And Australia is one of only four major exporters of solar energy systems in the world. Australia’s currently home to six solar water heater manufacturers and those manufacturers export to over 70 countries at present.

Internationally the industry is growing rapidly by 30% per year But domestically, they've slipped behind the likes of Germany and Japan where many rebates and initiative make solar energy an affordable option for families.

The way forward

Australia is a sunny country, and 25 years ago it led the way in using solar photovoltaics to supply power and telecommunications to Australia’s remote rural areas. But in recent years it hasn't built on that success.

Now it has a chance to shine again with solar thermal power.

So what is it?

Well, it’s quite different to solar hot water and photovoltaics. But it’s cheap and operates on a far large scale. Huge solar thermal plants use heat from the sun to create steam, which drives giant turbines which in turn produce electricity.

Solar thermal electricity is often left out of the solar energy equation. But in Australia it holds tremendous promise.

It’s even shaping up to be a serious contender in the race to compete with traditional fuels such as coal. In fact, some experts claim that solar thermal energy could be Australia’s main energy source by 2050.

And there is no reason to not to believe this. With cutting-edge skills, no shortage of money and loads of sunny days, Australia is perfectly primed to take advantage of the developing solar boom.

To return to the Solar power australia page.

To return to our main solar energy home page.

For more in-depth information about solar thermal energy.

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