From The Sydney Morning Herald:
'Fast-moving clouds': How CS Energy's Kogan Creek Solar Boost project failed
It was supposed to supply cheaper, greener energy to up to 5000 homes but after six years and tens of millions of dollars, a cutting-edge solar energy project has produced nothing other than a large taxpayer-funded pile of scrap.
Three thousand solar panels sit unused on a concrete pad after the pioneering Kogan Creek Solar Boost project was shelved due to rusting pipes and "rapidly moving clouds".
The idea was invented by a local person:
The plan had been to use thousands of mirrors to focus solar energy to pre-heat steam used to drive power-generating turbines. The technology's inventor, Australian scientist Dr David Mills, in 2014 received an Order Of Australia for his work on solar power from the Abbott government.
But CS Energy scrapped the unfinished scheme last year, blaming "technical and contractual problems". It won't reveal exactly how much it cost, but recorded a $70 million impairment in its 2016 accounts because of the scheme.
And the money?
Half that amount came from the Queensland Government's Carbon Reduction Program.
Commonwealth body the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) was to put up an additional $35 million in funding, although it told Fairfax Media it ended up handing over only $6.4 million.
All of these "funds" come straight from taxpayer dollars. Calling them this fund or that fund puts a very thin veneer around that fact. Much more at the site - a perfect fustercluck. Goes to show that alt.energy can never compete on a level playing field. If the technology was so good, we would have plants springing up all over. The only way these can operate is through heavy taxpayer subsidies.
