Antinuclear

Look at the bright red spots in the Pacific, mid-Atlantic and Australia where irradiance (the power of solar radiation) is highest.

Australia receives much more solar radiation than California or even the Mediterranean famed for its sunny summers and beautiful beaches. And while it does not necessarily mean blue skies and sunny days (solar radiation can be pretty high on a cloudy day), there is a correlation between strong solar radiation, heat, the climate, and health. Solar radiation includes visible light, but also infrared radiation responsible for the “heat” sensation you feel and ultraviolet radiation responsible for sunburns.

So, what is irradiance? Irradiance is the power of electromagnetic radiation on a unit of area, and is measured in watts par square metre (W/m2). In Australia, it reaches the scale’s 2nd maximum of 270-280 W/m2 on a large portion of the country. The sunlight that hits Australia is really strong, and there’s lots of it.

In fact, the map shows there are only three important continental areas to reach such highs: Australia, eastern China (Tibet) and central Africa at the intersection of Sudan, Chad, southern Libya and southern Egypt. Australia is the largest, making it, some claim,the world’s sunniest country.

Last week, a friend sent me this incredible map……..So much irradiance tells me Australia is a great if not the best place on Earth to produce solar energy. The map also made me realise Australia is probably the safest, most politically stable and most accessible place on Earth among the areas where solar radiation is highest. The sun is shining strong throughout the year, and we have large flat uninhabited areas ready to host giant solar farms. And yet, the largest solar farms are located in California, Spain, and…Germany!

In August, The country’s top expert body on climate change, the ex- government-funded Climate Commission (scrapped by the new government and now reborn as the crowd-funded Climate Council) recognised this, writing:

Germany receives less sunlight than Victoria but has more installed capacity than any other country (…)

Australia is the world’s sunniest continent with enormous, but largely underutilised, potential for solar power generation.

In fact, Australia doesn’t even make it into the long list of the largest photovoltaic plants in the world. You have to wonder about that…..  http://thestarlightwalker.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/australia-where-the-sun-hits-the-hardest/