Australia may miss out on PV boom, warns industry

John Grimes

Australia risks missing out on the China-led global PV boom because of erratic federal and state government policies, an out­dated electricity grid and backward-thinking utilities, the solar industry warns.

Global PV prices have fallen dramatically as manufacturing shifts to China at a time when it is also boosting its domestic market.

This “seismic shift” has helped the technology reach grid parity in some rural parts of New South Wales, says John Grimes, chief executive of the Australian Solar Energy Society.

But policy obstacles mean Australia is a long way from having its own solar boom, he warns.

“It would be helpful if governments thought in a more strategic way about solar in Australia. The fact that they don’t makes it more…

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