The Aurora Solar Energy Project

Location: Port Augusta, South Australia

Type: Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) with Thermal Energy Storage (TES)

Status: Under construction

Year of establishment: 2020

Installed Capacity: 150 MWe

Project Description

Aurora is projected to have an output of 150 MW and an ability to generate 495 GW hours of electricity each year. The station will be able to service 90,000 homes and is expected to be able to cater to around 5% of South Australia’s total energy needs. Construction on the $650 million plant will begin in 2018, with the expectation that Aurora will be producing electricity by 2020.

Purpose/Application

It is the largest plant of its kind in world. It will use molten salts to store the Sun's energy as heat. These molten salts will provide 1,100 MW of energy storage capacity, which equates to 8 hours of full load storage. This will allow the facility to generate electricity during the night as well as during the day when sunlight is shining down. With this plant, South Australia is generating 40 % of its total demand from renewables.

Unique Aspect

This site is a motivation for future energy innovation projects of this kind.