Solar is the ‘new king’ says global power report
Kristin Gillies, October 14, 2020
Solar has been declared "the new king" in the annual energy outlook report by the International Energy Agency.
The global report on how the global energy system could develop in the coming decades shows renewables grow rapidly in all scenarios modelled, with solar at the centre of a new constellation of electricity generation technologies. "With sharp cost reductions over the past decade, solar PV is consistently cheaper than new coal- or gasfired power plants in most countries, and solar projects now offer some of the lowest-cost electricity ever seen".
However Dr Fatih Birol, IEA Executive Director warns that despite a record drop in global emissions this year, the world is far from doing enough to put them into decisive decline. “Only faster structural changes to the way we produce and consume energy can break the emissions trend for good. Governments have the capacity and the responsibility to take decisive actions to accelerate clean energy transitions and put the world on a path to reaching our climate goals, including net-zero emissions.”
The declining cost of solar energy in New Zealand is driving the uptake in New Zealand, especially in larger-scale commercial and grid-scale applications. SEANZ Chairman Brendan Winitana says "this global report corresponds with what we are seeing on the ground in New Zealand, the increased uptake of commercial-scale solar and proposals for grid-scale solar farms driven by the drop in installation costs. However, we must do more to ensure our systems are ready for more solar, batteries, and electric vehicles".
The full report from the International Energy Agency can be read here.
Recent large-scale projects completed or announced in by SEANZ members in New Zealand include:
Foodstuffs to install NZ's largest array of solar panels
1MW floating solar installation on Watercare’s Rosedale wastewater treatment pond
Waikato sun and solar panels will power manufacturing plant
SEANZ Member Genesis Energy to build 300MW Solar Farm
