Australia’s Rudd Government Makes Huge Investment in Solar Energy
Australia’s federal government, led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, has approved plans for a $60 million dollar factory which is to become the largest manufacturer of solar cells in the Southern Hemisphere.
The company responsible for the project, Solar Spark Australia, is the first to be awarded Major Project Facillitation status under the Rudd government, and it plans to begin powering 9,000 homes by late next year.
This marks increased hope that Australia can meet goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 60% by 2050.
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Australia has a tremendous untapped potential to be a world leader in solar energy production, receiving more unhindered sunlight per square area than any other continent on Earth. For many of the same reasons, it is also one of the most vulnerable areas in the world to global warming. Recent record heatwaves have served as a prominent wake up call for the country to retool its energy future.
This new investment should increase solar energy output by 40 megawatts, with the potential to increase production to 120 metawatts soon thereafter, an expansion which could power up to 30,000 homes. Moreover, the proposed solar cell factory should generate around $135 million in annual export revenue.
Before being elected as Australia’s 26th Prime Minister in 2007, Kevin Rudd declared that climate change was “the greatest moral, economic and social challenge of our time.” Backing up his assertion, he swiftly signed Australia to the Kyoto Protocol just hours after being sworn in. Since then, however, Rudd has taken increased heat from environmentalists for policies which have fallen short of his lofty ambitions.
In calling this latest investment in solar energy of “significant importance” to Australia, there is hope that Rudd will continue to follow through with an audacious environmental agenda.
Image Credit: Clearly Ambiguous on Flickr under a Creative Commons License
The world cannot rid itself of Nuclear Weapons by establishing more Nuclear Power!
We all have the power to demand an end to the threat of a Nuclear Catastrophe!!
Agreed.
Only you do realize the difference between solar and nuclear energy, right?
Nice. Solar versus nuclear power…two very different things.
Good for Australia! Some energy conservation is always a good thing.
Well this isn’t going to help, if the government continues to means test the $8000 solar cell rebate! I read a blog about the government’s two-faced climate change policy… very interesting, and made me really question whether the government is on top of the climate change dilemma, since it is releasing opposing policies.
http://www.openforum.com.au/content/new-opportunities-carbon-economy
From 1July 2009 the solar cell rebate will come to an end and the solar credits program will take its place.See http://www.energymatters.com.au/government-rebates/solar-credits-australia.php . This is apparently not means tested and will effectively deliver much the same value of rebate to householders setting up a grid tied photovoltaic system.