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Solar Energy in Australia

Solar energy availability in Australia

Legend
	greater than 24MJ/m2day		less than 22 but greater than 20MJ/m2day
	less than 24 but greater than 23MJ/m2day		less than 20 but greater than 18MJ/m2day
	less than 23 but greater than 22MJ/m2day		less than 18 but greater than 16MJ/m2day
			less than 16MJ/m2day

Isorads (contours) showing the annual average daily solar energy available (in MegaJoules per square metre per day, MJ/m2day) for a fixed solar collector facing north and tilted to the latitude angle for near optimum year round performance.

By way of example, the solar energy available in western Victoria on an average day (18.1 MJ/m2day) would provide about 1 kWh (kiloWatt hour) of electricity through a commercially available system comprising a small battery bank and two square metres of solar panel with an overall efficiency of just 10%. This is ample to light 4 rooms for 10 hours each using fluorescent lighting of either the compact or conventional tube designs.

: http://www.anzses.org/Why/Myths/Map.html

Energy from the sun can be used to generate electricity (solar-electric), or heat (solar-thermal). Victoria has excellent solar resources, for example, Mildura receives 90% of Brisbane 's solar radiation levels.
Victoria's average yearly global solar exposure on a horizontal surface ranges between 12-20 Megajoules per square metre per day (MJ/m2/day).

http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/2114-solar.asp

http://www.ga.gov.au/bin/mapserv40?map=/public/http/www/docs/renewable/ago.map&map_web_template=proposed/template.html&&mapext=-2201244.400848+-5190134.542706+2031040.723962+-966224.855040&layer=states&layer=highway&layer=coast&layer=proposed&mode=browse

Mean Annual Solar Radiation Levels

Annual solar radiation levels range from lowest (dark blue) to highest (red) across Australia.

Source: http://www.energyfutures.qld.gov.au/solar.cfm

Annual Average Daily Hours of Sun

The average amount of sunshine received by the various regions of Australia is mapped with the regions receiving the fewest number of hours represented by dark purple and the regions receiving the most number of hours shown by yellow.

Source: http://www.green-trust.org/2000/solar/findsun.htm

Daily Global Solar Exposure

This map demonstrates the amount of solar radiation Australia experienced on September 1, 2009.

Source: http://www.bom.gov.au/sat/solrad.shtml

Countries

Australia | Fiji | FS of Micronesia | Kiribati | Marshall Islands | Nauru | New Zealand | Palau | Samoa | Solomon Islands | Tonga | Tuvalu | Vanuatu

Related GENI Resources

Definition Solar Energy
Current Articles on Renewable Energy Resources and Transmission
National Energy Grid Maps

Links

ANZSES (Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society)

Australian Greenhouse Office - Renewable Energy
REGA (Renewable Energy Generators of Australia)
BCSE (Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy)

PPA (Pacific Power Association)
PIREP (Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Programme)
Sustainability Victoria