The Forbes Shire Council has approved the largest solar demonstration of its type to be built in Australia. The Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) technology allows for energy to be stored and turned into usable electricity at a later stage. 

The Australian trial will consist of 3 500 heliostats (or small mirrors), along 5 solar fields with 5 twenty-seven meter high towers. The 1.2MW project is to be built by Vast Solar with their partners Twynam Agricultural Group, The University of NSW and RMIT University with $400 000 in funding from the Australian Solar Institute.

“This project will provide Vast Solar with data on system performance that will support the continued development and commercialisation of concentrated solar thermal technology that can break the $100/MWh barrier,” says James Fisher, Principal Investigator and Chief Technology Officer of Vast Solar.

The project is said to be tested over the next two years starting in March 2014 when the plant is expected to be operational.

The Mayor of Forbes, Ron Penny, admitted that some concerns over the glare from the mirrors had been raised and hopefully overcome. He hopes that this project will create new employment in the area as well as spur on other projects of its kind.

“In the way in which it’s angled and the structure that goes around it to prevent glare coming back on those areas, for example, the roadway driving through, the correct scientific approach is being taken to help prevent that,” he said.

According to Energy Matters, ‘the project will seek to determine two elements – the optimal temperature for receivers and heat storage medium. Unlike some other CST facilities, molten salts will not be used for heat storage; but the exact nature of what Vast Solar will be using is unknown.’

We will bring you more information on the specific details of the energy storage system as and when it is released.