Adelaide Advertiser
Tuesday 2/2/2010 Page: 15
SOUTH Australia could become home to a thriving solar energy industry using the state's excess of salt water to generate electricity. SA's natural conditions have made it the national leader in wind energy and geothermal technology, but start-up company Enersalt now wants to use the state's plentiful sources of salt water, such as desalination plant brine, to turn a problem into cheap power.
The company has applied for the same subsidies used to promote roof-top solar energy systems and Enersalt director Cliff Hignett says it can help the economies of some of the state's most drought-stricken regions. "If the economics of solar pond-generated electricity were aided in the same way, there is the potential for a range of small generation facilities in areas such as the Riverland, Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula and the Coorong," the 35-year CSIRO veteran said.
The system works by using sunlight to penetrate the shallow waters of a salt lake and heat hypersaline water at the bottom. The hyper-saline water, rather than rising and evaporating through convection, is trapped at the bottom because it is heavier than the fresh water. Riverland industries are already using the system to provide hot water. Although not boiling itself, this hot water can be used to evaporate refrigerant chemicals into high-pressure gases which drive turbines.
Solar pond electricity, which is used overseas, could also help solve a looming problem for the state identified by electricity regulators - that alternative electricity generators, such as wind farms and conventional solar energy, cannot provide continuous power. The barrier to electricity generation is that it is not eligible for subsidies given to roof-top photovoltaic cells. The State Government is considering a relaxation in its Economic Development Board inquiry into alternative energy.
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