The University of South Australia (UniSA) has opened a facility for speeding up the development of advanced solar thermal technologies.

A new solar testing facility at UniSA’s Sustainable Energy Industry Support Centre at Mawson Lakes Campus will focus on developing advanced solar thermal technologies.

The government has contributed $410,000 towards the development of this testing centre.

The centre is now available for industry use and to support the research and development of solar hot water, solar heating systems and other solar technologies. For the solar thermal industry, the facility will facilitate product development for solar thermal technologies.

At the testing facility solar thermal technologies are put to the test in a range of ways. These include measuring the thermal performance of solar collectors, evaluating safety and performance during extended periods of no hot water draw-off and protection against freezing temperatures.There are outdoor and indoor facilities for testing thermal performance of flat and evacuated tube solar collectors.

Solar thermal energy continues to make steady progress in Australia. In the past, it has been highlighted that solar thermal energy could provide 25 percent of Australia’s power by 2050.

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