By - Arpit Verma
Highlights
- Australia currently holds nearly 105 renewable energy projects, which are under construction phase or yet to start construction.
- The green projects are expected to generate a total of 11,290 MW of energy while driving more than AU$17.1 billion in capital costs.
- When it comes to renewable energy projects, New South Wales is the leader among all states, holding about 22 new projects which are either under construction or due to start soon.
Globally renowned for its diverse range of natural resources, Australia is a powerhouse of mineral resources. As per Australia's Clean Energy Council, the mineral-rich nation currently holds nearly 105 renewable energy projects, which are under construction or due to start construction. All these projects have already reached financial closure and have not yet been commissioned.
The projects are expected to generate a total of 11,290 MW of new renewable energy capacity while driving more than AU$17.1 billion in capital costs. The proposed projects will also create approximately 13,288 direct jobs on completion.
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New South Wales is the leader among all states, holding about 22 new projects, which are under construction or due to start soon. NSW is followed by Southern Australia, having 19 projects and Queensland's 14 projects.
Against this backdrop, let's look at eight upcoming green energy projects in Australia that can significantly enhance the country's energy production capacity.
The Desailly Renewable Energy Park is a combination of wind and solar energy projects. Located in North Queensland, the project comprises 250MW of solar photovoltaic and 300MW of wind turbines. Currently, the project is in its planning stage.
Riverland Solar Farm is in South Australia. With 330MW solar generation and 100MW battery storage capacity, the project would comprise around 3.4 million solar panels and 1.1 million batteries.
This project is expected to complete in 2022.
The Australia-Asia PowerLink is a flagship project of Sun Cable. The project is intended to build the world’s first intercontinental power grid. The project could become the world’s largest solar farm, battery storage and undersea cable facility in the Northern Territory. The construction at the project location is anticipated to begin in 2023.
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The Golden Plains Wind Farm project is in Rokewook. The project consists of up to 228 wind turbines, each having a capacity in the range of 3-5MW. The project can produce more than 3500GWh of electricity per annum and is expected to complete in 2025.
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The Liverpool Range Windfarm project is located in New South Wales and was initially developed by Epuron in 2009. Tilt Renewables acquired the project from Epuron in early 2019, and since then, work has been continuing to advance the project towards construction. The project will contain approximately 267 turbines.
The Kennedy Energy Park project is in Queensland, Australia. The project incorporates 43.2MW wind, 15MW of solar photovoltaic and a 2MW/4MWh lithium-ion battery storage facility. The project is planned for up to 1200MW of solar and wind with the possibility of including large-scale battery and pumped hydro storage for the region.
Agnew Renewable Energy Microgrid is located in Leinster, Australia. It is a microgrid project that shall consist of five wind turbines producing an 18MW wind farm and 10,000 solar plates 4MW farm. Additionally, the project shall also deliver a 13 MW/4 MWh battery energy storage System. The project commenced in June 2019.
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The Advanced Energy Resources Wind, Solar and Battery Project is located in Western Australia and was started in January 2019. The project is anticipated to showcase various areas of innovation as it combines secondhand wind turbines, battery and solar to power a remote mine in Western Australia.
Countries across the globe are diversifying their energy portfolios, in order to reduce their reliance on fossil fuel-driven energy. This is likely to go a long way in helping the world achieve Paris Agreement commitments and eventually attain carbon neutrality in the coming decades.