This report covers the work undertaken by the ASTRI in 2021 including its role in facilitating commercial uptake of solar thermal within Australia. It details the technology development activities , such as sodium receiver design and development, thermal energy storage integration and evaluation, and heliostats.
Report extract
In 2021, the Australian energy market continued to face significant challenges as it transitioned to a low emission future. These challenges centre around the need to lower emissions while maintaining secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions for Australian households and businesses.
Significant uptake of renewable energy in the form of PV and Wind has continued into 2021. While these technologies deliver affordable clean energy, their variable generation profile creates system stability issues. Firm generation capacity is required to address this stability issue. At present, firm generation capacity is provided by conventional coal fired power plants. However, with these plants scheduled to retire over the next 10 to 15 years, alternative forms of firm and dispatchable renewable generation capacity will be required.