Programme summary
•	Location: Umuwa, S. Australia
•	Solar Power Station:: 10 x 22 kW CS500 units
•	Receiver: 64 x 36 cm² cells (22 % efficiency) per dish
•	Reflector: 130 m² per dish
•	Annual Diesel savings: 160 000 litres
•	Avoided CO2 abatement: 432 000 kg
•	Information: Dave Holland, Solar Systems, dholland@solarsystems.com.au

Concentrating PV systems are beginning to gain recognition as a viable source of power for rural communities in areas with good direct sun.

The indigenous Anangu Pitjantjatjara people of northwest South Australia are amongst the first to benefit from full-scale concentrated PV power. A 220 kW power station comprising 10 solar dishes was commissioned in 2003 to provide a renewable energy solution to reduce diesel consumption.

The plant now provides power to the administration centre in Umuwa and the Ernabella community 40 kilometres away. Concentrating solar PV systems consist of mirrored collectors which direct the sun’s rays onto a receiver located at the focus.

PV concentrators operate most effectively in direct solar radiation, so reflectors should be kept free from dust and dirt and tracking systems are essential to ensure that the sun remains accurately focused on the receiver. The bank of PV cells at the receiver have to withstand concentrations in the order of 500 suns which, coupled to space-technology derived high efficiency, makes them expensive units. However, as only a small number of cells are needed per dish, the total investment is very competitive with conventional flat-plate PV. In the right location, the generation cost can be 30 % less than from a comparable flat-plate system. Another major benefit is that the receiver can be designed to allow retrofitting of newer, more efficient cells without rendering the rest of the original investment obsolete.

High-concentration PV efficiency improvements of 50-60 % (i.e. 35 % efficient cells) are anticipated within the next year, which could see cost-effective grid-support applications emerge in certain markets within the next five to ten years.

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