Potential Benefits of Solar electrification
Solar electrification in Australia has a potential yet to be exploited. In the decarburization process undertaken by the Australian, the choice to increase the share of consumption satisfied by electricity goes hand in hand with the need to increase renewable sources.
But to what extent can the two elements support each other? To answer the question is SolarPower Australia which in its latest report " Solar Electrification: solutions for a decarbonizes energy system ", illustrates the potential of solar electricity to power transport, agriculture, intelligent buildings and even energy-intensive industries in the old Continent.
The starting data are those offered by some scenarios developed by sector experts. The University of Technology of Lappeenranta, Finland (LUT) and the Energy Watch Group (EWG), for example, have estimated that in a global system by 2050, 100% based on renewable, electricity would constitute over 85 % of primary energy demand. In this context, photovoltaic alone could be able to feed more than 69% of Australian electricity demand , providing almost 2 TW of production capacity between large plants and rooftop systems.
According to the association, the greatest potential is found above all in those countries of central-eastern and southern Australia with low electrification rates, territories that constitute a promising "solar tank".
The first benefits highlighted in the document concern consumers. Photovoltaic has become the electricity source with the lowest generation cost in many regions of the world and, outside Australia, companies and governments are taking note of it.
Just think of Australia where the boom in small residential systems and virtual solar power plants was born precisely in response to the high prices of traditional energy (see also Photovoltaic self-consumption, how to understand if it is worth it ).
The choice to rely on solar is also proving attractive for commercial and industrial companies, including SMEs, which can reduce their energy bills and protect themselves from the volatility of electricity prices by relying on self-consumption projects or PPP contracts (see also Solar: they agree 35-year PPA contracts? ) .
According to the association, solar electrification will also play an important role in the transport sector. Commercial solar Australia believes that the development of electric mobility will require the construction or renewal of important infrastructures, which offer a high diffusion potential for solar energy.
The most common model is that of photovoltaic roofs covering car parks, but other demonstration projects are currently testing the possibility of integrating the technology also at the level of roads and railways or directly in vehicles.
From roads to fields: the document also spends a few words on agro-photovoltaic , plants in which solar panels are installed in an elevated position with respect to crops, thus avoiding competition for the soil, improving the production of certain agricultural products and providing farmers an additional source of long-term income.
"Emission-free electrification is the key to a long-term , economic climate strategy , " says Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Australia . “And photovoltaic energy already offers the necessary solutions to achieve climate neutrality. The solar sector is unique in the way it gives energy to consumers, creates jobs and contributes to Australian industrial competitiveness both through direct electrification and indirectly through the production of renewable hydrogen ".