The Role of Solar Power

In a world where the energy landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, the role of solar power cannot be overstated. As the ANU’s Professor Andrew Blakers notes, Australia is already on the fast track to a 100 per cent renewable energy future, thanks in large part to the massive increase in solar power generation capacity. Solar power offers a number of benefits, including zero greenhouse gas emissions, zero smog, and zero water consumption. According to the article, solar energy generation is growing tenfold each decade and dominates global power station construction markets, while global nuclear electricity generation has been static for 30 years and is largely irrelevant. In 2024, twice as much new solar generation capacity was added compared to all other systems combined. Wind, hydro, coal, gas, and nuclear added up to about 280 gigawatts, while solar generated about 560 gigawatts. This trend is expected to continue, with solar generation passing wind and nuclear generation by 2025 and coal generation around 2031. Australia is already seeing the benefits of solar power, with 37 per cent of its electricity coming from solar and wind, and an additional 6 per cent from hydroelectric power stations. In fact, more solar energy is generated per person in Australia than in any other country.

Benefits of Solar Power

So, what makes solar power so appealing? Here are a few benefits:
• **Zero greenhouse gas emissions**: Solar power generates electricity without burning fossil fuels, which means it produces no greenhouse gas emissions. • **Zero smog**: Solar power eliminates smog and air pollution, improving air quality and public health. • **Zero water consumption**: Solar power uses no water, unlike traditional fossil fuel-based power plants. • **Cheapest energy**: Solar power is now the cheapest form of energy, according to the article. • **Unlimited energy**: Solar power offers unlimited energy for billions of years, making it a sustainable and reliable source of energy.

Energy Storage and Pumped Hydro

Energy storage is a crucial aspect of solar power, and pumped hydro energy is a key solution. Pumped hydro energy provides about 95 percent of global energy storage, and it works by pumping water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir during the day, when renewable energy is generated. At night, when renewable energy is not generated, the water flows back downhill through a turbine, recovering the stored energy. In Australia, pumped hydro energy is already used to provide 85 percent of energy storage in the national energy market, with Snowy 2.0 set to provide an additional 85 percent of energy storage by 2028. This will cost 10 times less than equivalent batteries and have a lifetime five times longer.

Addressing Misconceptions

There are some misconceptions about solar power that need to be addressed. Here are a few:
• **It takes up valuable farmland**: Most of the area in solar and wind farms remains in use for agriculture. • **Renewable infrastructure is a blight on the landscape**: Hosts of solar and wind farms are generously compensated, while hosts of transmission lines are paid more than $200,000 per kilometer. • **We will drown in solar panel waste**: The amount of solar panel waste generated amounts to about 16 kg per person per year, which is a small and solvable problem.

The Future of Renewable Energy

As the article notes, Australia is already on the fast track to a 100 per cent renewable energy future, thanks in large part to the massive increase in solar power generation capacity. With energy storage effectively a problem solved, and the required raw materials impossible to exhaust, solar and wind are becoming a superhighway to a future of 100 percent renewable energy. The article concludes that while there are still obstacles to overcome, solar offers unlimited energy for billions of years and provides the cheapest energy in history with zero greenhouse gases, zero smog, and zero water consumption. With the benefits of solar power, energy storage, and pumped hydro energy, Australia is poised to make a significant transition to a 100 per cent renewable energy future.