GoodCleanTech, 18 May 2009
“We don't want to be clean energy followers worldwide, we want to be clean energy leaders worldwide,” Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says. And as one of the first steps to gain recognition as a leader in clean energy, Australia announced that the country will b uild what would be known the largest solar power facility based on the plants in operation today.
The $1.05 billion project will be able to generate thrice what the current largest solar-power plant located in California is able to. Rudd called the country's sunshine “Australia's biggest natural resource,” and this project aims to tap into that. Along with the project details that will be announced later this year, bidding for the project will be conducted and finalized during the first half of 2010. This huge solar power initiative is part of the larger $3.5 billion clean energy project the Australian government is working on, in conjunction with the country's affiliation and full membership to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
When asked why such a large-scale initiative was planned, Rudd answers: “We are doing it in order to support a clean energy future for Australia, we're doing it to boost economic activity now and we're doing it also to provide jobs and much needed opportunities for business as well.”
