Concentrating solar power/alternative fuel hybrid plants: Annual electricity potential and ideal areas in Australia.

Abstract: Australia's extensive solar resource is underexploited especially in the CSP (concentrating solar power) arena because of the high investment and lack of stable investment incentives. CSP hybrid plants provide an option to improve returns from CSP installations because of lower specific investment. This paper investigates the generation potential and most prospective regions for 5–60 MWe CSP hybrids using forestry residues, bagasse, stubble, wood waste and refuse derived fuels in locations with a direct normal irradiance >18 MJ/m2/day. Different plant efficiencies are used to identify the overall electricity potential for single and multiple feedstocks systems. The EfB (energy from biomass) or EfW (energy from waste) components of the hybrid plants considered are assumed to allow base load operation with the CSP components providing additional capacity during the day. The total CSP-EfB & EfW hybrid potential in Australia, within 50 km of existing transmission and distribution infrastructure, is 7000 MWe which would require an investment of AU$ 39.5b to annually generate 33.5 TWh. This is equivalent to 12.8% of all electricity generated in 2008–2009 or 74% of Australia's 2020 renewable energy target. The CO2 abatement potential of CSP-EfB & EfW hybrids is up to 27 Mt or 4.8% of all 2009–10 CO2 emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]