Solar thermal energy in Australia - wikipedia Solar thermal energy in Australia Australia is well placed to harness solar thermal energy. Solar thermal energy is used in three main ways : solar hot water heating, production of steam for electricity generation and space heating through building design. Contents 1 Environmental importance 2 Solar resources of Australia 3 Research 4 Development 4.1 2009 Commonwealth budget announcement 5 Commercial applications 5.1 Desalination 5.2 Domestic 5.2. 1 Solar hot water 5.3 Industrial 5.3. 1 Electricity generation 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Environmental importance 85 % of electricity in Australia is generated by coal - fired power stations. They produce 42 % of Australia 's greenhouse gas emissions. The IPCC has recommended that developed nations such as Australia cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 to 40 % by 2020 and 80 to 95 % by 2050. The Garnaut Climate Change Review found that Australia is highly vulnerable to global warming caused by climate change because of the effects of global warming on Australia. The Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu and Murray Darling Basin are all threatened by climate change. Sea level rise threatens much of the highly populated Australian coast line, including the Gold Coast. The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and Mandatory Renewable Energy Target are intended to reduce Australia 's emissions and the further development of techniques to harness solar thermal energy are critical to that effort. Solar resources of Australia Of all the continents, Australia has the highest average amount of solar radiation per square metre per annum. The amount is from 1500 to 1900 kWh / m2 / yr, mainly depending on location. Australia 's total current primary energy consumption of approximately 5500 PJ / a could be met by an area of 4000 km2 of solar collectors with an average of 20 % conversion efficiency. If this were built as a power station with land coverage of 20 % it would be 138 × 138 km. The collector area has been described as being approximately the same as the area of domestic house roofs available nationally. Research The CSIRO conducts research into solar thermal energy. The newly established UNSW Centre for Energy Research and Policy Analysis also conducts research into solar thermal energy and associated topics. The ANU Solar Thermal Group at Australian National University in Canberra works on solar thermal energy, with emphasis on high - temperature concentrators, solar air conditioning, and thermochemical energy storage. Development 2009 commonwealth Budget announcement The Australian Government, under the Clean Energy Initiative and the Solar Flagships Program, will invest $1.5 billion in up to 4 large - scale solar power generation projects. The Program will aim to create an additional 1000 megawatts of solar power generation capacity in Australia. The largest solar energy project currently operating anywhere in the world is only one third of that size. Commercial applications Desalination Main article : List of desalination plants in Australia Domestic Solar hot water Main article : Solar hot water in Australia Australia has a small but long established solar hot water industry. Industrial Electricity generation Liddell Power Station, New South Wales has a concentrating solar thermal adjunct to the coal - fired power station. It was designed by Solar Heat & Power Pty Ltd, now part of AUSRA Cloncurry, Queensland is to be the site of a 10 MW power station using 8,000 mirrors to reflect sunlight onto graphite blocks. Water pumped through the blocks will be turned into steam to power a conventional steam turbine connected to a generator. The estimated cost is AUD30M of which the Queensland government has committed AUD7M. On 24 May 2012 the recently elected Newman government announced the withdrawal of state funds for the project. In a statement the Minister for Energy Mark McArdle described the reason for the scrapping as ' saving the taxpayer 's money '. See also Renewable energy portal Australia portal Energy in Australia Renewable energy in Australia References Jump up ^ http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg3/ar4-wg3-chapter13.pdf at p 776 Jump up ^ http://www.garnautreview.org.au Jump up ^ Lovegrove, Keith ; Dennis, Mike ( December 2006 ). `` Solar thermal energy systems in Australia '' ( PDF ). International Journal of Environmental Studies. pp. 791 -- 802. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. Retrieved 2008 - 12 - 26. CS1 maint : Unfit url ( link ) Jump up ^ http://www.csiro.au/science/ps15e.html Solar thermal energy research Retrieved 26 December 2008 Jump up ^ http://csirosolarblog.com CSIRO Solar Blog Retrieved 9 November 2011 Jump up ^ http://www.cerpa.unsw.edu.au/research/index.htm Retrieved 26 December 2008 Jump up ^ ANU Solar Thermal Group, Publications list Retrieved 7 Jul 2010 Jump up ^ `` Ministerial Statement on Climate Change ''. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 13. Jump up ^ `` Budget Speech ''. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 13. Jump up ^ http://solarheatpower.veritel.com.au/mainmenu.html Retrieved 26 December 2008 Jump up ^ http://svc196.wic512d.server-web.com/cloncurry_solar_thermal_power_station.cfm Retrieved 26 december 2008. External links UNSW Centre for Energy Research and Policy Analysis ( CERPA ) CSIRO Solar thermal energy research Australian Government 's Renewable energy programmes Beyond Zero Emissions proposal for concentrating solar thermal at Port Augusta Energy in Australia Energy policy of Australia Fossil Fuel Industry Biofuel in Australia Green electricity in Australia Coal in Australia Australian Uranium Association Petroleum industry in Western Australia Renewable Energy Industry Carbon capture and storage in Australia Renewable energy in Australia Solar hot water in Australia Solar power in Australia Solar thermal energy in Australia Wave power in Australia Wind power in Australia Policies and Targets Asia - Pacific Emissions Trading Forum Carbon pricing in Australia Effects of global warming on Australia Energy Efficient Homes Package Feed - in tariffs in Australia Mandatory renewable energy targets Mitigation of global warming in Australia Solar Cities in Australia The Transition Decade Nuclear power Anti-nuclear movement in Australia Australian Uranium Association Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission Nuclear power in Australia Uranium Council Uranium mining in Australia Agencies Australian Atomic Energy Commission Australian Energy Regulator Australian Energy Market Commission Australian Energy Market Operator Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Research Energy Policy Institute of Australia Garnaut Climate Change Review Photovoltaic engineering in Australia Other topics Contribution to global warming by Australia Adaptation to global warming in Australia Climate change in Australia Category : Energy in Australia Energy Renewable energy Environment Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Solar_thermal_energy_in_Australia&oldid=713170298 '' Categories : Solar energy in Australia Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Unfit url Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 2 April 2016, at 11 : 19. 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Question: where is solar thermal energy used in australia
Answer: Liddell Power Station, New South Wales