Solar Town

The country Queensland town of Cloncurry is about to be powered by solar power - day and night. Despite the myths, solar power can produce electricity for night-time use, and within two years the solarthermal plant will provide Cloncurry with all its power needs.

Cloncurry, like many places in Australia, has a reputation for sunny days and hot weather, making it ideal for solar power.

"These are plants that are going to be built and operating within a couple of years," said John Connor (Climate Institute). "When we are looking at other alternatives and nuclear and other things, they're a decade or so away so here is renewable technology. It's on the shelf and now it's being put on the ground so it is a fantastic development."