar market has clocked its fifth consecutive year of record growth, with newly released data showing total capacity has now reached 30.3GW, up from 21.5GW at the start of 2014.

Figures released on Tuesday, along with the chart below, show that at the end of September the US was leading the big solar stakes with 407 utility-scale plants, amounting to a total installed capacity of 7.08GW. China comes in a close second with 245 plants, totalling 6.5GW; followed by Germany, with 281 plants and 3.46GW total installed utility-scale capacity.

South Africa wins the prize as the newest country to join the top 10, following the commissioning of the 75MW De Aar 3 project in August. The Northern Cape project, at over 85MW peak, also gets special mention as one of the largest amorphous silicon solar cell installations in the world.

Where is Australia, you ask? Still wallowing in the lower regions of the list at number 31, behind the Dominican Republic. According to Wiki-Solar’s Philip Wolfe, this should improve once the 56MW Moree solar farm in NSW is connected to the grid, and also the 153MW solar installations at Broken Hill and Nyngan.

Screen Shot 2014-10-29 at 9.48.58 AM

“Grid-feeding solar generation continues to dazzle, with records being broken all over the place”, said Wolfe.

“Our figures show the USA has become the first country to achieve 7GW of utility-scale PV capacity. Meanwhile the UK will probably be seen to have topped 2GW, when the summer’s completed projects are all entered onto the register.

“Japan and Chile continue to climb the table and, with substantial capacity still under development, will be vying for top-ten places before long.”

Source: RenewEconomy. Reproduced with permission.

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  • Larmion

    Reality is a bit better than what those figures suggest.

    For starters, Australia has more rooftop PV than most other countries, so that would somewhat improve its standing. But more importantly, a crude ‘capacity per country’ metric is a bit spurious. With the exception of Chile, all countries in the top 15 have a significantly higher population than Australia. On a per capita basis, Australia should gain a few spots (and it’s a safe bet to say to that the US, China and especially India would fall very far indeed).

    On an unrelated note: afaik, the Ukraine total includes the solar farms in Crimea. That’s the correct thing to do de jure, but de facto it’s just plain wrong.

  • Ronald Brakels

    Australia is more or less fated to fall further and further behind in the ranking of nations by utility scale solar. For more than what’s already planned to be built would require governement support and that’s not likely to be forthcoming. The good news is that rooftop solar is basically unstoppable in Australia and will continue to expand no matter how opposed the current Australian Coal-ition government is to renewables.

    • juxx0r

      If you ask me you’d have to be mad to put in utility solar in Australia. Take South Australia, 25% residential rooftop penetration gives 25% of the State’s power use during the day and negative daytime rates. Where’s the incentive? And you’re right, we will get close to 100% residential rooftop and the commercial market will take off too.

      • Ronald Brakels

        Yes, the more time that passes the lower daytime wholesale electricity prices will go thanks to expanding rooftop solar and the less economical utility scale solar becomes. If the scattered clouds over Adelaide clear up in two or three house rooftops solar will be supplying about 27% of total electricity use at around solar noon. And while South Australia is ahead of other states in rooftop solar per capita it is being installed everywhere. And we have plenty of space for it. Covering enough roofspace with panels to meet all demand in the middle of the day is not a problem and technically it would be possible for Australia to supply its entire electricity demand from rooftops alone.

  • tibi stibi

    now we know why oil price is going down :) just hope solar will stay cheaper!

    • Calamity_Jean

      Does solar (or wind) power really have that much of an influence on oil prices? Oil is mainly used to power transportation. Solar and wind generate electricity, and very little oil is burned for electricity. Oil and renewables really don’t compete with each other.

      • tibi stibi

        as i see it, the world consumes energy and a larger and larger part is wind/solar. which makes the use of other energy less and less.

        but there are other factors which could have greater effect like cars getting ev or at least need much less full to get from A to B.

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