Solar (Photovoltaic) cells in Australia

Polycrystalline solar panel.
Source: Photo courtesy of RISE

Today, photovoltaic cells have proved to be very useful in providing electricity to isolated areas. It is now an affordable way to heat water for households, using solar hot water systems.

In Australia, these cells are used to power railway signal systems and communication relay stations in remote areas. They are also used to power satellite public phones in isolated communities without phone or electrical wires.

In some Australian communities, solar electricity generation has replaced the traditional noisy and less environmentally friendly diesel generators.

Solar energy generated in a panel of photovoltaic cells can be stored in batteries. The remote mining community of Bulman in the Northern Territory has a solar generator feeding into their diesel grid system that results in the saving of 25,000 litres of diesel fuel per year.

In many remote areas diesel generators are turned off at night resulting in blackout time. This means lights out early for the whole community - and if you need to open the fridge, please be quick!

In Canberra, ActewAGL has a scheme that helps install a solar system in homes . It not only uses solar energy, but also reduces the amount of electricity a house can draw from the national grid. That both generates and saves electricity!