12 August 2007

Germany leads the world for solar energy production

I was impressed to read an article in last Saturdays Sydney Morning Herald about Conergy AG from Germany who is planning to build the largest solar plant in the world in East Germany.

The Australian Government is a constant source of disappointment when it comes to their attitude to renewable energy. The irony of this situation is that we live in a country with seemingly endless sunshine, yet a central European country with far less sunshine leads the world for solar energy production.

One of the Australian governments arguments against a stronger commitment to renewables is the damage reducing our reliance on coal for power generation will have on our economy. As the German example shows, the number of jobs in their sun-power sector is predicted to double to 90,000 over the next five years, surely filling any economic void that might be created by reducing our demand for coal.

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