Solar Opportunities
Electricity consumption in Tasmania is forecast to surge by 48% by 2035 and 55% by 2050, according to Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) 2024 Integrated Systems Plan (ISP). This raises an essential question: where will Tasmania source the additional energy needed to meet this demand?
While Tasmania produces almost 100% renewable energy, 60% of the energy we currently consume still comes from coal, oil and gas – the major greenhouse-gas emitters. Tasmania’s forecasted demand spike in the 2024 ISP is strong imperative to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels by building out Tasmania’s capacity for enough renewable energy production to power a sustainable future.
Australia’s experts agree that the cheapest way to transition away from coal and other fossil fuels is with clean energy backed by hydropower and batteries. Hydro has long been a staple in Tasmania’s energy generation. Solar is less tapped but offers a vast opportunity to generate affordable electricity across the state at various scales - from installation in homes and businesses to utility scale.
The power of the sun, even here in Tassie, is key to meet the state’s future demands for affordable energy. Indeed, the cheapest form of energy in Tasmania is electricity from rooftop solar on residential and commercial premises. Rooftop solar typically saves Tasmanians between 25-50% on their electricity bills. At larger scales, examples of generating affordable renewable energy from solar - both at utility scale and for small businesses - are on the rise across the state.
Tasmania’s first utility scale solar farm is the 4.95 MW Bell Bay Solar Farm in George Town in the state’s north. Owned by Climate Capital, the farm has been operational since December 2023. The 16,000 panels on the 13-hectare site generate enough energy to power 1000 houses. This facility’s status at the state’s largest will soon be superseded.
In late 2023 Tasmanian company TasRex received council approval to develop the state’s most ambitious solar project to date: a 288MW solar farm and giant battery in the northern Midlands. The farm will feature over 670,000 solar panels across 600 hectares, capable of powering 70,000 Tasmanian homes, while also sharing the land with native grasses and 22,000 sheep. As well as reducing the state’s dependence on imported fossil fuels to power our homes, this renewable energy project creates regional jobs and low impacts on the environment and primary industry.
At small-business scale, Island Berries Tasmania installed an 80kW solar array in 2015 at its new Cambridge manufacturing facility. It quickly paid for itself, according to CEO Andre Richardson. As the business grew, it added another 80kW, and within two years, the new panels had also paid for themselves. Now, over 50% of the facility’s electricity comes from solar, significantly lowering power bills.
As the state faces a significant increase in its energy needs, these local examples show that expanding its renewable energy infrastructure—through both large-scale and small-scale solar projects—is a sunny opportunity to meet our demand sustainably.
