Marrying zero-carbon solar energy and low-emission gas will be critical to meeting our growing energy demands in a sustainable and economical way. Today, this application got a shot in the arm with the green lighting of the world’s largest solar-gas hybrid plant. As part of its Solar Flagships Program, the Australian government selected the proposed 250MW ‘Solar Dawn’ solar thermal-gas hybrid power plant to be its preferred solar thermal power project. The Australian Commonwealth and Queensland Governments announced their commitment to contribute AUS$464 million and AUS$75 million, respectively, to the project. It will utilize AREVA’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector technology.

The Solar Flagships Program aims to provide the foundation for large-scale, grid-connected solar power and accelerate the commercialization of solar power in Australia. It is a key component of the Australian Governments AUS$5 billion Clean Energy Initiative.

Coming on the heels of AREVA’s Kogan Creek booster project announcement in April, the ‘Solar Dawn’ project is led by a consortium of AREVA Solar, CS Energy and Wind Prospect CWP. Today’s funding announcement follows the completion of feasibility and design studies by the consortium members and will now allow for project development and contractual processes to be completed by year’s end.

AREVA Solar CEO Bill Gallo commended the Australian government on its vision for a low-carbon economy and explained the significance of this milestone power project:

The Solar Flagships Program demonstrates the Australian government’s support for renewable energy. This announcement represents another significant milestone in the creation of a world-class clean energy industry in Australia.

Solar Dawn will be an international showcase for the nation, using Australia’s abundant solar resource and AREVA Solar’s Australian-pioneered Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector technology to combine zero-carbon solar energy with a low-emission, gas boiler back-up system to efficiently produce clean, reliable power to meet growing energy demand.

Once completed, the project will be one of the most sustainable power plants in the world. Its simple, innovative design will even deliver energy when the sun isn’t shining.

Moving forward, the ‘Solar Dawn’ consortium is set to work closely with key government, business and community stakeholders to finalize all relevant approvals and financing plans, including engineering, procurement, construction, operations and maintenance contracts. The project’s formal announcement can be found here.

In an effort to support its rapidly growing project pipeline and technology deployment around the world, AREVA Solar announced this week Dr. Philip Gleckman has joined the company as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). He will lead AREVA Solar’s technology roadmap and manage research and development projects as the company continues to advance its Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) superheated solar thermal technology.

Dr. Gleckman brings a strong background in optical engineering to AREVA Solar. He previously served as a member of Google’s renewable energy research group, where he led the solar Brayton Cycle (operation of a gas turbine engine) receiver program. He also held an appointment as a visiting scientist in the Materials Science department at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Dr. Gleckman’s prior commercial solar energy experience includes management of the R&D groups at two Idealab companies.

AREVA Solar CEO Bill Gallo stated:

“AREVA Solar provides world-class concentrated solar power technology for a global customer base. Based on Dr. Gleckman’s previous success in developing leading-edge solar technology, we plan to put his knowledge to work for AREVA Solar as we continue to advance our CLFR technology and develop our rapidly expanding project pipeline.”

Gleckman will lead R&D efforts that will further enhance AREVA Solar’s CLFR offering – already the most land-efficient solar technology available on the market and a solution that can address the needs of both global power generation customers and industrial processes.

Along with an assortment of pouched mammals and Vegemite sandwiches, the Land Down Under will soon have the unique distinction of the world’s largest solar booster connected to an existing coal-fired power plant. As announced today by the Queensland government and CS Energy, AREVA Solar will begin construction of the 44MW solar field this coming summer at the 750MW Kogan Creek coal-fired plant, with the solar plant feeding superheated steam into the coal plant’s power block beginning in 2013. This project represents the largest deployment of AREVA’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar thermal technology in the world.

Why wed solar steam to coal?

CS Energy Chief Executive David Brown gives an answer:

“The Kogan Creek Solar Boost Project will generate additional electricity to help meet Queensland’s growing energy demand. By using energy from the sun with AREVA’s solar booster application, we will make the coal-fired plant more fuel-efficient and reduce its greenhouse intensity – avoiding the production of 35,600 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.”

AREVA Solar CEO Bill Gallo describes why the company’s proven CLFR technology was selected for this ground-breaking project:

“The innovative solar project will use AREVA’s CLFR superheated solar steam technology to boost the power station’s steam generation system, reliably increasing its electrical output and fuel efficiency. This will be achieved by supplying additional steam to the power station’s turbine, supplementing the conventional coal-fired steam generation process. The technology uses heat from the sun to convert water to steam, with zero emissions.

“AREVA Solar’s CLFR technology is water-conservative and the most land-efficient renewable energy technology available. The solar steam generators and accompanying system are expected to occupy approximately 75 acres of land within the current boundaries of the CS Energy site.”

Generating more power without more emissions is a key benefit of AREVA’s low carbon energy technology portfolio. This type of solar thermal project – for which AREVA Solar has seen growing demand from utilities in Australia, United States and around the world – is a tangible example of how AREVA is leading efforts to achieve a clean energy future.

AREVA has announced that 14-year company veteran Bill Gallo will become Chief Executive Officer of AREVA Solar, the group’s global solar business unit headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., effective March 1.

Gallo currently serves as President and CEO of AREVA Federal Services, where he has overseen the establishment and growth of this 500-employee company focused on public sector contracts.

AREVA Solar designs, manufactures and installs solar steam generators for its global power generation and industrial customers in a dependable, competitive and environmentally responsible manner.

AREVA’s CLFR solar thermal technology is water-conservative and the most land-efficient renewable energy technology available. This technology can improve a utility’s energy mix by either building new CO2-free plants or by boosting the capacity of existing plants with solar generated steam. AREVA concentrated solar power installations can also provide solar steam for a variety of industrial processes.

To learn more, check out this video on AREVA’s concentrated solar thermal energy plant Kimberlina in Bakersfield, Calif.—the first such plant linked to the Californian network for 20 years.

Adding to AREVA’s renewable energy portfolio of offshore wind and bioenergies, AREVA acquired U.S. solar company Ausra in February. The California-based company is a provider of large-scale concentrated solar power solutions for electricity generation and industrial steam production.

More information on AREVA Solar’s Technology and a video tour of the facility is available here.

When it recently acquired Ausra (now AREVA Solar), AREVA knew it was getting a proven technology and an experienced management team. Now AREVA can say it got an Innovation All-Star.

In its March 2010 issue, Fast Company named Ausra one of its 59 Innovation All-Stars. Fast Company is an award-winning monthly magazine and web site covering the business of innovation. These Innovation All-stars were featured for their activities in 2008 and 2009 when they “fought a dour economy with renewed creativity and bold initiatives.”

Ausra was chosen specifically because it shifted its business strategy away from developing large-scale solar thermal power plants in the face of industry-wide tight project financing markets and permitting delays. Instead, the company focused on selling its proven solar steam generation technology to other power producers and industrial steam customers. Fast Company noted, “Within a few months, Ausra 2.0 had already struck deals with buyers in Jordan, Australia, and the United States.”

This innovative thinking is part of what AREVA Solar will use in its efforts to achieve the dominant market share of the projected 20 gigawatt concentrated solar power plant market by 2020.