Australia will host the world’s largest advanced solar-thermal (AST) power plant if the ambitions of engineering firm WorleyParsons are realised.
The Sydney-based company – backed by several Australian resource and energy companies – has launched a study to find potential sites for new solar plants, the first of which would have a capacity of 250 MWp and be on-line within three years.
WorleyParsons says that Australia is uniquely placed to play a key role in the world’s solar energy industry, which is on the cusp of a “revolution”. Its objective is to deliver 40 per cent of Australia’s additional renewable energy needs through AST technology by 2020.
The companies that are funding WorleyParsons’ study include Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Woodside, Verve Energy and Delta Electricity. They are aiming to identify the first development sites and roll out the first plants shortly after.
AST technology, also known as concentrating solar power (CSP) technology, uses reflective mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy to produce steam, which is then used to generate electricity. It can be combined with energy storage systems so that power can be produced into the evening.
WorleyParsons is proposing to use parabolic trough technology with oil heat collection as it is a mature and proven technology with readily available components. It hopes to build 15 AST plants by 2016 and 34 by 2020, representing an investment of A$35 billion.
A 250 MWp AST plant would occupy and area of around 640 ha and consist of 618 000 mirrors and 65 000 tonnes of steel, says WorleyParsons. Australia is an ideal location due to its desert-type conditions, low cloud cover and large levels of solar radiation.
“Australia has the opportunity to become a world leader in solar-thermal energy, which is the linchpin to the achievement of Australia’s renewable energy targets,” said WorleyParsons managing director Peter Meurs. “Solar-thermal’s time has come. The impact of a range of factors, including global warming and the increased price of fossil fuels, have created a sweet spot for solar energy.”
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