Australia’s largest concentrated solar power plant officially launched

By Sophie Vorrath on 17 July 2013

The demonstration of the “dense array” solar technology of parent company Silex Systems is a fore-runner for what is expected to be a 100MW power plant, with construction slated to begin in 2014. Another 1MW demonstration plant is being built in Saudi Arabia, with hopes of further development as that country pushes into the start of a $100 billion solar spending programAustralia’s largest concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar power plant was officially opened today, with the Victorian energy minister joining executives from the plant’s developer, Solar Systems, to cut the ribbon on the 1.5MW demonstration facility in Mildura.

The array – whose 40 CPV dishes have been feeding power into the national grid for almost a month, after their successful commissioning began in April – collects sunlight in more than 100 curved mirrors and focuses it onto ultra-high efficiency “mulit-junction” PV cells; technology originally developed by Boeing to power satellites.

The Mildura CPV Demonstration Facility dense array dish systems. Source: Silex Systems

Silex CEO Michael Goldsworthy says the cells currently boast efficiency rates of around 43 per cent – about double that of today’s best silicon-based cells and up to four times the efficiency of thin film solar cells – but he hopes this can be lifted to more than 50 per cent, or even 60 per cent, with further research.

The technology also uses ‘active cooling’ technology to maximise power output while minimising water consumption and prolonging the technology’s lifespan.

Last June Silex predicted that the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) for its technology could fall below 10c/kWh ($100/MWh) within a few years – making it cost competitive with a range of technologies such as wind and large-scale solar PV, and below the cost of new gas- and coal-fired generation.

The Australian Energy Technology Assessment (AETA) has since said that this rate, if achieved by Solar Systems’ concentrating solar PV plants, would be one of the most cost-effective forms of future energy production.

North America Will Lead the World in New Smart Energy Capacity Additions through 2015, According to Pike Research

BOULDER, Colo., Nov 01, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Renewable power sources - including hydrokinetic (which includes pumped storage), biomass, waste, geothermal, wind, solar photovoltaics (PV), and solar thermal - make up 10 percent of total electricity production in the United States. While news headlines in this election year have highlighted failures by renewable energy companies, North America leads the world in terms of additions of new renewable energy capacity. According to a recent report from Pike Research, a part of Navigant's Energy Practice, North America will add more than 400,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable capacity from 2012 through 2015, making it the leading region in the world for new renewable energy.

"State governments in the United States are pushing utilities to purchase more renewable energy, thus encouraging the market for renewables artificially," says research director Kerry-Ann Adamson. "Although North America today is heavily reliant on the biofuel and biopower sectors for revenue and new installations in the smart energy sector, there are a number of exciting underlying growth areas that could create a more sustainable, high value, high growth smart energy sector in North America."

Although second to the United States in terms of capacity additions, Europe will be the largest region in terms of smart energy revenue, totalling more than $500 billion through 2015. The fastest growing region, however, is Asia Pacific, according to the report. If its current development trajectory holds, Asia Pacific by 2015 could challenge North America in terms of its global leadership position in annual capacity additions.

The report, "Smart Energy Annual Report 2012", provides a comprehensive view of the smart energy market across three main application sectors - renewable energy production, energy storage, and energy conversion devices - along with 15 key subsectors. The study examines key market trends and issues in smart energy hotspots around the world and includes profiles of more than 30 trendsetting companies in the smart energy space. Revenue and capacity snapshots are provided by technology and region for 2011 and 2013, with key topline forecasts extending through 2015. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm's website.