Solar Progress sample

10/11Spring

The Official Journal of the Australian Solar Energy Society

ISSN

: 072

9-64

36

CSP sets the pace

Molten salt in power towers for 24/7 electricity

California’s 400MW landmark development

Alice Springs – ahead in solar

THE FUTURE OF SOLAR TECHNOLOGY

Speak To A LocalSMA manufacture in Germany, but we provide local Australian support in your timezone. The SMA Service line is open from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (AEST). Our qualified Service Engineers are based in Sydney and will help you with troubleshooting on the spot. SMA are happy to speak with installers to find the best problem-solving solution. On the rare occasion that a problem exists with the device, a replacement device will normally be dispatched within 24 hours. We can also provide extended warranty options for peace of mind.

SMA-Australia.com.au1800 SMA AUS

2 | SPRING 2011

Bill Parker

John Grimes

Our first issue of the re-born Solar Progress was well received and we look

forward to any feedback you may have about this edition. Our focus in

this edition is on ‘big solar’ – said by some to be the suite of technologies

that will change the energy supply landscape. There is no doubt that

these plants change the physical landscape because of their size and

remarkable appearance from the air.

We have been fortunate to attract some comprehensive reportage and

overviews of developments both in Australia and the USA. Not least we

have the definitive answer to that perennial question about solar energy –

‘what happens after sunset’.

Can there be doubt any longer that our electricity generation, steam

supply for industry and chemical conversions are made possible by

solar energy and taking their place on the industrial landscape? We are

reminded by one of the world’s recognised leaders in the field of big

thermal plant research and development – Wes Stein – that Australia

needs to defend its competitive edge. AuSES was founded around a

core of solar thermal specialists, and their legacy is present today. The

challenge for us is to sell the story so consistently and persistently.

From that, government has to play its role and we are not there yet.

The major difference between Australia and the USA is the funding

model. For many years now, projects in the US have been eligible for Loan

Guarantees and it is these that have made large projects like Ivanpah a

reality. Australia has yet to see the benefits of this sort of legislation.

Solar 2011 is just around the corner and is shaping up to be a ‘do

not miss’ conference. Our annual gathering is now in its 49th year and

this year’s event is being held at the Australian Technology Park just

south of the Sydney CBD. Difficult though it might be to visualise what

the conference was like in 1962, one thing is for sure, Solar 2011 will

be the place to get the full spectrum of solar energy endeavours from

basic research to product installation, and more – it is always a friendly

gathering of delegates. We look forward to seeing you there.

Bill Parker

Editor

SOLAR POISED FOR GREATNESSThe solar industry is today in a ‘solar recession’, but my prediction is that

this is not going to be the case for long. That’s because the economics of

power supply will be pivotal in shaping community behaviour. Let’s take a

closer look at the bigger picture.

Over the past two years 418,000 homes have had solar PV installed,

providing a combined capacity of over 1.1GW of new solar generation.

This is the real meaning of ‘people power’, people taking their own

power needs into their own hands. While in isolation a 2kW solar

installation is not world-changing, enough small systems combined can

literally change the way we make and use power.

In two short years the people of Australia have together built the

‘People’s Power Plant’, the most significant investment in electricity

generation nationally for the past 30 years. Importantly it has been a

private investment into a resource that provides a community benefit.

This unprecedented demand for solar has led to employment,

economic growth and economies of scale previously unattainable in the

solar supply chain.

Combined with a strong dollar and international factors, solar is more

affordable today than it has ever been in its history.

At the same time we are seeing an inexorable rise in electricity prices.

While short term politics have brought electricity prices into sharp focus,

the reality is that increased costs are unavoidable. The grid is reaching

‘block obsolesce’, and no amount of political posturing is going to

upgrade poles and wires.

Taken together this all means the trend towards solar is here to stay.

How fast, and how significant the swing to solar is going to be is

largely up to us. Now is the time for all of us to be talking about the

economic benefits of solar (personally and to the community).

Solar has taken its first big steps. Now let’s make sure it keeps putting

one foot in front of the other.

John Grimes

AuSES CEO

Cover Image: CSIRO’s new solar Brayton Cycle

project at Newcastle – a solar tower and field that

generates electricity from just the air and sun. The

heliostats have a lightweight steel frame with a

unique, simple design, specially created for mass

production for the commercial market. The units

are smaller than many heliostats currently being

used around the world, but just as efficient, more

cost effective and much easier to install.

