Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he, any departmental Minister or departmental official, was present at, or presented a paper to, the conference on energy policy and the environment at the Geological Society, London, on 9 October.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonNo Minister or official from this Department attended the meeting "Energy Policy and the Environment" organised by the United Kingdom section of the International Solar Energy Society on 9 October.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if his Department, or the energy technology support unit at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, has studied the development of the Rheinische-Westfaelische Elektrizitaetswerke 340 kilowatt photovoltak solar power plant at Kober-Gondorf, to judge the applicability of this technology to the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonPreliminary results from the photovoltaic plant at Kober-Gondorf were presented at the ninth European Commission solar photovoltaic energy conference in September 1989. A representative of the energy technology support unit attended the conference. The 340 kW peak, array covering 15,000 square metres has just completed its first year of operation since commissioning in October 1988. It produced a little over 73,000 kWh against an expectation of 250,000 kWh when fully available.
A review of solar technologies is currently being undertaken within the United Kingdom renewable energy R & D programme and the results are expected to be published shortly.