As temperatures continue to rise around the globe, companies are increasingly looking for ways to provide massive amounts of energy without releasing toxic pollution into the air.
With that in mind, AGL, Australia's largest coal producer, just announced it has invested in a large-scale solar farm in the country. It bought the Yadnarie solar and long-duration energy storage project, near the town of Cleve on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The technology used on the site was already successfully introduced at a pilot plant in Victoria.
The technology was developed by the company RayGen. It uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto solar modules. This produces electricity as well as heat that is then stored in water reservoirs for on-demand electricity. And the tech is being developed in a particularly interesting part of the world. Yadnarie hopes to be using 100% renewable energy sources by 2027.
Solar farm projects like this one are beneficial for the entire community at large. More solar energy going to the grid means lower costs for everyone. It also means more stability, as the desperate need for energy will decrease with the abundance. Solar farms promote energy independence, as countries don't have to rely on oil. '
They are also good for the environment because there is less dependence on dirty fuels like coal, oil, and gas. Those fuels release harmful pollution into the atmosphere, leading to poor health outcomes for all living things. So, in short, solar farms mean a cleaner, cooler, safer future for all.
And this is only the latest clean energy solution that is being sought around the world. A company in Zhejiang, China, recently opened the world's first large-scale semi-solid-state battery energy storage system that connected to their grid in June. And researchers from Penn State are developing a combination of solar harvesting and radiative cooling to serve things like refrigerators and air conditioners.
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The leaders behind the Yadnarie project were excited about the potential.
"AGL has long been an early supporter and adopter of innovative energy solutions … and this development has the potential to be a reliable and affordable solution to the challenges of long duration energy storage as Australia transitions to a renewable energy system," said Travis Hughes, the head of power development at AGL.
"Yadnarie is a groundbreaking project and will be the first utility-scale deployment of our technology," added RayGen CEO Richard Payne.
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