Australia’s largest solar company, True Value Solar, has today announced existing major shareholder, German-based M+W Group, has acquired the remaining 35 percent shares of the company, so that M+W Group now owns 100 percent of True Value Solar (TVS). In 2011 the German engineering and construction company had already acquired 65 percent of TVS shares. 

The acquisition of the remaining stake is part of M+W Group’s solar strategy to further develop its global solar business. The Group has realized large PV power plants in Asia and Europe and holds a world record in engineering and construction of photovoltaic plants all over the world. Furthermore the company has been awarded several solar awards.

With more than 60,000 residential installs completed, True Value Solar can now concentrate on strategies that will see that number grow rapidly. “Australia is a country where solar production and consumption profiles match excellently to further develop the residential and commercial market”, said Jürgen Wild, Chief Executive Officer of M+W Group.

“M+W Group have been with us for two years now,” True Value Solar representative Bob Matthews, Chief Operation Officer  said. “They bring over 10 years’ experience in solar technology and an ideal foundation for market development. Needless to say True Value Solar is very excited about our future and the future of the solar industry.”

About M+W Group (www.mwgroup.net): M+W Group is the leading global engineering, construction and project management company in the fields of Advanced Technology Facilities, Life Science & Chemicals, Energy & Environment Technologies and High-Tech Infrastructure. From concept development to turnkey services the company manages projects of all sizes ensuring rapid realization, high quality standards and cost-effective completion. With its competence to link process and automation technologies and complex facilities to integrated solutions M+W Group primarily focuses on leading companies in the fields of electronics, photovoltaics, life science, chemicals, energy, automotive, security and communication, as well as research institutes and universities. M+W Group GmbH is the holding company with headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. In 2011 the company, which employs more than 7,000 employees, generated an order intake of 2.59 billion euros and revenues of 2.48 billion euros. In 2012 M+W Group celebrated its 100 year jubilee.

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The IKEA Group Sustainability Report FY12 mentioned that it produced renewable energy equivalent to one third or 34 per cent of its total electricity consumption in 2012, investing over AUD$1 billion in renewable energy.

These energy efficient products along with use of solar panels have all contributed to greener practices for IKEA in the community.

Solar panels are a great source of renewable energy that utilises the energy from the sun to generate carbon emission free electricity.

Households are also able to adopt this form of renewable energy by installing solar panels on their rooftop, which will reduce their dependency on the electricity grid.

For more information on IKEA’s sustainability practices, refer to the IKEA website.

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This initiative will fit a 1.5kW solar power system onto these homes and provide $15 million worth of direct grants to the community housing sector.

This new policy will assist by reducing the cost of living for lowest income families in the state by an average of $500 a year, lower carbon emissions by 74,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year, reduce the demand for another centralised power station and encourage the development of Western Australia’s renewable energy sector.

The benefits of this solar power initiative will allow the solar panels to generate the same as a 45MW power station, which is equivalent to a third of daily house energy needs. The program will also create new opportunities for employment in the solar power industry, whilst encouraging behavioural change in energy usage.

For more information on this solar power initiative, refer to the WA Greens party website.

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Numerous indicators of climate change have been identified including the increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as bush fires, heatwaves and drought, and the rise in global sea levels.

There are however many solutions to combat climate change. It is known that Victoria receives enough energy from the sun to produce double the state’s energy needs, and parts of Victoria also has some of the best conditions in the world to harness wind energy.

In addition to this, the cost of investment in renewable energy has also reduced significantly. Individuals are also able to adopt renewable energy options such as solar power easily. Eligible households and businesses can install solar power systems to generate electricity from the sun to reduce dependency from the electricity grid.

For further information on how solar power can combat climate change, refer to the Climate Commission’s report for Victoria.

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The report mentions that continuing on the current course will make it difficult to prevent the widespread and catastrophic impacts of climate change.

Figures has shown that the fossil fuel industry is planning 14 massive coal, oil and gas projects that could produce as much new carbon emissions in 2020 as the entire United States. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global carbon emissions have increased by 5 per cent in 2010, and over 3 per cent in 2011.

