Australia's Vast Solar Plans Concentrated Solar Thermal Project in New South Wales

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Perth, Australia)--Vast Solar Pty Limited (Sydney, Australia), a company that focuses on the innovation of solar thermal power, is planning a 30-megawatt (MW) concentrated solar thermal plant near Forbes, in the Central West region of New South Wales.

The exact location of the facility has not been finalized, but it will be between the Forbes and Parkes shires. Andrew Want, the chief executive officer of Vast Solar, said that the project would provide significant economic benefits to Forbes and the broader Central West region, including employment and local services.

The above project will be spread over 100 hectares, with approximately 100,000 heliostats (mirrors). One of the unique features of the plant would be its ability to store four hours worth of thermal energy, which can then be used to generate power around the clock and without using the expensive batteries that are associated with the solar photovoltaic power projects.

The company already has started working on the design of the 30-MW plant and expects to begin construction toward the end of 2015. The company expects the project to be operational by end of 2016 or in early 2017.

Vast Solar recently also began construction on its 1.1-MW concentrated solar thermal demonstration facility, which is about 30 kilometres from Forbes in the town of Jemalong. Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has funded 50% of the $10 million project, which is expected to be operational by end of this year.

As a part of the 1.1-MW facility, Vast solar will fabricate and deploy 3,500 heliostats (mirrors) in five solar arrays, each containing 700 heliostats, and deploy five high-temperature receivers mounted on individual towers. It also will include a three-hour thermal storage tower, a cooling system and a steam turbine. Data collected from this project will be used to demonstrate the technical performance, cost, and long-term safety and durability, in readiness for the 30-MW commercial deployment.

For its 1.1-MW Jemalong concentrated solar thermal plant, Vast Solar has partnered with Twynam Agricultural Group as its investment partner; with Doosan-Skoda Power for engineering support; with Essential Energy for grid connections; and with MACCSol for cooling condenser technology. Vast Solar is expected to partner with the same organizations for their 30-MW commercial project at Forbes.

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