CSP World

According to Australia's ABC News, the Forbes Shire Council has approved the construction of a Concentrated Solar Power plant.

The plant, promoted by Australian company Vast Solar, whose CEO, Andrew Want, is also the Chair of the Australian Solar Thermal Energy Association (AUSTELA), will be located at Jemalong Station site, near the town of Forbes in New South Wales, Australia.

"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 1.2 MWth project comprises five units, each one comprising a 27 METER tower surrounded by 700 heliostats. The company plans to do testing over the next two years.

Despite the company says the plant will have an energy storage system, it has not disclosed the technology details, it's unknown if it will use steam, air, or molten salt as heat transfer fluid.

The Mayor of Forbes, Ron Penny, said concerns were raised about possible glare from the mirrors, but according to their angle and the position of nearby trees, it's not expected to produce potential danger for driving. "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.

Councillor Penny says solar could be a new industry for the region. "To get diversification, so that we can try and keep as many young people with good employment opportunities within our community," he said. The company expects the plant to be operational by March next year, creating 15 jobs.

Vast Solar's project partners are Twynam Agricultural Group, The University of NSW and RMIT University. The project has received $400,000 in funding from the Australian Solar Institute.

According to a story published in local newspaper Forbes Advocate, the company would have already built a unit on site.

We don't know very much about the company. According to Vast Solar's website: "Vast Solar specializes in the design and development of utility-scale solar power plants - Vast Solar has developed IP that reduces the cost of large scale solar installations to the point where, with the addition of currently available renewable energy incentives our solution is commercially competitive with carbon based generating technology", that's all it says