Kidston 1

Forgotten mining town to world-first solar & storage project - the story solar jobs in Kidston

25/04/2018BY: Tracey Mesken

​Kidston is the story of an old gold mine has been converted to the first integrated solar and pumped hydro project in the world.

Local James Harrison who, upon returning to Kidston, couldn’t believe that what he knew as a disused mine site, could be transformed into a thriving solar farm + hydro storage - and nab him a solar job in the process!

Once the largest and richest gold mines in Australia, Kidston was closed permanently in 2001 leaving two holes that are over 350 meters deep. What at first may have seemed like a forgotten ghost town, was actually a golden opportunity.

Kidston is the first integrated solar and pumped hydro project in the world
So how does it work?

  1. The holes store water;

  2. Water flows downhill from one hole to the next, creating clean energy;

  3. Solar power pumps the water back uphill from one hole to another, like charging a battery; and

  4. The whole process uses 100% clean energy - enough to power 280,000 homes - and cuts pollution equivalent to removing 33,000 cars from the road!

Kidston demonstrates the potential of rural towns - once the hubs of industries past - to lead the way to our sustainable, renewable-powered future. It proves, that solar energy and hydro storage can pump life back into them, bringing job opportunities and energy independence, reducing pollution, and elevating these small towns seated at the fringes of industry into energy hubs.

WorkPac are currently looking for people in regional towns to work on several projects we have solar jobs across Australia including: QLD - Kidston, Townsville, Hughenden, Collinsville, Emerald and Clermont . VIC - Mildura, Swan Hill and Bannerton. NSW – Griffith.  Register today

Source: https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/kidston-solar-project