The study will assess the viability of converting Queensland’s 180 MW coal-fired Collinsville Power Station to a 30 MW hybrid solar thermal/gas power station.
Australian Government will invest in a feasibility study that is investigating the conversion of Collinsville Power Station into a hybrid gas/solar thermal plant, Minister for Resources and Energy Martin Ferguson announced on Wednesday.
The owners of the Collinsville coal fired power station in northern Queensland are planning to convert the ageing 180MW station into a “clean energy park” that will see a combination of a solar PV array, a solar thermal installation, and a gas-fired booster – all combined to deliver 50MW of baseload power.
According to him, the government will contribute 2.5 million ( almost 2.58 million U.S. dollars) towards a RATCH-Australia Corporation Limited initiated feasibility study.
The study, with a total cost of 5.6 million (almost 5.78 million U.S. dollars), will assess the viability of converting Queensland’s 180 MW coal-fired Collinsville Power Station to a 30 MW hybrid solar thermal/gas power station with the help of Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
A key benefit of the project will be the production of knowledge that will help accelerate the deployment of concentrating solar thermal in Australia through hybrid projects.
“The results of the study will be made publically available in order to assist interested parties overcome the challenges of early deployment of concentrating solar thermal,” Minister Ferguson said in a statement.
“The feasibility study will help other generators to assess the possibility of using solar thermal technologies at coal-fired plants.” He said.
http://www.uq.edu.au/solarenergy/
