Go solar for a bright future

IF THE (VICTORIAN RENEWABLE) TARGET DOES GO AHEAD, IT COULD HELP FUEL A SOLAR BOOM THAT THE GOULBURN VALLEY COULD BENEFIT FROM

Things are looking bright near Numurkah with the ambitious proposal for a large-scale solar farm.

Shepparton has long touted itself as the ‘‘solar city’’, but recent proposals have had other areas across regional Victoria as potential sites for large-scale solar developments.

Last night, the Moira Shire Council approved a proposal for a large-scale solar farm at Wunghnu, near Numurkah.

It is easy to see why renewable energy companies are looking at central Victoria.

The central area of Victoria receives lots of sunshine and has close access to the grid and large energy using cities.

The energy market has been in a rapid state of change in the last few years, as investment in renewable energy has increased and old power plants have been decommissioned.

The state once thrived on cheap brown coal, but this has slowly changed as older power plants, including the Hazelwood Power Station, have been shut down.

Environmentalists have welcomed the move away from brown coal, but the change has also presented its own difficulties as the energy market adjusts to the changes.

Power prices have been on the increase, with large companies, including agricultural companies, getting hit with ever increasing power bills.

For agricultural producers competing in the global market, a power price spike can be a big hit to their international competitiveness.

A return to the days of brown coal looks unlikely, and with falling prices in renewable energy, we can hope that power prices eventually stabilise.

A renewable energy boom could be a big driver of economic growth across regional Victoria, and Goulburn Valley is in the right area to take advantage.

Although it is a long way to go for the project to go to construction, the $175 million solar farm at Wunghnu would be one of the largest Australian projects for French energy company Neoen.

The Andrews Labor Government is pushing renewable energy hard, with the introduction of a state renewable energy target.

If Daniel Andrews gets his way, 25 per cent of our state’s power will be sourced from renewables by 2020, with further increases to 40 per cent by 2025.

The issue of renewable energy targets is politically contentious, but if the target does go ahead, it could help fuel a solar boom that the Goulburn Valley could benefit from.

The Editorial in today’s Shepparton News - “Go solar for a bright future.”