David's Comments

Thanks for your comment Paul. In fact the IEA CSP Technology Roadmap cites a total figure of 11.3% of global electricity production, given appropriate support, by 2050. I am sorry for my less than precise reporting.

http://www.iea.org/papers/2010/csp_roadmap.pdf

I agree, and look forward to seeing the come to pass in the coming years.

Thanks Martin, more details on this project may be found here:

http://www.macgen.com.au/News/2006News/LiddellSolarProjectUpdate.aspx

Well there are subsidies and then there are subsidies, Rolf. Putting the environmental argument to one side for a moment, I see oil is now reportedly trading at an 18 month high, something over $87/bbl.

In considering the costs of developing EV infrastructure, the likely costs of maintaining the oil-based status quo and continued reliance on such a volatile resource must also be weighed up.

You raise a valid point, Joel, but the point of this type of article is to open the debate rather than to limit the discourse to those with an obvious stake in the success of the industry.

Though evidently those with an intimate knowledge of the business are more likely to hold an opinion, we nonetheless invite and welcome any response to the same question - from those with a less favourable view too.

While this article certainly does focus on large central inverters, the potential impact of microinverters is acknowledged in para 9, referring to an additional box panel which appeared in the magazine.

Please do follow the link at the foot of the piece which will direct you to a recent REW anlaysis of the microinverter sector.

It is perhaps also worth noting that, by any standards, even 20 GW by 2020 is still a very ambitious plan.

Apologies for the typo, you are correct Koh-i-Noor, the figure is 20 GW.

The 150 GW refers to the current total installed generation capacity in India, both renewables and other forms of generation.

Thanks for spotting this error, according to Himin the correct figure is 100 million USD:

http://www.himin.com/english/hmnews.asp

No typo, 40 is indeed more than 35, but 40 as a proportion of 230 is considerably less that 35 as a proportion of 180. In the first scenario offshore wind accounts for close to 20% of the total, in the later figures this falls to nearer 17%.

PS. Good Energy currently pay 4.5p/kWh or about US cent 6.75

A rough description of the technology may be found at:

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52037

It is not a gas appliance and the heat is not transferred. Good Energy assess an individual's solar thermal installation and calculate an expected average annual output. The company then pays the householder a fee for each kWh produced from the system, depending on regular meter readings etc.
To qualify for the scheme, owners must sign up for a dual fuel gas and electricity supply contract from Good Energy. The gas supplied, which is used in a conventional boiler for space and water heating, is to some extent offset by the solar thermal installation. A premium on the gas price covers the cost of the reward scheme.