Harnessing The Sun - An innovative Concentrating Solar Power Project in Regional Queensland

Our Umwelt Renewables Team have been working on the early development stages of an exciting and innovative project in regional Queensland. The potential development will harness concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) technology that gathers and stores renewable energy from the sun, then delivers dispatchable electricity generation back into the National Energy Market. The project uses a modular tower approach that utilizes liquid sodium as a heat transfer fluid, a technology that has been recognised as a technical innovation amongst other CSP developments. 

The project will be established as a hybrid facility that includes the application of innovative CSP technology, a more traditional solar photovoltaic facility, and a battery energy storage system. The battery will be used to load shift energy by storing the energy and then using it a later stage, generally when there is high demand or to provide grid stability services. This will ensure demand is met, issues with voltage or frequency of electricity are prevented and assists in with keeping wholesale prices stable. 

To date, Umwelt have undertaken a site analysis and constraints study to determine the potential planning and environmental risks to the project and are now supporting the client through the rigorous local and state approval requirements in the pursuit of achieving a planning approval in 2021. 

If you would like to know more about CSP technology, please get in contact with Mark Herod on 1300 793 267.