Australian Photovoltaic Facility will be World’s Largest, says PM

The Australian government has unveiled plans to construct the largest photovoltaic facility in the world – a solar plant capable of generating 1,000 MW (megawatts) of power.

The Australian site – said Kevin Rudd, the country’s Prime Minister – would surpass the power output of the current, California-based, world leader in solar production.  Australian sunshine, Rudd explained, represented the country’s “biggest natural resource”, and it made sense to exploit this though implementing renewable energy technology on a large-scale basis.

“The government plans to invest with industry in the biggest solar generation plant in the world, three times the size of the world's current biggest, which is in California”, he said.

“Why are we doing this? We are doing it in order to support a clean energy future for Australia, we're doing it to boost economic activity now and we're doing it also to provide jobs and much needed opportunities for business as well.”

Australian Solar Power

The plan is for the Australian solar power plant to ultimately be at the forefront of an entire network of similar, nationally-spread sites.  The ease with which these could be slotted in to Australia’s present electricity framework, and the availability of sunshine would dictate these site’s locations, Rudd said.

The PM’s comments were made as he was touring an existing Australian power facility.  Simultaneously, he indicated that the country was set to join the International Renewable Energy Agency- the first worldwide meeting of which is scheduled to take place next month.

In March 2009, Enviro-News reported on Australia’s carbon capture project, which involves ten offshore CO2 storage areas, and for which offers of investment are currently being sought.  Industry analysts commented, then, on how the venture represented further progress towards achieving short-term national greenhouse gas emission reductions.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Rudd highlighted the extent to which he wanted Australia to figure on the renewable energy map, stating: “Rather than to be solar followers worldwide we intend to be solar leaders worldwide.”

‘Photovoltaic’ combines the terms 'photo' (meaning light) and 'voltaic' (meaning electricity), and  refers to a particular technology where solar energy is transformed into electricity. 

Photovoltaic technology, therefore, goes under the alternative name of ‘solarelectric’.