Solar power is a fast-growing industry in Australia. As of September 2023, Australia's over 3.60 million solar PV installations had a combined capacity of 32.9 GW photovoltaic (PV) solar power, of which at least 3,823 MW were installed in the preceding 12 months. In 2019, 59 solar PV projects with a combined capacity of 2,881 MW were either under construction, constructed or due to start construction having reached financial closure. Solar accounted for 12.4% of Australia's total electrical energy production in 2021.
Renewable energy in Australia is mainly based on biomass, solar, wind, and hydro generation. Over a third of electricity is generated from renewables, and is increasing, with a target to phase out coal power before 2040. Wind energy and rooftop solar have particularly grown since 2010. The growth has been stimulated by government energy policy in order to limit the rate of climate change in Australia that has been brought about by the use of fossil fuels. Pros and cons of various types of renewable energy are being investigated, and more recently there have been trials of green hydrogen and wave power.
Canadian Solar Inc. is a publicly traded company that manufactures solar PV modules and runs large scale solar projects.
Michael Cannon-Brookes is an Australian billionaire business magnate who is the co-founder and co-CEO of software company Atlassian.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is an independent agency of the Australian federal government, established in 2012 to manage Australia's renewable energy programs, with the objective of increasing supply and competitiveness of Australian renewable energy sources.
The electricity sector in Australia has been historically dominated by coal-fired power stations, but renewables are forming a rapidly growing fraction of supply. In 2021, Australia's electricity production reached 265 TWh, with coal accounting for 52.9% and natural gas for 18.8%. Renewable sources, comprising solar, wind, hydro, and bioenergy with waste, collectively made up 26.7% of the total electricity generation mix.
The Broken Hill Solar Plant, which became operational in December 2015, is a 53 megawatt farm located near Broken Hill in western New South Wales, Australia. It is associated with the Nyngan Solar Plant, making the total capacity of the combined plants 155 megawatts.
Limondale Solar Farm is a solar farm south of Balranald in southwestern New South Wales, Australia. When it was completed, it was the largest solar farm in Australia. It is owned by German company RWE through a subsidiary Belectric Solar and Battery, and was constructed by Australian engineering company Downer Group.
The Sunraysia Solar Farm is a solar farm under construction south of Balranald in south western New South Wales, Australia. It is expected to be completed around the end of 2019.
Sapphire Wind Farm is a 270 megawatt (MW) wind farm in the Australian state of New South Wales. When it was built in 2018, it was the largest wind farm in New South Wales. It is located in the New England region of northern New South Wales, 28 kilometres east of Inverell and 18 kilometres west of Glen Innes. The farm covers approximately 8921 hectares of cleared grazing land, and has an elevation of about 750 to 1100m. It is north of the Gwydir Highway. The White Rock and Glen Innes Wind Farms are south of the highway closer to Glen Innes. It is intended to be colocated with a 200 MW solar farm. The wind farm contains 75 Vestas V126 turbines, each of which can generate 3.6 MW of electricity. They each have a 137 metre hub height and 126 metre rotor diameter. The project is approved to build up to 109 wind turbines.
Wemen Solar Farm is a photovoltaic power station in northwestern Victoria, Australia. It was constructed by RCR and Laing O’Rourke for owner Wirsol Energy, completed in 2018.
ACEN Corporation, formerly AC Energy, is the energy firm under the Ayala Group. The company has over 4,000 MW of attributable capacity in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Australia, with a renewable share of 98% which is among the highest in the region.
The Ross River Solar Farm is a solar farm 20 kilometres (km) south of Townsville in North Queensland, Australia. It is located 1 km from the Ross River Dam. The site has an average of 320 days of sunshine annually.
