Australia’s Largest Solar Farm Completes Construction, Prepares for Full Operation

This photo shows the Western Downs Green Power Hub in Queensland, Australia. Courtesy of the Queensland government

A huge solar farm in Queensland, which boasts over one million solar panels, is in the final steps of preparation before coming online.

On April 5, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk visited the Western Downs Green Power Hub to see the project complete its construction phase.

While the last solar panels have been installed, the 400-megawatt solar farm owned by French renewable energy producer Neoeon needs to go through final tests and commissioning before fully connecting to the state’s power grid.

According to the Queensland government, the project can supply electricity to around 235,000 homes in the state and generate $800 million (US$537 million) for Queensland’s regional economies.

CleanCo, an electricity generation and trading company owned by the Queensland government, will purchase 80 percent of the electricity produced by the project.

The state government said the project had already exported over 350 megawatts of electricity despite not fully commencing operation.

On a related issue, Neoeon has commissioned UGL and Tesla to build a 200-megawatt battery right next to the solar farm.

The battery is expected to be completed by early 2025 at the latest and will leverage the existing infrastructure of the Western Downs Green Power Hub to provide a range of services to the grid.

Response from Queensland Government

The Queensland premier said her government was committed to providing households in the state with renewable energy.

“We’re going to be seeing more and more of these solar farms and wind farms right across Queensland because that’s what we need to transition to our renewable energy future,” Palaszczuk said.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the project would deliver more jobs and more clean, green power generation for Queensland.

“Our Energy and Jobs Plan means more opportunities for businesses, more skilled jobs and more growth, especially for our regional communities,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, CleanCo CEO Tom Metcalfe said the Western Downs Green Power Hub would supply renewable energy to some of the company’s biggest customers, including Coles and BHP.

“The renewable solar energy generated here in Queensland’s Western Downs will contribute to the long-term sustainability of Queensland industries and communities, helping them to thrive in a net zero future,” he said.

This photo shows solar panels installed at the Western Downs Green Power Hub in Queensland, Australia. Courtesy of the Queensland government

Neoen’s solar farm is one of many projects approved by the Queensland government to reduce the reliance of the state’s grid on coal- and gas-fired power stations.

In March, the state government announced the purchase of Copperstring 2.0, a 1,100-kilometre electricity transmission line project by CuString.

It said the transmission line would connect renewable wind and solar resources with critical minerals mining and processing facilities in the state.

Previously, the Queensland government had outlined a 10-year plan to meet 80 percent of the state’s electricity demand by renewable sources by 2035.

The Negative Environmental Impacts of Solar Panels

While the completion of Australia’s largest solar farm would provide more “green” energy to the power grid, there is also a dark side to the use of over a million solar panels.

One major issue is the panels degrade faster than first thought and would often end up in landfill due to the high cost of recycling.

Environmental policy expert Michael Shellenberger previously told NTD–The Epoch Times’ sister media—that solar panels degraded about one percent a year, which prompted people to upgrade them more quickly.

“There was this romantic idea that you would get solar panels, and you would install them once, and then you would never have to do anything again. We now know that people re-install them every 10 years or so,” he said.

In addition, Shellenberger said that solar panels contain heavy metals, like lead, which could be released as a toxic cloud if the panels were destroyed during disposal.

“It’s hazardous waste,” he said. “Airelized lead is not something that we’ve allowed people to be exposed to for over half a century because we know it causes brain damage,” he said.

“So it’s as dangerous as lead paint; it’s as dangerous as all of the lead-based materials that society has basically phased out until now.”

Shellenberger also noted that the advocacy for solar panels was driven by ideological leanings rather than sound science.

“It’s a spiritual pursuit,” he added. “There’s the idea that … we'll protect the natural environment by being dependent on natural energy flows like sunlight. It’s not a scientific view. It actually is worse for the environment.”

Tom Ozimek contributed to this article.