Feb 26, 2008, 13:47 GMT
Sydney - Work will start in Australia next year on what will be the world's biggest solar power plant, Victorian state premier John Brumby said Tuesday.
Investment for the 154-megawatt power station in the south-eastern state, nearly double the size of the largest US solar plant, has been pledged by an affiliate of Hong Kong-based CLP Group.
The investment followed grants of 50 million Australian dollars (46 million US dollars) from the Victorian state government and 79 million Australian dollars from the federal government.
'Climate change is our biggest challenge for the future,' Brumby said in Melbourne when announcing the project that could fire 45,000 homes. 'Climate change demands investment in new power technology, like this state-of-the-art solar power station.'
By using mirrors to track the sun and focus light on photovoltaic cells, the project should become one of the world's most efficient arrays.
The power plant would not result in any greenhouse gas emissions, saving an estimated 396,000 tonnes a year compared with a coal-fired power plant with a similar output.
The difference in output would also generate tradeable emissions credits that would meet renewable energy targets set by the federal government.
Australia has set a target for the use of renewable energy of 20 per cent by 2050.
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