AGL has acquired the development rights to a new hybrid solar and long-duration energy storage project.
The purchase of the Yadnarie project, located near Cleve on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, should expand AGL’s firming capacity pipeline with RayGen’s proprietary PV Ultra and Thermal Hydro system.
The project includes up to 150 MW of solar generation, 90 MW of thermal capacity, and 720 MWh of energy storage – equivalent to eight hours of dispatchable output. The project will be delivered in two stages.
The system integrates RayGen’s concentrated photovoltaic (PV) modules with thermal storage.
Mirrors focus sunlight onto high-efficiency solar cells, generating electricity while simultaneously capturing heat. That heat is stored in insulated water reservoirs and later used to drive a thermodynamic power cycle for electricity dispatch.
This configuration allows for decoupling of generation and dispatch, offering firming capacity without reliance on lithium-ion batteries. The modular system is positioned as a longer-duration alternative suited to renewable-heavy grids with volatile output.
“This project incorporates RayGen’s innovative solar-and-storage system technology as one potential solution to the need for long duration energy storage,” said Travis Hughes, AGL’s General Manager of Power Development.
“AGL has long been an early supporter and adopter of innovative energy solutions like RayGen’s, and this development has the potential to be a reliable and affordable solution to the challenges of long duration energy storage as Australia transitions to a renewable energy system.”
AGL’s development pipeline is targeting 12 GW of new renewables and firming capacity by 2035. The company’s strategy includes firming technologies suited to replace retiring coal assets with dispatchable, emissions-free alternatives.