Hybrid concentrated solar biomass (HCSB) plants for supporting the clean energy transition in New South Wales, Australia

Middelhoff, Ella M.

Hybrid concentrated solar biomass (HCSB) plants for supporting the clean energy transition in New South Wales, Australia

Middelhoff, Ella M.

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2022

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Middelhoff, Ella M.
dc.date.accessioned	2023-09-06T04:44:20Z
dc.date.available	2023-09-06T04:44:20Z
dc.date.issued	2022
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/171958
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Institute for Sustainable Futures.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	Achieving full decarbonisation requires a multidimensional strategy, which has spurred interest in novel renewable technologies, for example hybrid concentrated solar biomass (HCSB) plants. HCSB plants are not a radically new energy generation technology; rather, the technology integrates two mature renewable energy (RE) systems – concentrated solar and bioenergy. HCSB plants have been demonstrated in several locations worldwide, e.g., the 16.6 megawatt thermal (MWth) Aalborg CSP system in Brønderslev, Denmark. In Australia, the technology is not yet demonstrated, although the renewable resources – solar and biomass – are abundant and underutilised in the context of energy generation. This doctoral research project investigates the potential deployment of HCSB plants for supporting the energy transition in New South Wales (NSW), Australia’s most populous state. The specific focus of the doctoral project is the investigation of the technical options, deployment potential and the benefits of HCSB plant utilisation in NSW. Following a detailed review of the literature on the technical and commercial maturity of the different HCSB design options, this research is presented across four distinct research packages, investigating: i) biomass residue availability in Australia, ii) energy market integration of HCSB plants in NSW, iii) techno-economic feasibility of HCSB plants as an electricity generator in the Riverina-Murray region (case study), and iv) techno-economic feasibility of HCSB plants for cogeneration at a major beef abattoir in Casino, NSW (case study). The findings show that HCSB plants provide dispatchability services that are aligned with current NSW government climate and energy policy priorities. In NSW, these dispatchability services will become even more advantageous as larger amounts of RE is deployed and fossil fuelled stations are retired. The methodological approaches developed and tested in this thesis can inform future research and offer novel insights concerning the techno-economic feasibility of currently unused RE technologies in other jurisdictions.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/171958/2/02whole.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2022 Ella M. Middelhoff
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/cph
dc.title	Hybrid concentrated solar biomass (HCSB) plants for supporting the clean energy transition in New South Wales, Australia	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

Achieving full decarbonisation requires a multidimensional strategy, which has spurred interest in novel renewable technologies, for example hybrid concentrated solar biomass (HCSB) plants. HCSB plants are not a radically new energy generation technology; rather, the technology integrates two mature renewable energy (RE) systems – concentrated solar and bioenergy. HCSB plants have been demonstrated in several locations worldwide, e.g., the 16.6 megawatt thermal (MWth) Aalborg CSP system in Brønderslev, Denmark. In Australia, the technology is not yet demonstrated, although the renewable resources – solar and biomass – are abundant and underutilised in the context of energy generation. This doctoral research project investigates the potential deployment of HCSB plants for supporting the energy transition in New South Wales (NSW), Australia’s most populous state. The specific focus of the doctoral project is the investigation of the technical options, deployment potential and the benefits of HCSB plant utilisation in NSW. Following a detailed review of the literature on the technical and commercial maturity of the different HCSB design options, this research is presented across four distinct research packages, investigating: i) biomass residue availability in Australia, ii) energy market integration of HCSB plants in NSW, iii) techno-economic feasibility of HCSB plants as an electricity generator in the Riverina-Murray region (case study), and iv) techno-economic feasibility of HCSB plants for cogeneration at a major beef abattoir in Casino, NSW (case study). The findings show that HCSB plants provide dispatchability services that are aligned with current NSW government climate and energy policy priorities. In NSW, these dispatchability services will become even more advantageous as larger amounts of RE is deployed and fossil fuelled stations are retired. The methodological approaches developed and tested in this thesis can inform future research and offer novel insights concerning the techno-economic feasibility of currently unused RE technologies in other jurisdictions.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/171958