Australia announced plans to build the world’s largest solar and battery farm in its remote north. This project will produce enough renewable energy to supply some of Singapore’s electricity needs.
Tanya Plibersek, Environment Minister said that the vast solar farm would produce enough energy to supply power to more than three million households and will include solar panels, batteries, and eventually, a cable connecting Australia to Singapore.
“It will be the largest solar precinct in the world — and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy,” Plibersek said.
A project of 12,000 hectares known as SunCable is situated in Australia’s sun-soaked Northern Territory and is supported by tech billionaire and green activist Mike Cannon-Brookes.
The project is set to generate four gigawatts of energy every hour for domestic consumption, with an additional two gigawatts will be sent to Singapore.
Although Australia is one of the world’s top exporters of coal and gas, the country has been badly impacted by climate change, extreme heat, floods, and bushfires.
Though Australians are among the world’s enthusiastic adopters of household solar panels, the government has still been slow to support renewable energy fully.
In 2022, renewables provided 32 percent of Australia’s total electricity generation, while coal is still the dominant source, and is contributing 47 percent, according to the latest government data.