This week’s CSP Today news brief includes the following companies and organisations: Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Negev Energy; Altus Power America Management, Macquarie Group; The U.S. Trade and Development Agency, Solafrica Photovoltaic Energy; Arizona State University, AORA Solar;
Cranfield University

OPIC announces funding support for CSP facility

Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. government’s development finance institution, has confirmed its maiden funding support for a CSP facility.

The institution approved funding for construction of a solar power plant in Israel’s Negev Desert. OPIC committed to provide up to $250 million in financing to Negev Energy – Ashalim Thermo-Solar to support construction of a 110MW CSP plant in Israel’s Negev Desert.

Elizabeth Littlefield, OPIC’s President and CEO mentioned that this initiative complements the institution’s key strategic priorities to support the development of renewable resources. Plus, it also uses an innovative solar technology.

As per the information shared last year, Negev Energy, a joint company created by Abengoa and Shikun & Binui, is to build, own and operate this 110 MW solar trough plant.

Altus, Macquarie to finance up to $100m in projects

Old Greenwich, Connecticut-based Altus Power America Management and Macquarie Group have jointly introduced their Clean Energy Land Programme to finance up to $100 million in solar and wind land energy projects in the U. S. The entities mentioned that this initiative offers an enhanced opportunity to monetise power assets.

The plan is to offer the “most cost competitive capital” to all project developers and land owners that work on such projects. The programme will offer financial solutions to solar and wind developers to acquire lands under any projects in development and the opportunity to monetise any existing portfolios of similar assets immediately.

The parties expect the first transaction to occur during the second quarter of 2014.

USTDA awards study grant for 100 MW CSP plant to Solafrica

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency recently awarded a feasibility study grant to Solafrica.

The initiative has been taken to support the development of a 100 MW concentrated solar power plant in South Africa’s Northern Cape province. Solafrica is planning to submit a bid for the CSP plant in the upcoming rounds of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

The study will evaluate the cost effectiveness and profitability of bidding, constructing and operating a CSP plant, as well as identify suitable technology for this particular application.

The grant funds for this study come from the U.S.-Africa Clean Energy Finance (US-ACEF) Initiative. US-ACEF is a collaborative financing mechanism aligning U.S. government resources from the USTDA, the Department of State and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to catalyse private sector investment to develop Africa’s clean energy infrastructure.

Arizona State University ties up with AORA Solar

Arizona State University and CSP technology specialist AORA Solar have agreed upon a tie-up that will result in development of a hybrid concentrated solar system.

AORA has agreed to install the first ever Solar Tulip hybrid generating facility in the U. S. on university land. The company will construct the demonstration power plant, which includes a tower, on undeveloped land near the Karsten Golf Course in Tempe.

The entity will work with a multi-disciplinary ASU team to research options to improve upon this technology.

AORA has tied up with GreenFuel Technologies to construct the research plant at the ASU campus. Groundbreaking is expected to take place next month, with the anticipated operation date to be in September/ early October.

Cranfield University set to unveil its CSP lab

Cranfield University is set to inaugurate its new facility, Global CSP Laboratory - The UK Centre for Concentrating Solar Thermal Manufacturing, this week.

The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 26.

The university mentioned that it represents the largest CSP research activity in the U.K. and the only U. K. representative on the EERA (European Energy Research Alliance) Joint Committee on CSP.

The ceremony will showcase Cranfield’s current research in CSP and solar thermal technologies and will include tours of the Global CSP Laboratory and associated facilities.