Welcome to DESERTEC-Australia
DESERTEC-Australia advocates developing large-scale solar, geothermal, wind and wave energy projects in interior Australia.
A latticework of solar, geothermal, wind and wave energy plants spread around Australia could satisfy the nation’s energy needs
With a coordinated rollout of renewable energy capacity and long-distance transmission infrastructure Australia could — sometime after 2020 — be producing surplus, premium-priced, low greenhouse gas emission power.
This surplus power could be sold into Asian markets through subsea High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) power lines connecting Australia to the region. If Northwest Shelf natural gas pipelines serving Asian export markets were laid alongside and the combined infrastructure topped by wind farms, infrastructure costs could be dramatically reduced. Furthermore, Australia-Asia natural gas pipelines could be integrated into regional plans for new pipelines in the South China Sea.
Australia has three government organisations which take charge of renewables in Australia.
Australian Renewable Energy Agency
Finally, Queensland coal seam methane gas could be piped over land to Northwest Australia and into the gas pipelines. This would create additional economies of scale and eliminate the need for costly, controversial and environmentally-questionable liquid natural gas (LNG) processing plants.
DESERTEC’s comprehensive plan would enhance regional energy security, reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions, create a sturdy flexible, regional common-carrier energy infrastructure and, best of all, create jobs and economic growth in the sunrise industries of tomorrow.
DESERTEC-Australia’s vision is outlined in greater detail in “2050: Australia-Clean Energy Superpower.”