Contributed by Ugly

Kidston in central Queensland was a working gold mine. It closed for good in 2001 and turned into a ghost town.

Refusing to go down, locals came together and came up with the idea of creating the world’s first combined solar and pumped hydro power generation plant.It involved bringing in a company with the expertise and resources to do the job. This is Genex , a specialist company established for the purpose of taking on renewable energy projects.

Mining had left two big holes, half full of water. The car on the land was transformed into a valuable asset. Water flows from one hole to the other and this creates the energy needed to power the turbines. This is backed by a bank of solar panels. The system operates around the clock.

This is completely clean energy, contributing an equivalent to 33,000 less cars on the road, and they have shown that combining clean technologies is possible.

The plan became a reality and Kidston is producing enough electricity to power more than a quarter of a million homes. This is providing jobs and a much needed boost to the town.

This is a valuable lesson for all communities a crossroads. Positive change is possible.

 

Video from The Climate Council