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Question: What do you get when you have 247,000 solar panels and 30 senior students?  Answer: A class of bright sparks!

A group of Year 11 and 12 students from Moranbah State High School gained unique insights into solar energy with a visit to the Rugby Run solar farm today thanks to the support of Bravus and the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).

The students discovered the solar panels are programmed to track the sun and generate enough electricity to power about 23,000 homes each year.

Katrina-Lee Jones, Policy Director – Skills, Education and Diversity for the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) said the solar farm excursion complemented the students’ science studies with a real-world experience.

“The resources sector produces the materials the world needs for solar panels and wind turbines, which support the energy transition,” said Ms Jones.

“The students got a genuine understanding of the connection between resources and energy today, and a great idea of the careers open to them in these fields.”

Bravus Business Manager – Renewables, Derek Chapman said the solar farm excursion gave the students real world insight into what it takes to design, build, and then operate and maintain one of Australia’s best performing utility-scale solar farms.

“Rugby Run has been consistently ranked as one of the top-performing solar assets in Australia and the best in Queensland since it was switched on in 2019,” Mr Chapman said.

“Our business is part of one of the world’s largest renewables companies, the Adani Group, which is also a major supplier of thermal energy from coal, so we know firsthand that the world needs both renewable energy and affordable and reliable baseload power to reduce carbon intensity and meet growing energy demand.

“It was terrific to show the students just what goes into planning and executing a successful solar farm in regional Queensland, and the range of professions involved from proof of concept to construction, operation, and maintenance.”

This year the QMEA is celebrating 20 years of inspiring students to follow a trades or science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) study pathway with a focus on the many rewarding career opportunities in the resources sector.