20Contents

812

3640

Solar societyWelcome: Solar Progress Editor Bill Parker

and AuSES CEO John Grimes ...2

Solar 2011 Conference ...20

AuSES State Branch reports ...26

Technical talkEarthing PV Module Frames by Glen Morris ...38

PV connectors: beware of counterfeits ...44

Special featuresBig scale delivery: Ivanpah’s mighty

400MW plant takes shape ...8

CSP in all its forms By Wes Stein of CSIRO Newcastle ...12

No town like AliceA Solar City forging a powerful presence ...30

Spanish trailblazers: Molten salt in

power towers for 24/7 electricity ...40

Industry commentSurviving solar-itis: Nigel Morris reflects

on community driven changes ...18

Looking toward a powerful solar futureRic Brazzale and John Susa ...24

To be or not to be solar. Debate rages

over architectural sustainability ...36

NewsCarbon tax and the developing

world of solar energy ...4

Resources & linksAuSES corporate membership list ...46

Solar associations ...46

Key solar events ...47

Printed using FSC® mixed source certified

fibre by Printgraphics Pty Ltd under ISO

14001 Environmental Certification.

30

4 | SPRING 2011

SOLAR PROGRESSPublished by CommStrat for Australian Solar Energy Society Ltd.

EDITORDr Bill Parker, AuSESPhone: 0403 583 [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS: Garry Baverstock, Andrew Dyer, Sasha Ivanovich, Glen Morris, Nigel Morris and Wes Stein

CONTRIBUTING EDITORNicola Card

MANAGING EDITOR Simon Sharwood

NATIONAL SALES MANAGERBrian RaultPhone: 03 8534 [email protected]

GENERAL MANAGER COMMSTRAT ASSOCIATION SERVICESSimon [email protected]

PRODUCTION MANAGERRussell Montgomery

CREATIVE DIRECTORTim Hartridge

GRAPHIC DESIGNERMonica Lawrie

COMMSTRAT MELBOURNELevel 8, 574 St Kilda Rd MELBOURNE Vic 3004Phone: 03 8534 5000

COMMSTRAT SYDNEYLevel 12, 99 Walker St NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2060 Phone: 02 8923 8000

AUSTRALIAN SOLAR ENERGY SOCIETY LTDCEO John GrimesPO Box 148, Frenchs Forest NSW 1640www.auses.org.auABN 32 006 824 148

The Australian Solar Energy Society is a not–for–profit association that was founded in 1954.

It is the Australian branch of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) based in Freiburg, Germanywww.ises.org CommStrat ABN 31 008 434 802 www.commstrat.com.au

Solar Progress was first published in 1980. The magazine aims to provide readers with an in–depth review of technologies, policies and progress towards a society which sources energy from the sun rather than fossil fuels.

Except where specifically stated, the opinions and material published in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher or AuSES. While every effort is made to check the authenticity and accuracy of articles, neither AuSES nor the editors are responsible for any inaccuracy.

Solar Progress is published in July, October, January and April.

Power and water

In late August news broke of Australia’s first

larger-than-large solar power project.

To be known as the Greenough River Solar

Farm, the utility-scale venture will spread over

80 hectares south of Geraldton, WA and be

up and running by mid 2012. Producing 10

Megawatts it will eclipse the output of like

plants in Australia tenfold, displacing 25,000

tonnes annually of greenhouse gas emissions.

Or in old currency: remove the equivalent of

5000 cars from the roads.

The solar farm venture involves three parties

with First Solar providing 150,000 advanced thin

film PV modules plus engineering services, and

WA government’s Verve Energy and GE Energy

Financial Services each owning 50% of the farm.

Significantly, this is GE Energy’s first foray

into Australia’s renewable energy sector.

To gain an idea of the appearance of the

Greenough River Solar Farm, Solar Progress was

supplied with an image (above) of a similar –

and we have to add impressively large – solar

facility developed in New Mexico. Australia’s

solar radiation resource is certainly equivalent.

The entire output of the farm will be used

to power the Southern Seawater Desalination

Plant at Binningup further down the WA coast.

The WA Water Corporation says the desal plant

will provide close to 50 gigalitres of potable

water annually.

