Australia's Concentrating Solar Power Potential

Australia is one of the world's three best locations for concentrating solar power. The other two are the southwestern United States and the Sahara Desert in North Africa.

Solar Tower
Solar Dish
Solar Trough
Australia, North Africa and the southwestern United States are the world's best locations for concentrating solar power

Consider Australia. An Outback area 50 kilometers on a side covered with concentrating solar power mirrors could satisfy the entire country's electricity demand.

To get a rough idea of the comparative solar resource in Australia, below are graphics throwing the three most promising areas of the world for concentrating solar power: the southwestern United States, Australia and southern Spain/North Africa. Most concentrating solar power development to date has occurred in southern California, the birthplace of the industry.

In the graphic below, 100-kilometer-on-a-side square false-color blocks are superimposed over the southwestern United States, with orange representing six kilowatthours per day of solar energy per square meter, followed by light pink at 6.5 and darker pink at seven. Virtually all concentrating solar power plants developed or planned in the region are in the zone of six kwh/m solar potential.

In most of California where CSP plants have been built, direct normal radiation has been around
6 kilowatthours per day per meter
Source: NASA

In Australia, similar 6 kwh/m/day solar readings occur in interior New South Wales, with even stronger resources located in western Queensland and northern South Australia.

Interior Australia offers strong direct normal radiation
Source: NASA

Spain is the laggard. It has strong solar resources only located in a small region in the south of the country. However, commercial development of concentrating solar power has been active in the region due to European Union financial support.

Spain's strong resources are limited to the southeast of the country.
Source: NASA