Late last week, Ausra, Inc. and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled California’s first solar thermal plant in 2 decades. The Kimberlina plant is the also the first in California to utilise Ausra’s “next generation” concentrating solar thermal technology.
The Kimberlina plant was built in just seven months and will have the capacity to generate 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 3,500 homes. The Kimberlina facility is the trail-blazer for Ausra’s Carrizo Plains solar power plant, which will generate enough electricity to power more than 120,000 homes.
Unlike photovoltaic solar panels, which convert the light from the sun into electricity , solar thermal facilities use arrays of mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays, converting it into energy. In Ausra’s model, heat is focused on tubes of water, creating steam that drives large electricity turbines, and generating a clean, reliable and renewable energy source.
The ironic aspect of this event is the technology was developed in Australia, by Australian Dr. David Mills. His lab at the University of Sydney also developed evacuated-tube solar water heater technology. According to The Canberra Times, Professor Mills left Australia in February last year after failing to attract support from the Howard government for his solar thermal technology; support that Californian venture capitalist Vinod Khosla ended up providing.
Govenor Schwarzenegger aims to have solar power providing at least 20% of the state’s electricity by 2010 and has implemented a $US2.9 billion incentive plan for homes and business to make the switch to solar power. Australia has a goal of 20% renewable electricity by 2020.