Making news

Paying the price for carbon

Milestones on the recent political agenda:

Introduction of GST (July 2000); We say sorry

to the Stolen Generations (February 2008);

Replacement of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

(June 2010). And now … the imminent

introduction of a carbon pricing scheme.

November 2011 could well mark Australia’s

next significant political event.

Wednesday October 12 was the day the

nation advanced a step closer to D day for clean

energy, albeit by the narrowest of margins.

Stating “Australia has a responsibility

to respect the science of climate change

and to respond with an environmentally

effective, economically efficient and socially

equitable policy” Climate Change Minister

Greg Combet describes the 19 bills

comprising the Clean Energy legislation

and the Steel Transformation Plan Bill as one

of the most important environmental and

economic reforms in the nation’s history.

He anticipates this will encourage further

investment in clean energy and low

emissions technologies.

Set to cover about 60% of Australia’s

emissions, the scheme will be the most broad-

based in the world, with about 500 of the

biggest carbon-emitting companies paying a

price per tonne of carbon.

By the time the ink has dried on this page,

it is expected the Senate will have passed

the legislation. “Just a formality compared to

the Lower House,” said Nigel Morris of Solar

Business Services who was one of thousands at

the All-Energy Conference in Melbourne where

word spread quickly of the Government vote 74

to 72 in favour of reform.

In the words of Clean Economy Services

Director Wayne Smith: “This is a very historic

day for the renewable energy industry. A step

forward to a clean energy future.”

Indeed, the word ‘historic’ was heard

repeatedly throughout the day. And the next.

AuSES was swift to issue a statement

welcoming the package, with John Grimes

declaring the Society “supports actions which

foster the generation of renewable energy

[and this] will help Australia transition to a

sustainable, low carbon economy.”

More from Nigel Morris who forecasts

a mood swing of a positive kind, believing

“A carbon tax will change the solar industry

substantially as consumer sentiment will shift

toward clean energy.”

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6 | SPRING 2011

Making news

When you buy an expensive item for the

household the purchase is usually made

after consulting friends, neighbours, the

Consumer’s Association website or Choice

magazine and more.

Over years of a product’s presence in the

market, reputations are earned and gradually

we become aware of what to look for what to

avoid and what things cost. We can easily get

the information we need.

With PV systems, we are in the early phase

of a new industry and there is little information

generally available, even in the most obvious

places. Not anymore.

Which Energy’s Solar Electricity Consumer

Guide is about as complete a source as anyone

could wish for. The guide was written by an

expert – Trevor Berrill – who has been involved

in the development of PV and spent decades

training installers, as an advisor to government,

and living a low-energy life.

The Solar Electricity Consumer Guide is

eighty-six pages of plain language about PV

systems, what they do, what they do not do

and how they work and much more.

Everything I could think of asking is

answered. When you invest in PV, you will be

making a large investment.

As an early pioneer with roof top PV I wish I

had read this guide before I signed the cheque.

Here is the starting point; get yourself a copy

of this guide and be better informed.

Just visit www.whichenergy.com.au/auses

When you make your purchase, 25% of the

profits go to the AuSES Renewable Energy

promotion Fund.

From left: MP Paul Hoolihan, Viv McLaughlin (secretary), Rhodes Watson of Watt Else, Queensland Energy Minister Stephen Robertson and home owners Liz and Jim Goodsell.

Solar Electricity CONSUMER GUIDEReview by Bill Parker

Yeppoon resident and Watt Else co-founder

Rhodes Watson has brought the cost of solar

power systems within reach of more homeowners

through a bulk buying PV program.

Watson launched the project back in 2009

and two years later launched Watt Else. Two

community groups jumped on the bandwagon:

the CapCoast Solar Bulk Buying Group and the

Envirolink Bulk Buying Group.

With 260 rooftops now putting energy from

the sun into the Queensland power grid and

another 100 awaiting installation, Watt Else

is hoping to spread the solar bulk buying idea

throughout the state and across the nation.

“Even with reduced Federal Government

subsidies the effect of bulk buying makes our

prices much lower than the individual solar

power systems currently available,”

says Watson.

Power in numbersApplicants are asked how much power they

use and are presented with suggestion of how

usage can be cut, then Watson sources the

appropriate sized solar system at an affordable

price for individuals which in turn helps reduce

– or best case eliminate – their power bill.

