Solar panel factory sees the sun again

Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday 14/4/2010 Page: 8

THE biggest solar-panel factory in the southern hemisphere is to open in Sydney this morning - after it was rescued by a nuclear energy research company. The Olympic Park plant will produce up to 10,000 rooftop solar panel systems a year, with the potential to make many more, filling more than 10% of Australia's demand for solar panels. SilexSolar, a subsidiary of the Australian uranium enrichment group Silex Systems, bought the plant cheaply from BP Solar last year after the latter decided to obtain its solar panels from China.

The revival is a boost for the Australian industry, which has been plagued by a lack of investment compared with China, the US, Spain and Germany. But the purchase leaves households interested in buying solar panels with a dilemma: by buying Australian-made panels, they are indirectly investing in nuclear energy as well. "Solar and nuclear energy are a great fit," the chief executive of Silex Systems, Michael Goldsworthy, said. "Looking down the barrel of climate change and global warming, we need to develop alternative electricity sources."

The plant will employ about 100 people by the end of the year. This is still short of the 200 skilled staff who worked at the plant when it was owned by BP Solar. But SilexSolar plans to make panels that convert a higher proportion of sunlight to stored energy. "We're looking at producing about 15 MWs of panels per year but we can expand that to 50 MWs," Dr Goldsworthy said.

The demand for rooftop panels has surged since 2006 when national solar rebates came into force, supplemented by state subsidies, including the solar tariff introduced this year in NSW. SilexSolar's acquisition of BP Solar's assets followed the takeover of Australian solar energy pioneer Ausra by the world's largest nuclear power company, Areva. The Premier, Kristina Keneally, said the development made Sydney the nation's solar power hub. The Australian PV Association said the revival of the factory was welcome addition to the Australian industry.