Sunshine Coast Plan to have Solar Energy Park

Coolum Park west may soon have a 20 hectare park dedicated to sunlight harvesting to create clean solar energy for the residents of Sunshine Coast if it is approved by the council. Energy Parks of Australia have filed a development application to change 50 hectares in Valdora on the Sunshine Coast into a 50,000 solar panel power generator. If the development application would be approved, the construction would start by the end of the year and this will include the EPA partnering with a solar panel manufacturer that would develop a factory in Caloundra.



Energy Park Australia stated that the new solar park will help to elevate the region’s reputation as the leader in the development of the green energy solutions. Jason Hague, CEO said that the 50 hectares solar park will constitute 50,000 solar panels that would feed the power directly into the state’s electricity grid and it will also provide electricity for an estimated 2,500 homes.



Mr. Hague is quotes "In Valdora we are planning the first of hopefully multiple energy parks that can produce green power for the Sunshine Coast." "This site is 50 hectares and the actual solar panels will cover about 20 hectares of the 50 hectare site and the other 30 remaining hectares will be rehabilitated with native vegetation species."



The EPA model is based on identifying an appropriate sites and building several centralized energy parks across the Sunshine Coast.



It will also provide a large scale of photovoltaic (PV) or solar panels; As Mr. Hague said "This solution will goes a very long way to meet the council’s Energy Transition Plan endorsed in December 2010, which aspires for the Sunshine Coast to be low in carbon economy with council endeavoring to generate 40Mw of power from sustainable sources by 2015 and 100 Mw by 2020.".



In addition to this Mr. Hague also added "The Valdora Energy Park will be a $40 million plus venture and if successful with our application, we can aim to develop local partnership to deploy the technology on site, thereby further delivering economic benefits for the region."



Investments of this magnitude will surely change how solar energy appeals to the locals once they see the true benefits of the investment and its benefits both in reduction of their carbon foot prints and electric bills, as well as the extra jobs created and boost to the local economy and the country as a whole.