Large-scale solar farms given $350m push by renewable energy bodies | Environment. Up to 10 new large-scale solar farms are to be built across Australia through $350m in funding from two government renewable energy bodies, following the creation of the southern hemisphere’s largest solar farm in New South Wales. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) will offer grants and loans to help the solar projects get off the ground. Arena has a $100m round that will invite companies proposing major solar PV projects, with a minimum generation capacity of five megawatts, to bid for grants of up to $30m each. Meanwhile, the CEFC will provide $250m in large-scale solar financing, aimed at recipients of Arena’s grants.
Successful projects will get loans of $15m or more. It’s anticipated that between four and 10 projects will be funded, as part of an Arena goal to develop a further 200 MW of additional large-scale solar in Australia. Obama plan gives 'hope' for Paris deal - BBC News. The UK government has welcomed President Obama's plan to cut greenhouse gases and boost clean power. A spokeswoman for the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) said it would lift chances of a global deal at a Paris climate summit in December. When asked if the US had now overtaken Europe in its ambition on climate she declined to comment.
And she declined to say why renewables were deemed affordable by the US but apparently unaffordable in the UK. President Obama's Clean Power Plan is his strongest action so far on climate change. It increases a previous offer of a 30% reduction in emissions by 2030 to a 32% drop. The tone of his statements is at odds with the recent slew of cuts to energy efficiency and renewable energy from the UK government. British ministers recently insisted the UK will play its part in tackling climate change - but will no longer lead whilst other nations are refusing to follow. A Decc spokeswoman declined to draw that comparison. Expanding incentives. Solar power. Average insolation showing land area (small black dots) required to replace the world primary energy supply with solar electricity (18 TW or 568 Exajoule, EJ, per year). Insolation for most people is from 150 to 300 W/m2 or 3.5 to 7.0 kWh/(m2day).
The first three units of Solnova in the foreground, with the two towers of the PS10 and PS20 solar power stations in the background. Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP). Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam.
Photovoltaics convert light into electric current using the photovoltaic effect.[2] Photovoltaics were initially, and still are, used to power small and medium-sized applications, from the calculator powered by a single solar cell to off-grid homes powered by a photovoltaic array. Concentrated solar power Photovoltaics Economics Energy cost. Solar Energy Generating Systems. "SEGS" redirects here. For the airport with that ICAO code, see Seymour Airport. Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) in California, with the combined capacity from three separate locations at 354 megawatts (MW, 474,700 hp), is now the world's second largest solar thermal energy generating facility, after the commissioning of the even larger Ivanpah facility in 2014.
It consists of nine solar power plants in California's Mojave Desert, where insolation is among the best available in the United States. SEGS I–II (44 MW) are located at Daggett ( WikiMiniAtlas 34°51′45″N 116°49′45″W / 34.86250°N 116.82917°W / 34.86250; -116.82917), SEGS III–VII (150 MW) are installed at Kramer Junction, and SEGS VIII–IX (160 MW) are placed at Harper Lake ( 35°02′N 117°21′W / 35.033°N 117.350°W / 35.033; -117.350).[1]NextEra Energy Resources operates and partially owns the plants located at Kramer Junction and Harper Lake.
Plants' scale and operations[edit] The plants have a 354 MW installed capacity. Minister says solar farms are 'a blight on the landscape' 18 October 2014Last updated at 21:10 ET The environment secretary described large-scale solar farms as "ugly" Environment Secretary Liz Truss has said large-scale solar farms are "a blight on the landscape" and confirmed plans to cut a taxpayer subsidy to farmers and landowners for the schemes. She told the Mail on Sunday the land could be better used for growing food. There is currently a £100-an-acre grant scheme in place, worth £2m a year. Ms Truss said: "I want Britain to lead the world in food and farming and to do that we need enough productive agricultural land. " 'Real problem' Continue reading the main story “Start Quote It's a big problem if we are using land that can be used to grow crops, fruit and vegetables” End QuoteLiz TrussEnvironment Secretary She described the rows of solar panels as "ugly", telling the newspaper: "I'm very concerned that a lot of our land is being taken up with solar farms.
Liz Truss wants more land used for agricultural purposes instead. Google Invests $145 Million in Southern California Solar Plant. Solar energy. Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the sun harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, solar architecture and artificial photosynthesis.[1][2] In 2011, the International Energy Agency said that "the development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technologies will have huge longer-term benefits.
It will increase countries’ energy security through reliance on an indigenous, inexhaustible and mostly import-independent resource, enhance sustainability, reduce pollution, lower the costs of mitigating global warming, and keep fossil fuel prices lower than otherwise. These advantages are global. Hence the additional costs of the incentives for early deployment should be considered learning investments; they must be wisely spent and need to be widely shared".[1] Energy from the Sun About half the incoming solar energy reaches the Earth's surface.
Early commercial adaption Solar thermal Water heating.