A radical shift towards renewable energy has the potential to reshape the Australian economy and create exports worth hundreds of billions of dollars, according to the head of a major research project to be announced on Thursday.

The project, led by director of the Energy Change Institute at the Australian National University Professor Ken Baldwin, will seek to identify ways to turn the massive renewable energy potential of northern Australia into a booming export market while dramatically reducing global carbon emissions.

The $10m Zero-carbon Energy for Asia-Pacific project will investigate bold proposals including building massive solar and wind projects in the country's sparsely populated north and selling that power via undersea cables, or shipping it as hydrogen created through green energy.

Read the full Canberra Times article.