Australia does solar

only as an additional to coal and natural gas.
It really kind of misses the point. Third best solar resources in the world and the best you can come up with is 'raise steam to react with coal and natural gas'. Yes, it makes coal a little more economic but as we've all heard here before: there aint no such thing as clean coal, only less crappy coal.
A true solar thermal system would vaporise water and jet the f**ker through a turbine, hang on, doesn't nuclear energy work like that? (and geothermal, and coal, and natgas-maybe not turbines in natgas's case)...
Only aiming to reduce heat loads by using solar is a cop out and a lack of imagination.

CCSD Chief Executive Frank van Schagen says: “In the polarized public debate Australia’s energy challenge is often depicted as fossil-versus-renewables. In reality, the answer lies in an intelligent combination of the best technologies and resources to produce cost-effective energy with next to zero greenhouse and pollution emissions.

uummm, that pretty much sums up fossil fuels vs sustainable - and while you're at it, just how does coal fit into zero greenhouse emmissions (the article mentions it might help with sequestration but really, no-one knows if that's gonna work)