Solar Systems to Build “World’s Largest Solar Plant” in Australia
Australian company Solar Systems announced that it will demonstrate its unique design incorporating space technology in a 154MW solar power station connected to the national electricity grid. The power station will use high performance solar cells originally developed to power satellites.
The Victorian power station will generate clean electricity directly from the sun to meet the annual needs of over 45,000 homes with zero greenhouse gas emissions. The Australian Treasurer Peter Costello announced a $75 million grant to the project under the Federal Government's Low Emissions Technology Demonstration Fund (LETDF). Solar Systems was one of more than 30 companies that bid for $500 million under the LETDF program, which aims to foster competitive technology that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Victorian Premier Steve Bracks announced that the Victorian Government will also support the project with a grant of $50 million; recognizing the significant benefits that the project will bring to the state. The station will be built in northwest Victoria. Solar Systems will build the power station across a number of different sites and will consult with local government and communities about appropriate locations.
The power station will use technology known as Heliostat Concentrator Photovoltaic (HCPV). It will consist of fields of heliostats (sun-tracking mirrors) focusing sunlight on receivers. The receivers house photovoltaic (PV) modules, which consist of arrays of ultra high-efficiency solar cells that convert the sunlight directly into electricity. Photovoltaic literally means "electricity-from-light." The heliostat control system, PV modules and cooling system are patented by Solar Systems. Solar Systems has collaborated with US company Spectrolab (a Boeing company) to optimise ultra high efficiency space technology for earth based power stations. The resulting photovoltaic cell arrays are claimed to be three times more efficient than typical solar panels.
