australia largest solar power hub

Australia just approved SunCable’s $24 billion, potentially the world’s largest solar farm/battery. Set to also deliver 15% of Singapore’s energy needs via an undersea cable, this pioneering venture (based in northern outback Australia) will become the world largest solar farm.

It is supported by environmental approvals and expected to be operational in 2030, backed by tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes who has been pushing green credentials. Absolute: The project will provide four gigawatts for domestic consumption and two more which can be exported. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the solar farm was an “important milestone that puts Australia at the front of renewable energy technology.

It encompasses an enormous range of solar panels and battery storage, with additional approvals required from authorities in Singapore, Indonesia and local Indigenous communities. It’s a landmark moment for SunCable and demonstrates the tide is turning, but there are still many hurdles to overcome in delivering our vision of exporting solar electricity from Australia which gives us serious pause as we ramp up towards project FID by 2027.

China Heads Global Renewables With Monstrous Solar FarmsAustralia’s SunCable Will Make Country World’s ‘Stewart’ Of Clean Energy Coalilotion: A project in northern Australia that our own coal-huggers love and the Federal Coalition would also support is expected to create 14,300 jobs It couldn’t help but plug a hole into support both net-zero by bed year dot oh; it so could!

Australian National University’sKen Baldwin and the Climate Council’sAmanda McKenzie welcomed these moves as “bold”, given both argued solar plus storage in needed at scale to support a higher- than-ever energy grid. SunCable, which is delivering PV power pricing competitive with new coal and existing gas-fired generation in northern Australia where it has the best solar resource of any densely populated area on earth, will play a critical role as renewables made up 32% of Australian electricity supply in year-ended 2022.

And for Cannon-Brookes — a former climate skeptic turned invest-in-SunCable evangelist— the solar hub is an enormous step in the direction to that brighter, cleaner future.