One of the most populous states in Australia, Queensland, with a coast stretching for over 7000 kilometers, is known for many things. Fast paced residential solar power adoption is one of these. Over the past few years the state has seen an accelerated solar power uptake by the homeowners. Queensland’s Combined Rooftop Power stations have surpassed Gladstone Power station’s 1,680 Megawatts power output, making Queensland the official Solar State. The Energy Minister, Mark Bailey announced this milestone at the Energy User’s Association of Australia on 24th May. Mr. Bailey also stated that as of 1st May, 1,706 Megawatts of Power was being produced by over 438,000 rooftop solar panels in the solar state Queensland.
Not only this, Queensland also had the highest amount of rooftops installed with solar panels and one of the highest penetration rates in the world. Queensland’s next targets are a million solar rooftops and 3,000 Megawatts of output by 2020. Thus, as of now, solar is the largest power station in Queensland.
Due to the Palaszczuk Government’s Solar 150 initiative, large-scale projects like Barcaldine Solar Farm are being planned. These renewable energy projects not only reduce electricity prices but also give new employment opportunities, ensures security, reliability and affordability. An Expert panel has also been appointed to increase the production of renewable energy.
Mr. Bailey also states that the Palaszczuk Government wants to amend the renewable energy blackout which occurred during the LNP’s time in the office, when over 1,300 renewable energy sector jobs were lost. This eco-friendly approach is a large step taken to control climate change, reducing emissions, protecting Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and also providing several jobs to its citizens. In conclusion, with more states achieving the status of solar state QueensLand, Australia has never been more closer to achieving our renewable energy target.
Source: RenewEconomy
