Solar Energy In Victoria Receives Massive Boost
The Australian State of Victoria has promised to build up to 10 new large scale solar energy plants over the next 10 years ensuring Australia keeps at the forefront of the solar energy boom. Premier John Brumby made the announcement at a solar test plant at Bridgewater near Bendigo recently reiterating Australia's pledge to wean itself off fossil fuels and invest in solar panel technology. Mr Brumby hopes that solar energy projects such as these will help provide around 5% of Victoria's energy needs by 2020 as the advantages of solar energy become apparent. The Government has also announced the nation's first feed-in tariff for large scale solar power projects, hoping to emulate the success of Germany. Mr Brumby says the new solar energy plants will Victoria will create many local jobs in regional Victoria and boost the state's economy and states that he hopes that Victoria will become a leader in solar energy. We will be producing in Victoria as much solar power as will the rest of Australia under the solar power flagships program," he said.These new measures are part of the Government's climate change white paper on the need for more solar energy projects such as these. A recently released report says that Victoria does have enough renewable resources to meet all of the state's energy needs so investement is now being pumped in do realise those dreams. It was also aimed at helping the country become a leader in renewable, clean energy, Prime Minister John Rudd said. "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," Rudd 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." The project should eventually lead to a network of solar-powered stations across the country, Rudd said, with locations chosen to fit in with the existing electricity grid and ensure good access to sunshine. "We don't want to be clean energy followers worldwide, we want to be clean energy leaders worldwide." Rudd said Return to Solar Energy home page. |
