Large-scale Solar
Australia has the highest average solar radiation per square metre of any continent in the world. The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that concentrated solar power could provide Australia with 40 per cent of its energy by 2050.
Source: Technology Roadmap: Concentrating Solar Power, IEA 2010
Large-scale solar projects of up to 500 MW are being constructed in places like Spain, Germany and the United States. This year Torresol Energy’s 19 MW Gemasolar plant in Spain’s Andalucia region was the first to produce 24-hour baseload power due to improved storage technology.
Australia’s large-scale solar industry is still in its infancy, despite having access to some of the world’s best solar resources. The Federal Government announced the successful applicants to the first round of its $1.5 billion Solar Flagships program in June 2011. The program will deliver the first truly large-scale projects in Australia, building valuable local expertise that will help in the development of future projects.
Australia’s largest solar plant is a 3 MW facility at Liddell in NSW that utilises solar thermal concentrators.
