Thursday 19/6/2008 Page: 3
A TRIAL power station that will set the model for northern Victoria's solar future could be feeding power back into the grid within months. The $10 million trial development site outside Bridgewater, which will test and refine the technology, is progressing to schedule according to Melbourne alternative energy pioneer Solar Systems. The news comes as Premier John Brumby visited some of the world's leading solar facilities in Nevada in the US and announced the State Government's intentions to build multiple solar power stations in northern Victoria.Solar Systems chief Dave Holland said Government plans for expansion in solar energy meshed with the company's long-term plans in northern Victoria. "We didn't go into this to only build the one station." he said. "We have plans to build dozens of these." Mr Holland said the $10 million Bridgewater station - which should be ready to produce power well before Christmas - would refine the technology for the company's far bigger $420 million north-west project.
Five potential sites, including Kerang and Mildura, have been listed for the project. Factors influencing the choice include reliability of sunshine and closeness to big users. Federal and State Governments have committed $129 million to the project, in which Solar Systems is a partner with TRUEnergy. It is expected to create up to 950 jobs. When finished in September, the 30-hectare Bridgewater site, with its field of mirrors and 75-metre tower, will give a glimpse of how the larger site will look.
0 comments:
Post a Comment