Watson and Watt Else co-founder Martin

Carlin have been supported through a Social

Enterprise Fellowship from RMIT SEEDS

– a program that helps students develop

sustainable social enterprises.

Martin Carlin told Solar Progress that

in recent weeks “Lots of expressions of

interest in PV systems have been received

from the community and now that we have

a critical mass on a waiting list we’ll scale up

on suppliers.

“Initially we had just one PV supplier,

Con Energy, that was sourced through

SolarEquip. The dollar was not as strong

then as it is now and prices are down, so

we have a tender out this time.”

He added that Watt Else anticipates

supplying everyone in this, their third group,

before Christmas.

The home-grown solar success story

supported by RMIT University sparked the

interest of Queensland Energy Minister Stephen

Robertson who in September inspected the

1.5kW system installed by the CapCoast Solar

Bulk Buying Group.

Yippee for YEPOON

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8 | SPRING 2011

Big solar

BrightSource Energy Director Andrew

Dyer takes us on a virtual tour of

the world’s largest solar plant that

will transform the desert landscape

described by Arnold Schwarzenegger

as ‘miles of gold mine’. Sort of apposite,

given Ivanpah’s origins as a silver mine.

Delivering on solar energy’s promise

SolarProgress | 9

“What is needed in Australia are predictable policies that provide developers, technology providers and investors alike with the certainty to plan and invest in utility-scale solar projects that require significant capital and lengthy development horizons.”

Deep in California’s sun-drenched Mojave Desert, more than 700 workers are constructing

the world’s largest solar plant. Called the Ivanpah Solar

Electric Generating System (ISEGS), the 392 megawatt

project is setting the bar for utility-scale solar power

plants and is offering an example of how thoughtful

policy coupled with world-class technology can deliver

significant environmental and economic benefits to local

communities, while providing clean, cost-effective and

reliable power to global consumers of electricity.

The project, located on 3600 acres of land managed

by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) includes

three distinct power plants that will all come online by the

end of 2013. When completed, the project will provide

enough electricity to power 140,000 homes and will

nearly double the total amount of solar thermal energy

produced in the U.S. today.

Construction on Ivanpah began in October 2010,

following a star-studded groundbreaking ceremony, which

included California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and

US Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, among

many other business, community and policy leaders.

During the ceremony, the then-Governor Arnold

Schwarzenegger said, “Some people look out into the

desert and see miles and miles of emptiness. I see miles

and miles of gold mine.”

The project, now approximately 15 percent complete,

is being built by a consortium of world-class partners.

BrightSource Energy, a leading global solar thermal

technology company based in Oakland, California served

as the project developer and technology provider.

From concept to fruitionBrightSource’s LPT solar thermal technology produces

electricity the same way as traditional power plants –

by creating high temperature steam to turn a turbine.

However, instead of using fossil fuels or nuclear power to

create the steam, BrightSource uses proprietary software

to control thousands of mirrors to reflect sunlight onto a

boiler filled with water that sits atop a tower.

When the sunlight hits the boiler, the water inside is

heated and creates high temperature and pressure steam.

The steam is then piped to a conventional turbine which

generates electricity. The ability to reach high temperature

and pressure steam levels allows for higher efficiencies

and lower costs than competing solar technologies.

BrightSource’s LPT technology can also be coupled with

a molten-salt based storage solution or be hybridised

with a fossil fuel, extending the solar day to critical peak

generating hours while offering the same reliability

characteristics found in conventional power plants.

The extension of power production also improves

asset utilisation, translating to reductions in the overall

cost of electricity.

In addition to providing cost-effective and reliable

power, BrightSource’s technology is setting the bar in

terms of protecting the environment. The Ivanpah project

will avoid nearly 13 million tons of CO2 over its 30-year

plant life. It also employs a low-impact design, which

reduces the need for significant grading and concrete

pads found in competing technologies. By placing poles

directly into the ground, the technology avoids areas of

sensitive habitat while allowing for vegetation to co-exist

within the solar field.

The technology also uses a closed-loop dry-cooling

system, which significantly reduces water use – an

essential approach in desert environments around the

world. At Ivanpah, the use of dry-cooling instead of wet-

cooling means that the project is using 90 percent less

water than competing technologies with wet cooling.

And while the company believes that this is the right

thing to do for the environment, it’s also a competitive

advantage. The LPT’s ability to produce high temperature

steam allows for more efficient and cost-effective use of

dry-cooling than competing solar thermal technologies.

