Concentrated Thermal Solar now exporting power to the grid

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RayGen Resources has officially opened its $27 million solar and thermal power plant project in Carwarp, north-west Victoria. The plant uses concentrated solar energy, along with transferred heat, to generate electricity. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is providing $10 million in funding for scaling the technology.

The plant has the capacity to generate 15 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 10,000 homes. It is expected to operate for 25 years.

RayGen CEO Michael O'Shea said the plant was a significant milestone for the company and for the development of renewable energy in Australia.

"This is a first-of-a-kind project in Australia and it's a great demonstration of the potential of concentrated solar thermal technology," he said.

"We believe this technology has the potential to play a major role in decarbonising the electricity grid and providing reliable, affordable and sustainable energy for Australia."

The ARENA funding will be used to scale up the technology and make it more commercially viable. ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the project was a "major step forward" for the development of concentrated solar thermal energy in Australia.

"This technology has the potential to provide a reliable and affordable source of renewable energy for Australia," he said.

"We're excited to be supporting RayGen with this project and we look forward to seeing it progress."

The Carwarp plant is the first of several concentrated solar thermal projects that RayGen is planning to develop in Australia. The company is also developing a 100 megawatt plant in Mildura, Victoria.

Concentrated solar thermal energy is a promising technology for generating renewable energy. It uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver, which heats a fluid. The hot fluid is then used to generate steam, which drives a turbine to generate electricity.

Concentrated solar thermal energy is a dispatchable technology, meaning that it can be turned on and off as needed. This makes it a good complement to other renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, which are intermittent.

The Carwarp plant is a significant milestone for the development of concentrated solar thermal energy in Australia. It is the first commercial-scale plant in the country and it is expected to pave the way for more projects in the future. Read the ABC's full article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-...warp/102798366