Melbourne trams to be solar-powered under Andrews government proposal

Using solar power for Melbourne trams is
 designed to boost investment in renewables
and create new jobs for Victorians.

Melbourne’s tram network will become entirely solar-powered under a proposal by the Andrews government to build large-scale solar farms in northern Victoria.

The proposal, announced on Thursday, is part of a plan to reduce Victoria’s net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. Tenders to build and operate 75MW of new solar farms will be released in early 2017 and the first solar power plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.

The environment and energy minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, said 35MW of the generating power of the new solar plants would be dedicated to running Melbourne’s tram network, which would reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80,000 tonnes a year.

Read Calla Wahlquist’s story in The Guardian - “Melbourne trams to be solar-powered under Andrews government proposal.”