Authorities announced environmental approvals for SunCable's US$24 billion project in Australia's remote north that is slated to power three million homes.
The project, which will include an array of panels, batteries and, eventually, a cable linking Australia with Singapore, is backed by tech billionaire and green activist Mike Cannon-Brookes.
"It will be the largest solar precinct in the world -- and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy," said Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.
It is hoped that energy production will begin in 2030, providing four gigawatts of energy for domestic use.
Two more gigawatts would be sent to Singapore via undersea cable, supplying about 15 percent of the city-state's needs.
SunCable Australia's managing director Cameron Garnsworthy said the approval was "a landmark moment in the project's journey".
Numerous approval processes and other hurdles remain despite Wednesday's green light.
The project depends on sign-offs from Singapore's energy market authority, Indonesia's government and Australian Indigenous communities.
Singapore's energy market authority said in a statement it was in "discussions with Sun Cable on its proposal for electricity imports into Singapore" but did not provide further details.
Garnsworthy said: "SunCable will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to advance the project towards a final investment decision targeted by 2027."
- 'Clean energy powerhouse' -
Countries around the world are racing to bring major solar projects online to ease the transition away from polluting fossil fuels.
China leads the way and is building almost twice as much wind and solar capacity as every other country combined.
It brought the 3.5 gigawatt Midong solar farm online this year, its largest facility so far.
In contrast, Australia remains one of the world's leading exporters of coal and gas, despite being ravaged by the effects of climate change from intense heat to floods and bushfires.
And, although Australians are among the world's most enthusiastic adopters of household solar panels, a string of governments have been hesitant to embrace renewables.
Renewables made up 32 percent of Australia's total electricity generation in 2022 compared to coal, which contributed 47 percent, according to the latest government data.
Plibersek hailed the project as a way of meeting Australia's projected energy shortfall and creating "14,300 new jobs in northern Australia".
Ken Baldwin, director of the Energy Change Institute at the Australian National University, said the project was a "world first" for exporting renewable electricity from solar and wind on such a scale.
"Australia has some of the best solar and wind resources of any country and, as a result, is installing solar and wind at one of the fastest rates of any country in the world on a per capita basis," he told AFP.
This momentum must continue, Baldwin said, particularly if Australia is to meet its net zero targets by 2050.
"Australia has, over the last five years, invested heavily in solar and wind, but it needs to double and triple that investment in order to reach its climate trajectory towards a net zero future by 2050."
He said Australia will need about 100 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity by the 2030s. The SunCable project will only provide four gigawatts of that need.
Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said the new solar hub was a bold step in making Australia a "clean energy powerhouse" and that such projects were essential in "delivering affordable energy and slashing climate pollution".
"With the closure of coal-fired power stations on the horizon, Australia needs to accelerate the roll-out of solar and storage at every level -- rooftops, large-scale projects and everything in between," she said.
The project would also be a significant step for Cannon-Brookes, who once described the project as "insane" before becoming an enthusiastic investor.
Let it shine: top solar projects worldwide
Bangkok (AFP) Aug 21, 2024 -
Australia on Wednesday approved plans for a massive solar hub intended to power millions of homes domestically and supply electricity to Singapore.
The SunCable project is expected to produce 6 gigawatts (GW) and begin supplying power by 2030.
Here is a look at other major solar projects that have been announced, are under construction or are already operating worldwide.
Midong solar project, China
Most of the biggest operational solar farms are in China, which is adding renewable capacity at a rate that far outstrips the rest of the world.
In June, the Midong solar power project in the Xinjiang region was brought online, with an operating capacity of 3.5GW.
The project is touted as China's biggest yet, exceeding the capacity of its two previous largest solar projects in Ningxia and Qinghai regions.
But it is likely to be overtaken soon, with other megaprojects already in the works, including the Inner Mongolia Tengger solar farm.
The project is under construction and is projected to have a capacity of 8GW, according to Global Energy Monitor's (GEM) solar tracker.
China is building almost twice as much wind and solar capacity as every other country combined.
It has 339GW under construction, including 180GW of solar, according to GEM.
Khavda solar park, India
The Khavda solar park is an enormous renewable energy project under construction in a desolate region of India's Gujarat, near the border with Pakistan.
A hybrid solar-wind project, it is slated to have a whopping 30GW capacity when fully operational, around 2027.
The site has already begun generating power however, with 551 megawatts of solar capacity coming online earlier this year, according to Adani Green Energy, one of the firms developing the massive site.
It says the park will be the world's largest renewable energy installation when complete, and capable of powering 16.1 million homes a year.
India, which is currently heavily dependent on coal, aims to install 500GW of renewable energy by 2030, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2070.
Al Dhafra, United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates inaugurated the 2GW Al Dhafra solar plant last year, weeks before it hosted UN climate talks.
Located south of the capital Abu Dhabi, it stretches over 21 square kilometres (eight square miles) of desert, an area about one-fifth the size of Paris.
The project was described as the largest single-site photovoltaic power plant in the world upon its inauguration.
It can generate enough power for 160,000 homes across the oil-rich Gulf state.
The UAE aims to triple its renewable energy over the next seven years as it attempts to achieve net zero by 2050.
Benban Solar Park, Egypt
Egypt's Benban Solar Park, built in the western desert some 40 kilometres from the city of Aswan, was connected to the national grid in 2019.
It is often described as Africa's largest solar project and one of the world's biggest, with a capacity of around 1.5GW, though that could be increased if planned expansions go ahead.
Visible from space, the $4 billion World Bank-funded project stretches over 37 square kilometres (14 square miles) and produces enough electricity to supply 420,000 households, according to the UN.
Chill Sun Project, United States
Among the biggest planned solar farms in the United States is the Chill Sun Solar Project.
The projected 2.25GW facility is proposed for construction in the sun-drenched state of Nevada, which is already home to dozens of smaller solar plants.
The United States is adding renewable capacity fast, behind only China, but at a far slower rate.
It has 40GW of wind and solar in construction compared to China's 339GW, and it generates 16 percent of its electricity from wind and solar, according to Ember, a think tank.
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