LEAD reports Failed SolarReserve project given second life in South Australia

The company is based in Adelaide, South Australia.  It seems they have plans to build up to 400MW of solar PV on the site. As well as install a grid-scale Thermal Energy Storage System. That which is called TESS-GRID.

Also, 1414 Degrees aims to progressively scale up the thermal energy storage capacity to several thousand MWh. It says a TESS-GRID at this scale will be able to supply many hours of dispatchable electricity. All with spinning reserve from its turbines and a range of frequency control. In addition, ancillary services (FCAS) to support grid stability.

The electrically charged TESS-GRID will also buy and store electricity generated by other renewable farms. All on the high voltage transmission network in the region. Thereby strengthening firming services and earnings from market arbitrage.

The Aurora Project is a thermal solar energy power plant about 300km north of the South Australian capital Adelaide. It of course has SA Government development approval for a 70 MW solar PV farm. That’s also with a 150 MW of generation from a concentrated solar thermal plant.

In addition, Aurora will deliver 495 gigawatt-hours of power annually – providing fully dispatchable baseload electricity to the network.

It will also supply 100 per cent of the South Australian Government’s electricity load from 2020. This is after it won a competitive tender process.

The project will also supply the broader market, enhancing competition and putting downward pressure on power prices.

In September 2016 the South Australian Government launched a tender process to procure 75 per cent of its long-term power supply in order to attract a new competitor into the electricity market, increasing competition and putting downward pressure on power prices.

The AU$650 million plant would have been the biggest of its kind in the world and was approved to incorporate eight hours of storage or 1100 megawatts-hours.

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