Building solar plants more sustainable than coal-fired stations

Building solar plants is in many ways more financially viable and sustainable than erecting coal fired power stations, various experts claim. They will elaborate on this topic during The Solar Future South Africa conference in Johannesburg this coming Wednesday.
“Building solar plants as opposed to coal-fired stations is not only better for the planet, it also makes more financial sense,” says Edwin Koot, the CEO of SolarPlaza.
This global solar energy platform is the driving force behind the Johannesburg gathering - the first one in Africa since the company’s inception.
“When a coal power plant has reached its life span, usually after 40 years or so depending on the technology, the only thing you can do is demolishing it and building a new plant. This costs billions,” Koot continues, referring to the costs of the Medupi power station.
Built from scratch, this power station’s price tag has escalated from an initial R80 billion to R125 billion.
“When panels of a solar plant reach their lifespan, you don’t have to demolish the plant’s basic infrastructure - the metal structures that carry the panels. You simply replace the panels,” Koot continues.
“Replacing panels is becoming cheaper and cheaper every year. In addition, panels are becoming better in what they do as the technology is continuously improving.”
This makes solar a very interesting commodity to invest in, says Vishal Shah - managing director for the US-based alternative energy divisions at the Deutsche Bank.
“On top of that, your return on investment does not depend on fluctuating coal prices. This means solar is a very stable commodity to invest in,” he adds.
But has the sun the same potential power generating capacity as coal? Yes, various experts claim.
“South Africa has abundant coal reserves, but its reserves of solar power are even greater. And unlike coal, solar power is inflation-proof and doesn’t lead to the destruction of landscapes or the pollution of previous water,” says Peet du Plooy. As the programme manager at the Trade and Industrial Policy
Strategies (TIPS) think-tank, he predominantly deals with sustainable growth
issues.
Dick Berlijn, managing director of Pretoria-based solar electricity development firm Subsolar Energy, concurs. “South Africa is the world’s best solar energy location after the Sahara and Australia. This country has an annual 2500 solar hours. This is enormous. South Africa has a lot of space too. On paper at least, the Rainbow Nation could get all its energy from the sun.”
The Solar Future will take place on January 25, 2012 in the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. Speakers include Karen Breytenbach (Senior Project Advisor within National Treasury’s Public Private Partnership Unit), Velaphi Msimang (General Manager: Hydrogen and Energy subprogramme for the Department of Science and Technology), Ayanda Nakedi (Senior General Manager at Eskom Renewables), Omar Vajeth (Head of the Power and Energy division at ABSA Capital), Scott Brodsky (energy and projects partner at Dewey & LeBoeuf in Johannesburg), and Christopher Haw
(founder of the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association).
 
Distributed by Solar Plaza