Australia is generating so much solar power that it\u2019s now giving it out for free.<\/p>\n
As The Guardian reports<\/a>, residents in three of the country\u2019s states \u2014 New South Wales, south-east Queensland, and South Australia, representing approximately 14 million people, or roughly half of the country\u2019s population \u2014 will be receiving at least three hours of free solar power every day, even if they don\u2019t have panels mounted to their roofs.<\/p>\n The country\u2019s federal government even helpfully suggested that Australians should use the period to use their most electricity-intensive appliances, from air conditioners to electric car chargers \u2014 a renewable energy boon that less sunny parts of the world can only dream of.<\/p>\n The initiative was designed to ensure that excess power during peak times doesn\u2019t go unused. With countries making strides in building out solar farms and more households installing solar panels, there\u2019s plenty of energy to go around. However, storing all of this power for later use remains a major logistical challenge<\/a>.<\/p>\n To even out energy usage during the day, when solar power generation hits its peak, the government is hoping to encourage residents to shift their maximum usage \u2014 which conventionally isn\u2019t in the middle of the day \u2014 to when there\u2019s a surplus.<\/p>\n Proponents of the move argue that this could make the power grid more stable. It could also benefit those who don\u2019t own a home.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who are able to move electricity use into the zero cost power period will benefit directly, whether they have solar panels or not and whether they own or rent,\u201d said climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen in a statement. \u201cAnd the more people [who] take up the offer and move their use, the greater the system benefits that lower costs for all electricity users will be.\u201d<\/p>\n Bowen is hoping 82 percent of Australia\u2019s energy demands could be met with renewable energy by 2030<\/a>, along with a 43 percent reduction in emissions compared to 2005 levels.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the situation in the United States looks dramatically different these days. Last month, the Trump administration quietly canceled<\/a> the country\u2019s largest solar project as part of a staunchly anti-renewable energy agenda<\/a>.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not all bad news. Despite the White House\u2019s new focus on deregulating emissions standards and actively undermining the adoption of green energy<\/a>, the US is still on track to build out a record amount of new solar capacity<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n