Solar Power Study for Cedar Creek

Surrounded on both sides by large conservation parks, Cedar Creek is a locality named after the eponymous creek that runs through this locality. This study aims to assess the possibilities for solar power in Cedar Creek.

• Location – Cedar Creek is located about 16 miles south east of Logan city and about 17 miles northwest of Gold Coast. The distance to Brisbane is about 25 miles. This area is split by the Gold coast and Logan city local government areas. The Beaudesert-Beenleigh Road runs almost through the center of this area. To the northwest of the locality are the Plunkett Conservation Park and the Albert River. The Tamborine National Park is located to the southeast of this area. Both of these parks are protected reserves.

   

• Area and Topography – This area especially around the Beaudesert-Beenleigh Road is dotted with farms. A significant number of these are horse farms. The land is primarily hilly terrain with quite a few grassy and scrubby areas. Most of these areas have been settled over time. The vast grassy expanses provide a good rearing ground for horses.

• Real Estate – As mentioned earlier this area is primarily semi-rural with horse farms dotting the landscape. There are a few industrial sections like stone quarries and small mineral extraction operations. However they are very limited in number due to the presence of two conservation parks located nearby, which makes land release in this area difficult.

  Cedar Creek has a population of 832 individuals according to the latest census, and reflects the sparse population of this area. Land releases will be unlikely although there are some areas where undeveloped land may be used up later. This is usually along the Beaudesert-Beenleigh Road, where the terrain in flatter and there are already a lot of farms established.

  The average pricing for homes in this area go above 700,000 Australian dollars, owing to units being sold as acreage. Actual price of houses will be much lower.

   

• Potential for solar power in Cedar Creek – There is very little potential to develop solar power due to sparseness of this locality. However large farms can be encouraged to put up solar panels to cut down on their power grid dependence. Another area of opportunity would be redevelopment when older areas are recycled into smaller suburban homes, especially on the borders of this area, where it is closer to urban facilities.
  

   

  These new houses in the area may be provided with solar power from the start integrated in to the property. Large Solar arrays remain a possibility but it will be hard to find land as a majority of this area is covered in protected reserves.

   

   

Cedar Creek may yet not be the hotspot for solar power yet, but it is one of the areas which remind us why it is important to develop solar power in the first place. The fragility of the ecology in the forest reserves of this area lets us know why cutting down on emissions is so important. One way of achieving that is by solar power, if not in Cedar Creek, definitely in the neighboring regions in the coming years.