Wizard Power Pty Ltd a former Australian company headquartered in
Canberra, focused on
solar technology
Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essen ...
research, development, and commercialization. One of their notable achievements was the creation of the Big Dish solar thermal concentrator, recognized as the world's largest and highest-performing paraboloidal dish solar concentrator. This innovative technology had the capability to generate temperatures exceeding 1,200°C, enabling applications such as superheating steam, powering thermochemical processes, electricity production, energy storage, and process heat.
Technology
In conjunction with the Australian National University, Wizard Power developed a suite of advanced solar mirror panel technology specifically designed for
Big Dish and other solar concentrators. These mirror panels, along with their unique thermal and thermochemical solar energy storage systems, played a crucial role in delivering large-scale, zero-emission thermal and electrical energy for various dispatchable power applications.
Wizard Power positioned themselves as providers of research, development, technology support, and systems integration services necessary to facilitate the implementation of projects utilizing their solar technologies.
Moreover, the company had ongoing initiatives in developing high-temperature solar gasification solutions. These solutions aimed to convert coal, biomass, and other carbonaceous materials into valuable resources such as liquid fuels, plastics, and fertilizers.
One of Wizard Power's endeavors was the establishment of a demonstration site in
Whyalla
Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta i ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. The proposed Whyalla Solar Storage plant was intended to showcase their energy storage technologies. This pre-commercial demonstration project received support from the Commonwealth Government of Australia's Advance Electricity Storage Program. The Whyalla SolarOasis, a 40MWe solar thermal power plant utilizing 300 Big Dish solar thermal concentrators, was planned to be built near the solar storage research facility. This peaking power plant would have operated during the day and early evening to meet the demand for electricity during peak periods.
Unfortunately, despite these promising initiatives, Wizard Power Pty Ltd ceased its operations in September 2013. As a result, the company incurred a debt of 8 million dollars owed to creditors and employees.
230 million dollar project failure
A $230 million project was to use Wizard Power Technology to generate 66GWh of solar electricity each year. For a variety of commonwealth and corporate mismanagement reasons, the project did not proceed past the proposal stage.
Renewable Energy Demonstration Program
The Whyalla SolarOasis has been supported by the Australian Government's Renewable Energy Demonstration Program
Whyalla Region Tackling Climate Change
''The Hon Simon Crean MP - Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government'' with a A$60 million grant and will be developed by the SolarOasis consortium.
The Commonwealth funding was canceled in June 2013.
References
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External links
ANU Solar Thermal Group
Solar energy companies
Solar thermal energy