Australia has finally gotten on the renewable energy grid with the approval of a 300,000 solar panel installation on 200 hectares at East Nyngan Road and Boundary Street East, providing thousands of families with clean electricity annually. The project’s development will be powered by the Australian Government’s $1.5 billion Solar Flagships program, which allotted up to four large scale solar farm projects in the country.

The $300 million solar power station will be constructed by Infigen-Suntech Pty Limited, a group consisting of Infigen Energy and Suntech Power, the latter being the largest manufacturer of solar panels in the world. The generation created at Nyngan PV Solar Farm is equivalent to eliminating 30,000 cars from Australian roads, or 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Infigen Energy is a renowned renewable energy company having invested in 35 global wind farms and specifically six in Australia. They recently invested in the Capital wind farm, New South Wales’ largest wind farm to date. Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is the world’s largest provider of crystalline silicon PV.

This approval will finally put Australia on the map for solar energy production, while creating 55 part-time jobs and five permanent ones for the city of Nyngan. Minister for Planning Tony Kelly praises the projects’ proposed site and efforts. “This will contribute towards the NSW State Plan target to source 20 percent of the State’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020,” he said.

The project approval won’t just guarantee that Australia is well on its way to meeting goals of renewable energy developments by 2020, but also retaining its unique sense of self – upon approval, the government regulated specific conditions for the site including visual impact and landscape.