This year’s Clean Energy Open Day will see 15 facilities around the country open their gates to the public.
Sunday October 27 is the day renewable generators in five states will show exactly how they contribute to the electricity grid.
Wind and solar farms will be opening their gates in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.
Where to see large-scale solar in action
Solar farms in three states will be hosting events for families and guided tours.
In NSW, the following solar farms will be open to the public:
Broken Hill Solar Plant;
Neoen’s Dubbo Solar Hub; and
Gullen Range Wind and Solar Farm.
In Victoria, the Swan Hill Solar Farm will offer a 30-minute walking tour of the facility.
Up north, the Daydream and Hayman Solar Farms near Collinsville in North Queensland will be open for inspection, while Oakey Solar Farm is organising bus tours departing from the Oakey Railway Station.
For details of Clean Energy Open Day 2019, visit the website.
Farmers farm energy in drought centres
Solar energy is playing an increasing role in the lives of those living in regional areas. Where the costs of building new transmission lines is high, the idea of generating and consuming power locally makes economic sense.
In particular, Queensland’s Western Downs is experiencing a solar boom. The Western Downs Regional Council gave the green light to its 15th solar farm in November 2018.
Mayor of the Western Downs Regional Council Paul McVeigh said the council was receiving a growing number of development applications for solar farms.
“Farmers are now considering other avenues for their land, they are looking at solar farms as a way of potentially protecting their income in future droughts,” he said in a statement last year.
“The benefits of solar farms with low environmental impact is that at any time, the land can be considered for other uses.”
Clean energy makes economic sense
Commercial solar power is making economic sense to manufacturers as well. Last year, Mars Australia signed a power purchase agreement with the Kiamal Solar Farm near the rural town of Ouyen in Victoria’s north-west.
At the big end of the scale, British billionaire Sanjeev Gupta’s Laverton Steelworks in Melbourne’s western suburbs also uses solar power. Gupta entered into an agreement with Neoen’s solar farm at Numurkah in May 2018.
Australia could also have a future as an exporter of solar energy. An Australian company is planning to supply Singapore with clean power from the world’s largest solar farm at Tennant Creek in the NT.
The $20 billion project would send power to the island state via a 3,800 km submarine cable from Darwin.
Just as large-scale solar provides cheaper energy for commercial ventures, rooftop solar panels benefit households and SMEs.
If you would like to know how solar power can lower your electricity bills and clean up the environment in the process, fill out our contact form below and we will be in touch shortly.
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