Key role of solar thermal power in decarbonising Australia

Industrial decarbonisation in Australia took a major step forward today after Mars and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced a renewable heat project – with concentrated solar thermal (CST) at its heart – at its Mars Petcare Wodonga factory.

In a submission to a consultation earlier this year, ASTRI and AUSTELA outlined the importance of 12 hour plus storage technologies to ensure the reliability and affordability of NSW’s electricity system as coal is phased out.

The New South Wales electricity system will be at risk if the government dilutes its own planning for long-duration electricity storage, The Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute (ASTRI) and the Australian Solar Thermal Energy Association (AUSTELA) have cautioned in a submission to a consultation on Long Duration Storage by the NSW Government

The Australian Solar Thermal Energy Association (AUSTELA) and the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute (ASTRI) welcome the opportunity to respond to the NSW Government’s consultation on long-duration storage (LDS).

Authored by AUSTELA directors Dr Keith Lovegrove, Víctor Marín and Craig Wood

The Australian Solar Thermal Energy Association (AUSTELA) today welcomed the findings in CSIRO’s GenCost report that solar thermal has the lowest levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of any ‘flexible load, low emission’ technology and is cheaper than gas peaking plants and comparable to coal-fired plants.

The Australian Solar Thermal Energy Association (AUSTELA) has outlined changes that will be critical to attract long-duration dispatchable capacity into the National Electricity Market (NEM), in its response to a consultation on the Implementation Design Paper for the Capacity Investment Scheme.AUSTELA welcomed aspects of the Paper, including the merit criteria of ‘system reliability’, ‘delivery of renewable energy’ and ‘additional benefits’.

A new report from the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute shows that concentrating solar thermal power has a major role to play in cost-effectively decarbonising electricity, industry and fuels over the short- and long-term.

Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) uses mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays to a small area (receiver) to produce medium to high temperature heat (from 150°C up to 1,000°C or beyond). The heat can be used immediately or stored in a Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system- for multiple hours or even days. The heat can be used directly as industrial process heat or further utilised to generate electric power or to drive chemical processes. The report examines the values that CST can provide to Australia across grid connected and remote / off-grid power generation, industrial process heat and green fuels production.

With Australia committing to 43% emissions reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050, attention is increasingly turning to the need for renewables that incorporate long-term energy storage and dispatchability. That is preciselywhat CSP offers.

This briefing is intended to showcase CSP technology and why it has a key role to play in the energy transition in Australia and all high solar resource countries.

‘The Australian Concentrating Solar Thermal Value Proposition’, commissioned by ASTRI, prepared by engineering firm Fichtner and assisted by ITP Thermal, assesses CST’s role and value across four Australian use cases: grid connected power; remote area power (mining); industrial process heat; and green fuels production.

The Australian Solar Thermal Industry Association (AUSTELA) responses to, Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water in the Submission Capacity Investment Scheme.

The Australian Solar Thermal Industry Association (AUSTELA) shares some recommendations and concerns regarding the Reserve Capacity Mechanism Review Information Paper (Stage 1) and Consultation Paper (Stage2).

Published in the ABC: There was a time, not long ago, when the future of electricity generation looked something like the opening scene of Blade Runner 2049, with endless arrays of mirrors in concentric circles.

Published in The Conversation: Australia’s transition to renewables is gathering speed, but there’s a looming problem with storage. We will need much more long-duration storage to get us through the night, once coal and fossil gas exit the system.

The Australian Solar Thermal Energy Association (AUSTELA) has supported the findings of CSIRO’s Energy Storage Roadmap which outlines the significant role that concentrating solar thermal power (often referred to as CSP or CST) will play in supplying industrial heat and long-duration storage.

Spokesman for the Australian Solar Thermal Industry Association (AUSTELA), Dr Keith Lovegrove, has welcomed the Energy Ministers’ announcement of a Capacity Investment Scheme which has the potential to address the lack of long-duration storage for renewable energy.

Australia’s future energy system requires a substantial increase in long-duration renewable storage but it must be measured in megawatt/hours for it to strengthen the electricity grid, according to the Australian Solar Thermal Energy Association (AUSTELA).

Solar at night Director of the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute, Dominic Zaal, offers a deep dive into the capabilities of concentrated solar thermal technology, including what has been proven by global projects so far and how the all important Power Purchasing Agreements stack up.

Australia’s future electricity system must include zero-emissions energy storage that can be dispatched overnight to urgently replace retiring coal power plants, ASTRI has warned as it attends the industry’s international conference, SolarPACES.

A campaign has been launched to ensure Australia’s future energy system includes the multiple hours of daily storage required for users to have access to reliable energy solutions overnight.

Australia’s future energy system must include renewable power generators that can be dispatched for 12 or more hours, to meet Australia’s zero-emissions overnight power needs.

The Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute (ASTRI) and the Australian Solar Thermal Energy Association (AUSTELA) welcome the Energy Security Board’s (ESB) discussion paper on the capacity mechanism.