Green Energy: The World's Largest Photovoltaic Plant in Australia

If the energy of the future will be obtained largely from the Sun, then theAustralia is a candidate to play an increasingly central role in the green transition. In the oceanic country, which is already rich in lithium and other “critical” commodities, the construction of a photovoltaic system unprecedented, which will most likely become the largest in the world. Moreover, the investment of private enterprise already SunCable, to which the government has granted permissions for the project in Northern Australia, is a heavy one: an estimated 24 billion dollars, although everything will be better defined between now and 2027, because the concessions were only the first step in an operation that is still in its infancy. "It will be the largest solar plant in the world," confirmed Environment Minister Tanya Pilbersek, "and it will make Australia the global leader in clean energy."

A solar giant that doesn't waste a single ray of sunlight

SunCable will therefore build photovoltaic panels in an area of ​​12 thousand hectares and the plant will have a total installed capacity of 6 GWh: 4 GWh for internal consumption and 2 GWh to be exported to Singapore, according to agreements already made even if the final approval is missing. The energy generated will be sufficient for power 3 million homes but above all, and this is perhaps the real turning point, the system will not waste not even one sunshine and will be able to store up to 40 GW in the form of batteries. To put this into perspective, 40 GW is equal to the total solar energy generated in the entire Middle East and North Africa region, according to the Solar Outlook projections of the Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA), i.e. the combined potential of countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Morocco, to name just those at the top of the list.

The Green Billionaire and the Last Obstacle: The Aborigines

The initiative, which according to the government's plans should create 14 thousand jobs, has been strongly supported by Mike Cannon-Brookes, a 44 year old entrepreneur in the IT field (he is the founder of the software company Atlassian) and for some time now environmental activist e philanthropist: above all, there is him, who is the fourth richest man in Australia with a net worth estimated by Forbes at 11 billion dollars, behind the maxi Ocean-Asian electrical infrastructure project Power Link, within which the gigantic photovoltaic plant of SunCable is inserted. Now, the local press writes, all that is missing is theauthorization with Aboriginal communities, which is also necessary according to Australian law, in respect of the territory and minorities. If everything goes as it seems, Australia – which to date remains one of the main global exporters of gas and coal – will definitively transform itself into a country producing and exporting clean energy. Currently in the oceanic country only 32% of electricity comes from renewables, while in Italy for example we have reached 50%. With this project, however, carbon neutrality by 2050 is no longer a mirage, thanks to the new government of Samantha Mostyn, who took office a few weeks ago and immediately intended to make a difference on climate change and gender equality.