White Cliffs Solar Power Station, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
White Cliffs Solar Power Station was Australia
's first solar
power station
. It is located at White Cliffs
, New South Wales
, which was chosen as it has the highest insolation
in New South Wales, and in 1981 when the station was constructed had no grid connection
.
Constructed by a team from Australian National University
, the station consisted of fourteen three-metre parabolic
dishes, each covered by more than 2000 mirrors and mounted on a heliostat
ic mounting. The dishes each focussed the sun's rays on a collector
, where water was boiled. The resulting steam drove a three-cylinder Uniflow steam engine
, made by modifying a Lister diesel engine
, delivering up to 25kWe. Batteries were used to provide 24 hour power to selected buildings in the township, and an existing diesel generator retained to provide battery charging when either low insolation or strong winds prevented use of the solar station for extended periods.
In 1996, following grid connection of the township, the station was converted to photovoltaic. The dishes were resurfaced, and the original collectors each replaced by a cluster of 16 water-cooled photovoltaic cells. In its new form, the station delivers up to 45kWe. The steam engine, batteries, and diesel generator were removed, and the output fed into the grid.
The grid connected power station ran for around 6 years, generating valuable data on the long-term performance and efficiency of the modules. The power station ceased operation in December 2004 and has been resumed by the owner of the site.http://www.solarsystems.com.au/White%20Cliffs%20case%20study.pdf
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...
's first solar
Solar power
Solar 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...
power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
. It is located at White Cliffs
White Cliffs, New South Wales
White Cliffs is a small town in outback New South Wales in Australia, in Central Darling Shire. White Cliffs is around 255 km northeast of Broken Hill, 93 km north of Wilcannia. At the 2006 census, White Cliffs had a population of 119....
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, which was chosen as it has the highest insolation
Insolation
Insolation is a measure of solar radiation energy received on a given surface area in a given time. It is commonly expressed as average irradiance in watts per square meter or kilowatt-hours per square meter per day...
in New South Wales, and in 1981 when the station was constructed had no grid connection
Grid connection
In electrical grids, a power system network integrates transmission grids, distribution grids, distributed generators and loads that have connection points called busses. A bus in home circuit breaker panels is much smaller than those used on the grid, where busbars can be 50 mm in diameter...
.
Constructed by a team from Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, the station consisted of fourteen three-metre parabolic
Parabolic reflector
A parabolic reflector is a reflective device used to collect or project energy such as light, sound, or radio waves. Its shape is that of a circular paraboloid, that is, the surface generated by a parabola revolving around its axis...
dishes, each covered by more than 2000 mirrors and mounted on a heliostat
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...
ic mounting. The dishes each focussed the sun's rays on a collector
Solar collector
-See also:*Solar thermal collector*Solar water heating*Solar air heating*Photovoltaic module*Renewable heat*Concentrating solar power...
, where water was boiled. The resulting steam drove a three-cylinder Uniflow steam engine
Uniflow steam engine
The uniflow type of steam engine uses steam that flows in one direction only in each half of the cylinder. Thermal efficiency is increased in the compound and multiple expansion types of steam engine by separating expansion into steps in separate cylinders; in the uniflow design, thermal efficiency...
, made by modifying a Lister diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
, delivering up to 25kWe. Batteries were used to provide 24 hour power to selected buildings in the township, and an existing diesel generator retained to provide battery charging when either low insolation or strong winds prevented use of the solar station for extended periods.
In 1996, following grid connection of the township, the station was converted to photovoltaic. The dishes were resurfaced, and the original collectors each replaced by a cluster of 16 water-cooled photovoltaic cells. In its new form, the station delivers up to 45kWe. The steam engine, batteries, and diesel generator were removed, and the output fed into the grid.
The grid connected power station ran for around 6 years, generating valuable data on the long-term performance and efficiency of the modules. The power station ceased operation in December 2004 and has been resumed by the owner of the site.http://www.solarsystems.com.au/White%20Cliffs%20case%20study.pdf
External links
- The White Cliffs project : overview for the period 1979-89 for an overview of the stations' design and operation as a steam plant, prepared by S. Kaneff.
- ROSI project at the University of WollongongUniversity of WollongongThe University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
. - Publications list from the ANU Solar Thermal Group, including a list of reports about the White Cliffs project