Solar power station in Victoria
Encyclopedia
The Mildura Solar Concentrator Power Station is a proposed photovoltaic (PV) heliostat
solar concentrator power station is to be built at Carwarp
, near Mildura, Victoria
, Australia
.
The provisional timeline for the project is:
The project was proposed by Solar Systems
. The 154 MW (30.8 net), A$420 million, project will generate 270,000 MWh per year, enough for more than 45,000 homes. It will reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by approximately 400,000 tonnes per year, and will also aid in reducing salinity and create jobs during manufacture, construction and operation. Full commissioning was expected in 2013, with the first stage to be completed in 2010.
Solar Systems Pty Ltd was acquired by Silex Systems in early 2010 and the project has been restarted.
.
Heliostat
A heliostat is a device that includes a mirror, usually a plane mirror, which turns so as to keep reflecting sunlight toward a predetermined target, compensating for the sun's apparent motions in the sky. The target may be a physical object, distant from the heliostat, or a direction in space...
solar concentrator power station is to be built at Carwarp
Carwarp, Victoria
Carwarp is a locality in Victoria, Australia, located approximately 36 km from Mildura, Victoria.Carwarp was the home town of Percy Stewart, a founding member of the Victorian Farmers Union, from which the Country Party emerged...
, near Mildura, Victoria
Mildura, Victoria
Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia and seat of the Rural City of Mildura local government area. It is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The current population is estimated at just over 30,000.Mildura is a major agricultural centre...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The provisional timeline for the project is:
- Stage 1: 2 MW Pilot Demonstration Facility, construction commencing Q4 2011 and commissioning in Q4 2012
- Stage 2: 102 MW Pilot Solar Power Station, construction commencing Q3 2013 and commissioning in Q4 2015
- Stage 3: 50MW Extension, Timing to be determined subject to funding and other factors
The project was proposed by Solar Systems
Solar Systems (company)
Solar Systems has constructed three concentrator dish power stations in the Northern Territory, which together generate 720 kW and 1,555,000 kWh per year. This represents a saving of 420,000 litres of diesel fuel and 1550 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.In 2003 Solar Systems completed...
. The 154 MW (30.8 net), A$420 million, project will generate 270,000 MWh per year, enough for more than 45,000 homes. It will reduce greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions by approximately 400,000 tonnes per year, and will also aid in reducing salinity and create jobs during manufacture, construction and operation. Full commissioning was expected in 2013, with the first stage to be completed in 2010.
Solar Systems Pty Ltd was acquired by Silex Systems in early 2010 and the project has been restarted.
Technical details
The "CS500" dish concentrator PV unit design has 112 curved reflecting mirrors, which track the sun throughout the day. The combination of mirror profile, mounting framework, and solar receiver will deliver concentrated solar energy to each PV module. The tracking mechanism allows electricity to be produced during the day whenever the sun is more than 5° above the horizon. Direct current electricity from the receivers is passed through an electronic inverter that produces grid-quality alternating current. Transformers step up the voltage to the requirement of the local network at the point of connection. Advantages claimed for this design include:- "The CS500 dish has a longer effective operating life than traditional PV. Because the receiver is only a small area of PV (a 35 kW CS500 dish has a PV area of 0.23m² whereas 35 kW of traditional flat plate would use approximately 350m²) maintenance is simple, quick and affordable. The modules include a specially-designed filter that removes harmful UV radiation that reduces the operating efficiency and life of traditional PV technology. The modules are also cooled, which increases their effective operating life and their efficiency".
- "The CS500 dish costs significantly less (per installed watt) than traditional PV technology. This is despite the fact that the CS500 is new and still near the top of its cost curve. Advances in technology, maturity and volume production will further increase the gap".
- "The CS500 produces more electricity (per installed watt) than fixed flatplate PV technology - by up to 30%. This is because it tracks the sun and operates at lower temperatures".
Previous projects
The commercialisation of this technology has already seen four smaller solar power stations established in central Australia, with support from the Australian Greenhouse OfficeAustralian Greenhouse Office
The Australian Greenhouse Office within the Government of Australia was the world's first government agency dedicated to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. In 1998, following pressure from the Australian Democrats, it was established as a stand alone agency within the environment portfolio to...
.
See also
- PhotovoltaicsPhotovoltaicsPhotovoltaics is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material...
- Solar powerSolar powerSolar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
- Solar power in AustraliaSolar power in AustraliaAustralia has an estimated 300 MW of installed photovoltaic power , contributing an estimated 0.1 to 0.2% of total electricity production despite the hot and sunny climate that would make it ideal for utilisation...
- Solar Systems (company)Solar Systems (company)Solar Systems has constructed three concentrator dish power stations in the Northern Territory, which together generate 720 kW and 1,555,000 kWh per year. This represents a saving of 420,000 litres of diesel fuel and 1550 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.In 2003 Solar Systems completed...
- Solar power plants in Central Australia