Melbourne tram network to be powered by solar energy

MELBOURNE’S entire tram network will go solar as part of a government push to achieve zero net emissions, but they won’t say how much it will cost you.

MELBOURNE’S entire tram network will be powered by solar under the biggest project of its kind in Victoria.

The State Government today announced it will run a tender to build a 75-megawatt solar farm, most likely to be located in regional Victoria.

The solar panels’ power to Melbourne’s 410 trams will be “notional”, meaning the government will purchase renewable energy certificates in the event the transport network needs to be fuelled by baseload power.

Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio wouldn’t say how much extra the power this would cost the State Budget, saying the tender process needed to be completed first.

Melbourne’s entire tram network will be powered by solar power under the biggest project of its kind in Victoria. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The project is expected to include $150 million in new capital investment and 300 new jobs.

“The cost of this will be totally borne by the Victorian State Budget. We will not be disclosing any figure now,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.

“We know that solar energy has a particular advantage in northwestern Victoria, but certainly our competitive auction process will be open to any projects that may be located anywhere in our state.

“We will use our purchasing power as a large energy consumer to boost investment in renewables and create new jobs for Victorians.”

The project will form part of the government’s approach to achieving zero net emissions in the state by 2050.

Despite the government’s commitment, emissions across the state government have increased in recent years.

Ms D’Ambrosio said the government would be releasing a new climate change framework “soon” which would outline how the state would achieve the 2050 target.

“We’re positioning Victoria as a leader in climate change, by reducing emissions and adapting to the impacts,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.

“We made a climate change commitment last which was to ensure we achieve net zero emissions by 2050, we also said we would introduce leadership by our government to demonstrate our commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said: “We’ve got the biggest tram network in the world and we’re powering it with renewables and creating local jobs.”

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