The Queensland government has committed itself to reduce carbon emissions throughout the state, and to meet that goal the state has already completed various projects and more are expected to come in the next few years.

Solar Panels installed onto Metricon Stadium

The new AFL Metricom Stadium on the Gold Coast is the first project of its kind to integrate solar technology into a sports complex, which will greatly reduce its running costsin energy consumption as well as the stadium's carbon emissions. A $4.4 million dollar solar roof has been built on the inner edge of the stadium, with enough solar panels to power 20% of its energy needs. The project was completed in May 2011.

The Queensland government said that the Metricon Project is about more than just reducing carbon and energy consumption; it will also demonstrate how well the technology can be incorporated in such structures. Being an iconic place the stadium will be a great reminder to the public about energy efficiency and its benefits, and as such is expected it will have an impact on the use of solar PV in Queensland

Rail Train Stations

Currently the Indooroopilly, Varsity and Richland stations have installed solar panels to improve the railways energy efficiency and reduce their operation's effects on the environment. Indooroopilly hostsa 5 KW solar power system, the Varsity station has its 2.2 KW system and the Richland station has installed a 10 KW solar PV system. All three stations were also modified to improve energy consumption through passive means like improving ventilation to reduce the need for auxiliary sources.

University of Queensland

The University of Queensland has installed the largest flat panel solar PV system in the country. The system is comprised of 5,000 polycrystalline silicon solar panels and 8.4 kilowatt concentrating solar photovoltaic array, together capable of generating 1750 megawatt hours of electricity annually and reducing the University's carbon emissions by 1770 tons each year.

The system will also enable researchers to compare how the two technologies perform, and the analysis from the research will be used in future solar projects in state, and will be especially important on a large scale basis.

Solar Schools

The Queensland Government aims to install a solar panel system in every state school, and a generous $60 million budget was allotted for the project under the Solar and Energy Efficiency in Schools Program. A minimum of 2 KW solar PV systems will be installed in every school and other energy efficient measures will also be observed.

The program is an initiative of the government to create a virtual power station across all aspects of the community.

Large Scale Solar Projects

Under the leadership of the Office of Clean Energy it has been identified that Queensland is a rich source of solar radiation, with numerous potential locations for massive solar farms comparable to the best locations in the world. With this in mind the government is looking at building a solar precinct, where solar farms are created closely to each other and connected to a high level transmission and grid network.

Currently there are community based solar farms being built in Kogan Creek and Hervey Bay. Both projects will increase the state's solar capacity significantly and improve energy generation locally.

The state has also funded over $70 million into round one of the $1.5 billion Solar Flagships Program. The 250 MW Solar Dawn project will be largest of its kind, utilising integrated concentrated solar power technology, and will be built 20 km southeast of Chinchilla in South West Queensland.