Solar Power, still too expensive [1]
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 06:15. Updated on Sunday, December 15, 2013 - 21:45.
Editor,
My, NZ Minister of Foreign Affairs is now offering the solution to Tonga's energy dilemma with solar panels.
By comparison here is a recent quote from Nobel Prize winning physicist, Dr. Chu, in his capacity as US Secretary of Energy, during a recent seminar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
".....that solar power, for one, is still far too expensive to compete with conventional power plants (except on hot summer days in some places, and with subsidies). Making solar cheap will require "transformative technologies," equivalent to the discovery of the transistor, he said."
As an example, the cost to install a new diesel power station of the same size as Popua is approximately US$12 million while a solar system that could produce the same amount of power is about US$500 million and that is why, without big subsidies there is still so little solar power in this world.
I recently had the opportunity to provide Government with some guidance on renewable energy options for Tonga so I have some hard facts on which to base my preference for deferring to the technical expertise of, the down to earth, Nobel prize winning physicist, Dr. Chu rather than the legal background of Mr. McCully when it comes to renewable energy issues.
There are a couple of viable renewable options available for Tonga, one being the burning of Saafa grass to drive steam turbines which could produce cheap electricity as does the burning of 1 million tons of straw each year in Denmark. Burning grass is CO2 neutral because the grass takes the same amount of CO2 out of the air while growing, as is returned to the atmosphere when it is burned. Indeed this option entitles the user to Carbon credits. Saafa could produce electricity for less than the diesel component alone in the current electricity price.
A wind farm on the ridge of 'Eua connected by submarine cable to Tongatapu is also a viable option.
Dr. Chu is a firm believer in nuclear power as is the US, France (60% of all power), the UK, and King George V, but unfortunately small nuclear power plants are not available yet.
Based on the wind/biomass data collection and analysis I have been involved in for more than 5 years, The World Bank at the end of this month will be announcing a group of companies who will be invited to submit proposals for an "Energy Roadmap for Tonga" with an emphasis on renewable energy options. I know two of the companies that are participating in the pre-qualification process and both have, successfully, designed and built large scale renewable energy projects all over the world.
Over the next few months I am hopeful that, finally, Tonga will know the best way to quickly and reliably generate electricity for much less than currently, eliminate most of the expensive, imported diesel from its balance of payments deficit and will move ahead to do exactly that, with World Bank/Asian Development Bank support.
I will publicly eat my hat if the upcoming study shows that solar is the preferred option to produce electricity for Tonga at a much lower cost than the present diesel system.
Peter Goldstern
B.Sc. Civil Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
M.Sc. Civil Engineering (U. of Wash.)
M.Sc. Management (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Federal Aviation Administration Licensed Aircraft Mechanic with Inspection Authorization (IA)
goldsternp [at] alum [dot] mit [dot] edu