GREEN DEALS: Solar thermal thinkfest

CLIMATE SPECTATOR reports: About 1000 experts from the emerging solar thermal energy industry have gathered in Grenada, Spain, for the IEA-sponsored SolarPACES conference, with several dozen Australians also in attendance. Groups from the Australian Solar Institute, the ANU solar thermal research centre, the CSIRO, the ACT government and technology developers such as Transfield Novasol and Wizard are also in attendance.

Matthew Wright, the head of Beyond Zero Emissions, says two major themes seem to be emerging from discussions – one is a concession that solar PV has won the day in terms of costs of electricity generated, and the other is that the future of solar thermal lies in storage. These themes are being played out in the US, where non-storage thermal projects funded by government loan guarantees are being substituted by solar PV because of costs, but projects with storage are going ahead.

Wright also says there is a lot of talk about the price of some solar thermal technologies coming down to around $150/MWh by 2015. He says in Australia, the cost is probably around $250/MWh, although this is difficult to assess because the first projects are only now getting off the ground. He estimates that a rollout of more plants would reduce that cost to around $200/MWh, but significant investment would be needed to lower those costs to $150/MWh.

Solar oasis

Separately, Germany’s Solar Millennium has reported better than expected results from its first solar/gas hybrid plant in Egypt, which it says bodes well for the ambitious Desertec project that would seek to import solar energy from north Africa into Europe. Solar Millennium opened its 150MW Kuraymat plant 100km south of Cairo three months ago, and the company said that the solar field, based on parabolic trough technology, has produced 8 per cent more energy on average than anticipated. Dr Christoph Wolff, the CEO of Solar Millennium AG, explained, “Kuraymat is proof that our solar thermal technology is efficient,” Solar Millennium CEO Christoph Wolff said. “In addition, the power plant impressively shows that the Desertec vision can be realized and creates local jobs in clean energy generation”. The Desertec project, which also includes industrial giants such as Siemens, bankers Deutsche Bank, and Munich Re, and a host of others, is looking to solar from north Africa to provide as much as 20 per cent of Europe’s energy needs. Solar Millennium is currently tendering for another solar hybrid project in Morocco.

Community support

Shire councils and community groups are seeking to reverse the Victorian government’s restrictions on wind farms, arguing that they would kill up to five community wind projects proposed in Victoria. The Mt Alexander Shire Council asking the state government to reverse a wind farm ban in the municipality, and another group, known as WISE, wants to go ahead with another planned wind farm near Woodend. “It’s ironic that the Victorian Government, which says it is acting to protect the rights of local landowners, is actually taking away the rights of locals who want small-scale community wind farms,” said Ian Porter, the head of the Alternative Energy Association. “Most people these days realise renewable energy and environmental alternatives to polluting industries are the way of the future. It’s time the Victorian Government took a commonsense approach and acted in tune with the vast majority.”

Meanwhile, environmental groups have met in NSW to discuss the future of wind energy in that state, with some $10 billion in projects on the drawing board, but an uncertain regime from the NSW government. These projects include a proposal to establish Australia’s first large-scale community wind farm in the New England area.