Concentrated solar thermal (CST) technology concentrates sunlight onto a target to create very high temperatures. This heat can be used directly in industrial processes or to generate electricity by heating water for steam to turn a turbine. CSIRO's heliostat field with Tower 2 operating on-sun in Newcastle, NSW [...]
Next-generation solar thermal energy storage technology developed in partnership with the Australian Solar Thermal Research Initiative (ASTRI) has reached a major milestone, with the United States Department of Energy announcing it will fund commercial-scale testing. The technology, which has been produced with input from CSIRO, the Australian National University and [...]
The Turnbull Government has launched a $200 million CSIRO Innovation Fund which will commercialise early stage innovations from CSIRO, universities and other publicly-funded research bodies. This joint government-private sector fund will help Australia's home grown innovations become successful businesses, and in doing so create jobs and boost Australia's productivity and [...]
Australia's solar heliostat technology will be used for concentrating solar thermal (CST) electricity generation in China.In continued emphasis on mitigation and adaptation, CSIRO has partnered with Chinese company Thermal Focus, following China's announcement to produce 1.4 GW of CST by 2018, and 5 GW by 2020. This would double the [...]
At the CSIRO's Energy Centre campus on the northern outskirts of Newcastle are two 40-metre "power towers": one is curved and elegant, the other a mess of girders and gantries, ducts and pipes. "This is the tower designed by the architects," says the CSIRO's Robbie McNaughton, pointing to the elegant [...]
Operating at Stockland Wendouree Shopping Centre in Ballarat, Victoria, the system uses concentrating solar thermal technology to produce heat energy used to power the air conditioning system. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) provided $520,000 to support the $1.2 million project, jointly managed by CSIRO with Stockland Group and NEP [...]
In June, the CSIRO announced that it had managed to generate supercritical steam using solar energy.
A CSIRO test plant in Australia has broken a world record and proved concentrated solar power could efficiently replace fossil fuels.
Australia's peak scientific research body has claimed a major breakthrough in renewable energy that it claims has the potential to make concentrated solar power cost-competitive.
Australian scientists are exporting a groundbreaking Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technology in an effort to help India achieve energy security.
Last month, CSIRO and the International Energy Agency hosted a high level solar symposium at the Energy Centre in Mayfield West.
Energy researchers at CSIRO Newcastle are working on an $87million research project that aims to lower the price of solar thermal power from 25¢ to 10¢ per kilowatt hour.
Intermittency is one of the biggest barriers to the uptake of solar energy, however a new CSIRO report demonstrates that this challenge can be overcome.
