One of Australia’s top green energy superpower advocates says it is unclear whether the nation has a comparative advantage in the solar panel industry that the Albanese government is propping up with $1 billion of support, including in regions facing the likely loss of thousands of coal-fired power station workers, some earning up to $170,000.

Economist Rod Sims said while there was no doubt the country would need a “hell of a lot” of panels to seize the opportunities created by abundant renewable solar energy, its ability to produce them economically and in a way that produces high-paying jobs was another matter.