- Cloncurry Solar Power Station
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A solar thermal power station was to be built in Cloncurry, in north-west Queensland. The solar thermal power station was planned have a capacity of 10-megawatt and deliver about 30 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, enough to power the whole town.[1]
It was reported in November 2010 that the project was scrapped because of light pollution concerns.[2]
Contents
Project
The total cost of the project is A$31 million including a A$7 million gift from the government.[3] The plant was supposed to be running by early 2010.[4]
On 16 November 2010, Lloyd Energy Systems advised the government to not proceed further at the current location.[5] The cancellation of the project is due to reflective glare issues which have raised concerns about operating in an urban environment and potential impacts on community health. The government decided to invest the remaining $5.7 million from the project towards a photovoltaic solar farm for the area.[2][6]
Novelty in heat storage
The design is a common solar power tower design. An array of motorized heliostat mirrors reflects sunlight to the summit of a tower. The summit houses a receiver, which is heated by the concentrated sunlight. A total of 54 towers of 18 m (59 ft) high will be constructed.
A novelty in this power plant is that heat is stored. An important advantage of solar thermal energy is the possibility of storing heat for later use. In this way, the plant can also produce electricity at night or on overcast days.[citation needed] A common method is the storage of molten nitrate salt in large tanks; this is the technology used in Solar Tres Power Tower.
The Cloncurry plant uses the new technology of heat storage in blocks of purified graphite. The blocks are placed on top of the tower. The concentrated light on the receivers of the towers is directly transported to these blocks. The heat for electricity production is drawn from the blocks (ie, there is no direct heat transport from the receiver).
See also
References
- ^ Cloncurry to run on solar power: Bligh
- ^ a b "Solar power scheme swapped". The Sydney Morning Herald. November 17, 2010. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/solar-power-scheme-swapped-20101117-17xcr.html. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ Cloncurry Solar Thermal Project
- ^ Australian town to run on solar power in 2 years
- ^ Solar farm established at Cloncurry
- ^ Robertson defends Government's solar energy efforts
Energy in Queensland Proposed power stations Archer Point • Coopers Gap • Crows NestCoal Tarong • Tarong North • Stanwell • Gladstone • Callide • Collinsville • Kogan Creek • Swanbank B • MillmerranGas Condamine • Mica Creek • Swanbank E • Mount Stuart • Phosphate Hill • Darling Downs • Oakey • BarcaldineMajor Hydro Wivenhoe • Somerset • Barron Gorge • KareeyaMinor Hydro Tinaroo • Wivenhoe Small Hydro • KoombooloombaWind Farms Thursday Island • Windy Hill • List of wind farmsSolar Power Stations Cloncurry • Windorah Solar FarmCompanies Energex • Ergon Energy • QGC • Stanwell Corporation • Tarong Energy • CS Energy • AGL Energy • Origin Energy • Powerlink Queensland • EnvestraRegulators Department of Mines and Energy • Queensland Competition Authority • Australian Energy Regulator • Australian Energy Market CommissionMarket Operator Australian Energy Market OperatorHistorical
Coordinates: 20°42′15.60″S 140°30′20.21″E / 20.704333°S 140.5056139°ECategories:- North West Queensland
- Solar power stations in Queensland
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