Industry and academia are collaborating to build a world-first, cost-effective concentrated solar thermal (CST) demonstrator that is set to transform Australia\u2019s industrial heat sector by reducing its reliance on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using lightweight plastic mirrors to focus sunlight on a specific target to create the necessary heat needed for industrial processes, the University of South Australia<\/a> (UniSA) has joined forces with Impacts Renewable Energy Pty Ltd<\/a> and Charles Sturt University<\/a> (CSU) on the clean energy project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leveraging more than a decade of research into durable, weather-resistant reflective coatings, the project \u2013 funded by the Federal Government\u2019s Australia\u2019s Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite program<\/a> \u2013 will fabricate and install a novel, two-module CST demonstrator incorporating the mirrors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These mirrors, created through patented UniSA technolog<\/a>y, offer an affordable and easily transportable alternative to traditional glass-based solar thermal systems. They generate heat that can either be applied directly in industrial processes or to heat water to create steam to power a turbine and produce electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIndustrial process heat accounts for a staggering 25% of global energy use and 20% of CO2 <\/sub>emissions,\u201d says project lead Dr Marta Llusca Jane<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnfortunately, most renewable energy technologies \u2013 like photovoltaics \u2013 fall short of meeting the high-temperature demands of these sectors. Our plastic-based CST technology fills that gap and does so with significant cost and installation advantages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project\u2019s first phase will see two full-scale models \u2013 each made up of 16 thermoformed and coated panels \u2013 constructed, installed and tested at CSU\u2019s \u201cVineyard of the Future\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The panels incorporate a multilayer aluminium-silica reflective coating developed by UniSA\u2019s Future Industries Institute<\/a>, applied via a physical vapour deposition to ensure durability and optimal solar reflectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike conventional solar thermal systems that require heavy infrastructure to support fragile glass mirrors, this new system features Impacts\u2019 durable, patented lightweight plastic mirror panels that can be flat-packed, transported, and assembled with ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The goal is to generate solar thermal energy at temperatures between 100\u00b0C and 400\u00b0C \u2013 ideal for processes such as food production, grain and pulse drying, sterilising, solar desalination, mining sites, polluted groundwater remediation and wastewater treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr Llusca Jane says the AEA funding is critical to the project\u2019s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWithout this funding, the technical and financial risks of early-stage commercialisation would be too high for private investors. This demonstrator will allow us to scale the technology for real-world applications,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second stage, to be pursued under the AEA\u2019s Innovate program<\/a>, will see a larger, commercial-scale pilot tested with key agribusiness and industrial partners. Strong interest has already been expressed by several national and international producers, highlighting the technology\u2019s outstanding commercial potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n