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Replacing fossil fuels with solar would add to strain

To replace fossil fuels with solar power, Australia would have to build solar panels covering more than 4000sq km, a key think tank has warned.

In a report to be released today, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says that could also be expressed as 200sq m of panel a person, or about four times the average amount of roof area per person in Australia today.

Author Andrew Davies said it was likely that liquid fuels would still be needed for heavy land transport and aviation.

Because of their low overall efficiency, adding biofuels would make matters significantly worse, Dr Davies said.

"About 25 per cent of Australian energy consumption goes towards transport," he said.

Dr Davies also suggested that while there was no need in the short to medium term for Australia to establish a national oil reserve to ensure supply security, other countries in the region were in a less secure position.

"If that energy were to be produced by biofuels it would require an additional 97,700sq km of crop production, about the area currently devoted to the growing of wheat in Australia."

"Helping regional states via a shared reserve program could form part of Australia's regional stability-building strategy, foreign aid program or both," Dr Davies said.

That would not be based on cost-effectiveness.

"It would have to be part of a strategy to enhance Australia's broader security by reducing

the exposure of already fragile states to external forces well beyond their ability to control," Dr Davies said.

"Australia is geographically and politically suited to managing regional energy contingency stocks.

To know more, read The Australian's full story.

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