solar thermal power - Greenpeace

Italy
In 2001, the Italian parliament allocated €110 million for a
CSP development and demonstration programme. Since then,
several parabolic trough plant concepts have been under
development.
Brazil
Brazil applied in 1997 through the UNDP for a GEF-supported
Project Development Fund to conduct a study on “Reducing
the Long-term Cost of Solar Thermal Power Generation”. The
application was approved by GEF in early 1998 and an
implementation agreement signed with UNDP. After a period of
project reorganisation, work was started by CEPEL in
December 2001. The study is due to be published in 2003.
Australia
There are three main areas of solar thermal electricity generation
in Australia. The most commercially advanced of these is the 35
MW CLFR system to be incorporated into an existing coal-fired
power station, with construction already underway. The initial
plant is being constructed by the company Solar Heat and
Power for approximately US$ 500 per kWe (peak) without direct
subsidy. This low cost is achieved because the project uses
existing turbines and electrical infrastructure. It has no storage
and a relatively low capacity factors, but it is approximately
competitive with advanced wind generation. Further CLFR plant
proposals using storage are now being discussed with utilities
having an annual output equal to 4% of the NSW electricity
supply. Including storage for a 56% capacity factor and using a
moderate pressure turbine and generator, these will cost about
US$1400 per kWe peak according to SHP. Other analysis
suggests that large systems such as CLFR plants will be more
cost effective with a much more rapid uptake over the early
years. However, unlike trough technology, the CLFR technology
will have to be proven and thus represents a more optimistic
scenario than the European Solar Thermal Power Industry
Association approach.
The next most developed system is the 50kW parabolic dish
prototype at the Australian National University, but although the
dish is being refurbished, there is as yet no commercial project
announced. A 1.5 MW version of the Yeoman?s Floating Solar
Concentrator is currently being built. Research is also being
conducted into MTSA beam splitting technology that would both
power a photovoltaic array and provide heat to operate a
Brayton cycle micro-turbine, and a single tower prototype is
being proposed by a consortium the CSIRO, the University of
Sydney, and SHP Pty Ltd.
SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANTS 33