35 x 35 km sq Solar Thermal to power Australia ?

[LMagic007]

35 x 35 km sq Solar Thermal to power Australia ? It's just conceptual but gives you an idea of scale and potential of Solar Thermal energy. Secondary insolation sites would increase the land mass required, but it still looks encouraging for the future of Solar Thermal energy in Australia.

The solar thermal energy to meet Australia's entire current power demand would require 35x35 km square area in a high irradiance, low cloud cover location

http://asfee.org/content/08-blendedsolution.html

http://www.ccsd.biz/publications/IAF_Report/CCSD%20IAF%20complete%20rpt.pdf

http://www.trec.net.au/

Australian Weather Bureau's Solar Radiation map;

Bureau of Meteorology - Solar Exposure annual and monthly

This shows that a very significant part of Australia averages around 18 - 21 megajoules daily, say 19.5 mJ average, I think being around 5.4 kwh per day.

The high value sites of around 24 - 27 megajoules daily cover the top half of the country, say average being around 25.5 mJ, I think being around 7 kwh per day.

Melbourne, Sydney , Canberra all appear to be within about 1000 km of secondary solar radiation sites. Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth are already within this secondary site boundary and appear within 1000 km of the high value solar radiation sights. That's well over half the nations population covered. Darwin lies within a high value sight. The rest of the nation bar Tasmania, falls closely to, or within high value sites.

Tasmania has more hydro and wind energy to help make up for lack of solar insolation and is relatively small population wise. i.e. about half a million out of Australia's approx 21 million, being around 2.3% of the total population.

re; Tasmania

Over 90% of our electricity needs are currently being met with hydro and wind power.

http://www.dier.tas.gov.au/energy/renewable_energy

[jagee]

It's at:
http://www.asfee.org/downloads/ASFEE...nKilowatts.pdf
and it contains a lot more ideas than just solar thermal

[brianidaho]

This seems like a huge area to utilize for power generation, some 1225 sq. Km. What kind of impact will there be on native wildlife and potentially on endangered species. It's not just the area it encompasses, what about migration routes for wildlife? Mostly curious here, I have no idea what the environmental laws are like down under.

[LMagic007]

Originally Posted by brianidaho

This seems like a huge area to utilize for power generation, some 1225 sq. Km. What kind of impact will there be on native wildlife and potentially on endangered species. It's not just the area it encompasses, what about migration routes for wildlife? Mostly curious here, I have no idea what the environmental laws are like down under.

Well good point. I think though you need to consider the greater implications of Climate Change and pollution and what impact that will have on all life, wild and tame. For a country the size of Australia, I suspect its negative impact will not be as significant as continuing to rely on fossil fuels.

With Solar Thermal there is no significant pollution, so its mainly just physical structures. Sometimes though sacrifices are required to help achieve a greater good. But again I think the impact of Solar Thermal might likely be less than other fossil fuel based energies when you consider mining and environmental pollution, which has been well documented over decades.

[jagee]

Those numbers are purely hypothetical. No one would build a plant that size. Diseconomies would set in WAY before that. What would happen is that a string of the plants would be built around the country in places that are sunny (ie, just about everywhere). Most CSP plants in existence today (~50MW) take up 1-2 km square, and are set off the ground.

[LMagic007]

Welcome to the forum Jagee. Yes the figures are hypothetical and were never intended to be taken literally in terms of single plant size. Nobody would build just one power station that large. It's theoretical conjecture. The figures are to indicate the overall land area that would be required in terms of providing the Solar Thermal generating capacity, equating to the national grid. Yes power stations would be distributed as they are now.

[LMagic007]

Solar Thermal Power in North-Africa: How Much Land to Power the World?

Solar Thermal Power in North-Africa: How Much Land to Power the World? : TreeHugger

Parabolic Trough Thermal Energy Storage Technology
http://www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet/th...y_storage.html