Australia looking to solar for electricity needs
Looking to replace its dependence on fossil fuels with cleaner renewable energy, Australia is counting on taking advantage of the Outback sun.
A recent report from Bloomberg detailed Australia’s plans to move to solar energy and a major source in the coming years.
How Australia's mining town of Broken Hill became a solar-power trailblazer https://t.co/sZjTpW7oKL pic.twitter.com/27ieM4KNnF
— Bloomberg Business (@business) December 21, 2015
Australia gets more solar radiation per square meter than any other continent, but sits far down on the list of regions that make wide use of solar farms. Now it’s looking to change that.
Broken Hill
Australian city Broken Hill, which sits about 700 miles west of Sydney, was once home to one of the world’s largest mining companies. Now, it is looking to become a solar power trailblazer.
According to Bloomberg, a Broken Hill solar farm currently has about 678,000 solar modules installed at a 25-degree angle, facing north. Those panels are wired together to produce electrical power that can then be fed to the grid, which serves about 19 million residents.
Room to grow
Despite these recent advances in solar, Australia still has a lot of ground to cover when it comes to energy sources, Bloomberg noted. Solar power accounted for just 2 percent of power generated last year, while fossil fuels accounted for nearly 87 percent.
Source → Bloomberg
