Australian solar breakthrough – ‘giant step’ in race against coal

An ARENA-backed, CSIRO-developed solar thermal demonstration project has notched up a significant win for the technology, generating the highest temperature steam ever produced using energy from the sun.

The world-first achievement at the CSIRO Energy Centre in Newcastle, NSW, has been hailed as a game changing breakthrough for renewables, demonstrating solar’s potential to power steam turbines equivalent to those currently used by advanced coal-fired plants.

‘‘Instead of relying on burning fossil fuels to produce supercritical steam, this breakthrough demonstrates that the power plants of the future could instead be using the free, zero-emission energy of the sun to achieve the same result,’’ said CSIRO’s energy director, Alex Wonhas.CSIRO_solarthermal6

The $5.7 million project (to which ARENA contributed $2.8 million) is part of a broader collaboration with leading solar thermal developer Abengoa Solar to advance solar storage and deliver renewable electricity around the clock.

Comprising two test plants – which concentrate light from 600 mirrors into receiver towers where water is heated to produce steam that drives turbines – it has shown it is possible for solar thermal generated supercritical steam to reach temperatures of up to 570°C and pressure of 23.5 megapascals.

Project leader Robbie McNaughton says his team now plans to do more testing, under even more extreme conditions, to see how far they can push the technology.

“Achieving the critical combination of high pressure and high temperature is a giant step,” said ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht on Tuesday. “It demonstrates solar energy has the potential to effectively power the steam turbines currently used by advanced coal-fired plants.

“In addition to being a renewable energy world first, this landmark development stands to deliver greater plant efficiency as well as advance a diverse energy future for Australia.”

solar csiro

The breakthrough also highlights the value of the CSIRO and ARENA, at a time when the Abbott government has pledged to scrap organisation entirely (ARENA), and cut funding to the other (CSIRO) by $111 million over four years in this year’s federal budget.

“CSIRO, ARENA and the private sector have achieved the solar-energy equivalent of breaking the sound barrier. Meanwhile, CSIRO and ARENA face the Abbott Budget axe,” said Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt in a statement on Tuesday.

“This project needs funding to continue developing its breakthrough technology, not least to commercialise these advancements, thereby bringing the country many more benefits.

“Imagine what our country could accomplish if our clean-energy industry had the resources, subsidies and support the Abbott Government lavishes on the non-renewable, dirty coal, mining and resources industries.”

Spain’s Abengoa – which broke ground on its 110MW solar thermal and molten salt plant in Chile last month – last week predicted that solar tower technology with storage would be competitive with baseload gas generation by 2020, and able to perform similar functions without the emissions.

Comments

7 responses to “Australian solar breakthrough – ‘giant step’ in race against coal”

  1. Rob Avatar
    Rob

    This just illustrates yet again what a stark raving looney government is running the show at the moment. Taking 111 million dollars from CSIRO and giving it to schools for pastors ( not counsellors! ) and completely axing ARENA. What!?!?!?!? You’ve got to be kidding?! The next election cannot come quick enough!

  2. Chatteris Avatar
    Chatteris

    Fascinating, but would be interested to know what aspect of the technology has been changed or tweaked to make this crucial difference.

    1. wideEyedPupil Avatar
      wideEyedPupil

      Yes in all the coverage of this they are staying very mum. And how do they store super-critical steam? I doubt they can for long.

      1. Jonathan Avatar
        Jonathan

        Why would it be stored when it’s intended purpose is for conversion into electricity?

        1. wideEyedPupil Avatar
          wideEyedPupil

          Because one of the chief selling points of concentrated solar thermal energy is the ease with which you can bolt on energy storage to provide 3-14hrs of energy storage. Thus providing true dispatch energy that can meet the premium parts of the half-hourly price market. It’s a way to recover costs on this expensive technology. It’s also necessary to have significant amounts of energy storage in a 90-100% renewable energy grid to counter intermittance issues.

          Gemasolar in spain ran for 36 consecutive days delivering 24/7 output.

          Citi estimates that solarCST could be price competitive with coal in a decade or so without even factoring in a price on carbon.

          https://reneweconomy.wpengine.com/2014/round-the-clock-solar-plant-wins-major-award-77492

          1. alex Avatar
            alex

            the solar thermal and salt generator stores the heat to produce the steam in molten salt so it can produce energy well after the sun goes down.

          2. alex Avatar
            alex

            oh you know that. Sorry.

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