Sun power from above may soon be captured Down Under and sent 2,671 miles northwest to Singapore via an underwater cable, providing renewable electricity to northern Australia along the way.
SunCable, the project's developer, announced in July that the effort has cleared key government approvals. That paves the way for the next planning stage, with the goal of sending power through the line early in the 2030s.
"SunCable is founded with the belief that Australia can lead the world's energy transition," Cameron Garnsworthy, managing director of the renewable energy company, said in a press release.
The project is called the Australia-Asia PowerLink. The onus for its development is to capitalize on the country's massive potential — all 58 million petajoules of solar energy. That's enough juice to cover the world's electricity needs 100 times over, all per the company.
The plan, which involves a solar farm covering more than 29,000 acres, the sea-spanning transmission line, and storage, will set world renewable energy and Australian economic development records. It will provide about 15% of Singapore's electricity needs 24/7, all per SunCable and the Australian government.
Garnsworthy indicated in the press release that it's part of an even bigger cleaner energy vision.
"This will underpin a new wave of green industrial development in the (Northern Territory), via prospective projects that include green minerals, hydrogen, e-fuels, and data centers," he said.
This is just one of a burst of big solar projects making headlines worldwide. In June, a 5.2-million-panel solar farm in China was turned on. In the U.S., Adapture Renewables is working with Meta on utility-scale solar installations to offset energy demand for the tech company's data centers.
The projects are important, as they prove that sun energy can reliably be caught, stored, and used on the grid, reducing heat-trapping air pollution from fossil-burning sources.
Data collector Statista reports that about 5.5% of the world's electricity is generated from the sun's rays. The potential is great, as noted by a bar graph with the report. There's been a steep incline since 2010, when well under a percent of the planet's power was solar.
In Australia, developers estimate that the power link will provide more than $13 billion in "economic value" in the country's Northern Territory, from construction through more than three decades of operation. What's more, there will be about 6,800 direct and indirect jobs created for each year of construction.
"This future-facing project will invest deeply in local communities in the Northern Territory from Central Australia to the Top End, as we create many thousands of local jobs, skill up Australian workers, and offer a host of opportunities for local businesses and suppliers," Garnsworthy said in the press release.
As more large farms go online, homeowners in other regions will have greater opportunities to take part in community solar programs. These are subscriptions or investments in solar operations, allowing residents to reap savings from the projects without installing panels at home.
Some quick online research can lead to an average savings of $150 a year.
For now, the power link's developers are moving to the next planning stage. They may eventually add wind power to the mix, according to the press release.
"This approval allows us to progress the development, commercial, and engineering activities required to advance the project," Garnsworthy said.
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