The Queensland Government has announced that it will increase its commitment to a 120 megawatt large-scale solar farm. The project is expected to create a large number of new jobs for Queensland as well as increase investors’ interest in renewable energy projects.
Wind and solar power picked up the slack as Australia’s hydro power plants produced lower-than-average output last year, according to the Clean Energy Australia Report 2015.
The renewable energy sector is growing at such a pace that demand for talent might outstrip supply. Monash University’s Faculty of Engineering had seen the opportunity and is meeting the task with its new Resources Engineering program.
The end of coal-fired plants could be brought forward if the maker of a proposed $1.2 billion solar thermal plant at Port Augusta, South Australia, is successful.