Job creation, construction and consortiums The Ivanpah project is also benefitting California’s local

economy. The project already has hired nearly 700

workers ranging from craft labor to engineers. At the

height of construction, more than 1400 men and women

will be working on the Ivanpah project. The project will

also generate nearly $300 million in state and local tax

revenues over the 30-year life of the project. During that

same period, the project will generate more than $650

million in wages.

Bechtel, one of the world’s largest engineering,

procurement and construction companies, is building

the project.

“Ivanpah is a landmark project and the innovative

engineering and construction used to build it will help

shape the future of the solar power industry,” said Ian

Copeland, president of Bechtel‘s Renewable Power division.

The project’s investors and owners include Google,

which invested US$168 million in the project, and NRG

– a Fortune 250 wholesale power generation company –

which invested US$300 million in Ivanpah.

“We‘re excited to be making our largest clean energy

investment to date. With this investment, we‘re helping

to deploy the first commercial plant of a potentially

transformative solar technology able to deliver clean

10 | SPRING 2011

Big solar

energy at scale,” said Rick Needham, Director of Green

Business Operations at Google.

“Ivanpah will be the largest solar power tower project

in the world, capable of producing clean electricity at the

highest efficiency of any solar thermal plant. We hope it

can serve as a proof point and spur further investment in

this exciting technology.”

The project also received a $1.6 billion loan guarantee

from the US Department of Energy’s Loan Guarantee

Program, which provides debt to energy projects using

innovative technologies.

“The DOE‘s decision to support Ivanpah with a loan

guarantee is proof that large scale solar projects are moving

to the forefront of our nation‘s clean energy alternatives,”

said David Crane, President and CEO, NRG Energy.

“Ivanpah is a glowing example of truly sustainable

energy—a project that all at once will ensure cleaner air,

help in the fight against climate change, drive down the

cost of large scale concentrating solar technology and

take California one giant step closer toward its goal of

producing 33% of its electricity from renewable sources

by 2020.”

The project’s customers include California’s two largest

utilities: Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Southern

California Edison.

“We‘re pleased to be a part of this project, which will

deliver additional clean energy to our customers, create

jobs for Californians and help advance the state’s

renewable energy and economic development goals,” said

Fong Wan, Senior Vice President of Energy Procurement,

Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

Marc Ulrich, Southern California Edison vice president,

Renewable and Alternative Power added “We rely on this

kind of innovative technology to help us reach California’s

renewable energy goals.”

Interest and investmentClear and thoughtful federal and state policies are

attracting the level of investment required to create these

environmental and economic benefits in California. In

addition to providing debt through the US Department

of Energy’s Loan Guarantee Program, solar projects like

Ivanpah are incentivised by the federal Investment Tax

Credit (ITC), which provides eligible investors with a tax

credit up to 30 percent of the total project cost.

The ITC is eligible for all US projects through the end

of 2016. At the state level, projects are being driven by

a Renewable Portfolio Standard mandate for utilities to

produce 33 percent of their generation with qualifying

renewable resources by 2020.

It’s clear that cost-effective, reliable and clean

solar technologies – like the one being deployed at

Ivanpah – exist to help reach our global environmental

and economic goals. There are leading global private

companies who are eager to invest and build these types

of projects.

On home turfWhat is needed in Australia are predictable policies that

provide developers, technology providers and investors

alike with the certainty to plan and invest in utility-scale

solar projects that require significant capital and lengthy

development horizons.

BrightSource Energy Director Andrew Dyer is based in Sydney and is currently on the board of AuSES.Further information: www.ivanpahsolar.com

What’s in a name?

The Californian desert silver-mining town

of Ivanpah – believed to mean ‘clear water’

in an American Indian language – was

founded in 1869 but within two decades was

all but deserted. Ivanpah was never a major

settlement; at its peak the township featured

15 adobe buildings that included several small

houses, headquarters of the Piute Mining

Company, one hotel and two stores.

“At Ivanpah, the use

of dry-cooling instead

of wet-cooling means

that the project is using

90% less water than

competing technologies

with wet cooling.”

This desert tortoise (the Mojave desert

variety of Gopherus agassizii) has been

protected during the Ivanpah project, and

now Brightsource employs 100 specialists to ensure the tortoises

(especially juveniles) are treated properly.

C

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