Australia’s west is now home to what’s described as the country’s first utility-scale solar power plant.
The 10 megawatt plant, supported with AUD$20 million of Western Australian government funding, will deliver power equivalent to 3,000 homes. However, its output is committed to powering the state’s Binningup water desalination plant, according to the ABC.
The government says it will knock 20,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases off the annual national output – however, given the plant is pre-committed to a single customer, it may be more accurate to describe its output as offsetting future growth in emissions. Earlier this year, the state government decided to sling $AU300 million towards the stage-two expansion of the Binningup desal plant, which is currently operating at full capacity.
via The Register
October 11, 2012
