Interview by Rikki Stancich

Australian non-profit organisation Beyond Zero Emissions is on a mission to convert Australia’s ageing coal-fired stations to CSP plants. Having promoted the idea since last year, BZE has brought scientists and engineers together to draw up plans to convert Port Augusta's two brown coal-fired powered stations to solar thermal plants.

Alinta Energy’s Playford B station is one of the two coal stations singled out for conversion. Last week, following a call for expressions of interest for closures under the Australian government’s carbon tax scheme, Alinta confirmed that the company has taken the first steps towards closing the facility and replacing it with either a solar thermal or gas-fired station.

Alinta says that by closing the plant, some 20 jobs will be lost.The company is seeking A$250 million in compensation for closing Playford B.

BZE says not only will a solar thermal plant generate more power than the current Playford B facility (which currently meets 40 percent of the state's electricity demand); the project could create 1,300 jobs during construction and 250 ongoing positions post-construction. The NGO points out that a solar thermal facility would create more jobs than a natural gas facility.  

Port Augusta’s local council has expressed strong support for the idea of converting Playford B to a solar thermal plant, and has invited BZE to give a public presentation of the conversion plans later this month.

CSP Today: Of all the ageing brown coal-fired power stations in Australia, why was Playford B singled out for conversion to concentrated solar power (CSP)?

Matthew Wright: All the coal plants will need to be closed down in Australia, but it makes sense to start with the units that are older, or at the end of their design life.

With this particular plant, however, there are many factors in favour of its replacement with CSP: it is at the end of its design life; the coal resource is low grade and dwindling; the community support for coal-fired power stations is weak - the local mayor has opposed the coal mine for some thirty years.

The area also has a good solar resource – it is on the same latitude as Spain.

CSP Today: BZE is giving a formal presentation of the concept to the Port Augusta community on October 29. How receptive to the idea has the local community been so far?

Matthew Wright: We have been invited by the local shire council to give a presentation. In fact, the council is promoting and paying for the event, which gives an indication of the extent to which they are behind the idea.

CSP Today: What CSP technology would be used in the solar field?

Matthew Wright: More than likely it would be molten salt tower technology – along the lines of what is on offer by Solar Reserve and Torresol, with a southern solar field, so optimised for winter production.

If the site was located further North, other technology such as Fresnel, would be preferable. In the southern location, however, elevated tracking of towers is optimised for winter performance.

CSP Today: Could the existing turbines be utilised, or are you looking at replacing the plant with entirely new equipment?

Matthew Wright: No, they are very old and very small, at only 60MW each, and the plant was optimised for use with low-grade coal. It will be brand new equipment installed at the site.

CSP Today: How much cheaper would it be to convert the plant to CSP than to convert to gas?

Matthew Wright: Gas prices in Australia have historically been very low, however Australia is about to have several very large LNG export facilities coming on line over the next few years. When this happens, the cost of domestic gas is expected to increase three or four fold. This has already been the experience in Western Australia.

At the same time, CSP prices are coming down quickly, but the real costs savings will come through deployment.

There will still be a premium for the first plants built in Australia, but this needs to be viewed from the perspective of cost reductions for subsequent plants.

There is also a unique opportunity in Australia at the moment with the establishment of a $AUD10 billion fund called the Clean Energy Fund by the Federal Government specifically for the purpose of assisting with the commercialisation of  these kinds of technology. 

CSP Today: Are you considering an ISCC with biofuel configuration as an alternative or addition to molten salt storage?

Matthew Wright: Potentially during winter, ISCC biofuel on top of molten salt storage could be an option. But the existing grid has a lot of old gas peaking plant availability, so as long as there is no capacity constraint on the grid, there is not much demand for an ISCC biofuel option.

CSP Today: Has BZE identified other sites for possible conversion? How many are there?

Matthew Wright: BZE has written up a comprehensive plan for transitioning Australia to a zero carbon economy. Some of the sites highlighted in the report are existing sites with coal plants, many of which are located in Queensland. In this area there is a strong agricultural base with a general job deficit. CSP provides a good opportunity for rural communities to diversify.

Currently, globally, there is competition between gas and solar thermal for sites. Compared to gas, solar thermal provides a job rich, energy secure, stable priced option; whereas gas will generate few jobs, is subject to increasing scarcity and hence, price volatility.

To respond to this article, please write to the Editor:

Rikki Stancich: rstancich@csptoday.com