Carbon emissions play a large part in climate change as they trap heat in the atmosphere. It is highly recommended by Ecofys that keeping the increase in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius could avoid climate chaos.

Initiatives on clean and safe renewable energy also assist in avoiding climate change events. Renewable energy was said to provide over 30 per cent of new electricity production globally in 2011, which is a significant increase from less than 5 per cent in 2005.

Greenpeace has suggested that renewable energy must increase to 65 per cent of electricity production by 2035, to reduce the impact of climate change that can be seen so rapidly.

For more information, refer to the Greenpeace website.

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The Climate Commission mentions that the country is under-utilising its renewable energy potential, in particular solar power and wind power, with rooftop solar power possibly being the cheapest source of power for retail users in areas with high electricity prices.

In addition to this, the Climate Commission believes that solar photovoltaic and wind power could be the cheapest source of power in Australia by 2030.

Renewable energy is a great industry which will create more opportunities for employment, business investments, whilst reducing carbon emissions.

With the momentum in Australia for renewable energy building, it is believed that the Australian economy could be powered almost entirely by renewable energy in the coming decades.

Households and businesses now have the power to take an initiative in reducing their dependency on the national electricity grid through rooftop solar panel installations. Installations can be easily completed by accredited solar installers and designers such as True Value Solar.

Once installed and connected to the grid, electricity generated by solar panels can be used in the household and business, with excess electricity fed back into the grid.

For more information on the report, visit the Australian Government Climate Commission’s website.

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The programs receiving second round of grants include the Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP), the Low Income Energy Efficiency Program (LIEEP), and the Energy Efficiency Information Grants (EEIG).

The programs have been funded to assist with helping eligible applicants including the local government and not for profit organisations, lower income households and small to medium size businesses.

In addition to this, households and businesses are also able to adopt renewable energy sources such as the installation of solar panels to assist with cleaner energy usage and dependence on the national electricity grid.

Other sources of renewable energy the Australian government have been adopting in addition to solar power include wind power and hydro power.

For more information on the Australian government’s Energy Efficiency programs, refer to the Climate Change website.

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The report indicates that Australia is currently the world’s largest exporter of coal and has one of the highest greenhouse gases per capita. With the right social and political leadership, it says that it is technically possible to reach 100 per cent renewable energy in the country within a decade.

It has been noted that Australia has one of the best solar resources in the world, capable of supplying 60 per cent of Australia’s electricity with twelve solar sites around Australia would be chosen each with an installed capacity of 3500MW per site.

This is also followed by wind power which can supply 40 per cent of the country’s electricity.

The renewable energy grid could generate 80,000 jobs during construction and 45,000 in operation, with the predicted investment required for the transition at about $8 per household per week.

For more information on the report, refer to the University of Melbourne’s website.

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Solar electricity is a common renewable energy technology that is used to transform sunlight into electricity through photovoltaic cells. A number of these photovoltaic cells can be arranged in a group to form a solar PV panel.

Grid connected solar systems are a common form of solar power used in Australia. This means that the photovoltaic system is connected to the power grid to ensure that households will always have access to power, even when the sun is not up. Grid connected solar systems may also allow you to sell excess electricity back to the electricity provider.

Other applications of solar energy include stand-alone solar power systems which are not connected to a power grid and use batteries to store the electricity generated by the solar panels, as well as solar hot water which uses solar panels, boosting system and a storage tank to heat up water.

For more information on solar energy in South Australia, refer to the Government of South Australia website.

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In particular, solar photovoltaic power plants exist all across the country, with a number of them in Victoria and Northern Territory.

A few solar power plants located in the Melbourne area include a 0.18MW plant in Monash University, a 0.19MW solar power plant installed by the Melbourne City Council at Victoria Market and a 0.24MW solar power plant at the Tulla Calder Interchange.

These solar power plants are a great example of the country investing in renewable energy, with solar power being a highly viable renewable energy solution for Australia as the country receives the highest average solar radiation per square meter than any other continent in the world.

Residents are also able to install an array of solar panels on their roof to reduce their dependence on the electricity grid, as well as playing a part in generating carbon emission free electricity.

For further information on the map of solar power plants in Australia, refer to the Clean Energy Council’s website.

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