The Brazilian city of Petrolina is home to a unique solar-energy project. Unlike conventional solar facilities, it is designed to produce both electricity and thermal energy from the same sunlight.
If successful, this concept could offer a different way of combining solar generation and energy storage.
Australia’s RayGen commissioned a 1 MW PV Ultra system at an AXIA Energia site in Petrolina, Brazil. This is RayGen’s most recent international deployment, and the project is now fully operational.
AXIA Energia is using the project to see how the technology performs under local conditions in Brazil before considering larger deployments.
The sunlight gets used twice
The project integrates various technologies into one system. A field of mirrors, called heliostats, reflects sunlight toward a central receiver. Sunlight is focused onto photovoltaic modules, which then create electricity.
In contrast to typical solar projects, the system is engineered to absorb heat. Heat from the absorption process warms water, which cools the photovoltaic modules.
As part of RayGen’s broader integrated system design, thermal energy captured by the array is actively stored for later use. This allows excess heat collected during peak sunny periods to remain fully available to generate electricity through an Organic Rankine Cycle turbine whenever power is needed.
The Petrolina project also gives the company a chance to demonstrate the technology in one of the world’s fastest-growing energy markets.
One megawatt is not the real story
Although the Petrolina facility is relatively small at 1 MW, its primary function goes beyond generating electricity immediately. AXIA is using the site to evaluate the technology under local operating conditions before deciding whether larger deployments make sense.
That makes the facility a proving ground as much as a power plant.
The site is also being used to observe how the technology performs within Brazil’s energy market and climate conditions.
Upon completion of the project, RayGen CEO Richard Payne referred to this development as “a major international milestone” for his company.
Additionally, he stated this represented another important step in RayGen’s effort to commercially develop technology that combines solar generation with long-duration energy storage.
RayGen indicated that the round-trip efficiency of its thermal-storage system is approximately 70%. This capability helps address increasing demand for long-duration storage as more renewable energy enters the electrical grid. Together, those characteristics may help determine whether the technology is suitable for broader commercial deployment.
AI factories enter the conversation
AXIA became interested in the technology because it combines power generation and storage in the same system. Company executives believe it could provide another option for combining renewable energy, energy storage and grid stability.
Juliano Dantas, Executive Vice President of Technology and Innovation at AXIA Energia, stated that the technology could provide solar-generated energy that responds more closely to demand while maintaining power quality. The company is also exploring whether the technology could help power AI factories.
The technology already has a track record
Further evaluation will focus on how the system performs and where it could be deployed in the future. For now, the priority remains gaining operational experience in Brazil.
To date, RayGen has developed a growing portfolio of projects. The Brazil installation is not the company’s first experience operating the technology under real-world conditions.
Since 2015, the company has operated a testing facility in Victoria, Australia. It also operates a commercial facility at Carwarp that combines 5 MW of solar generation with 2.8 MW and 50 MWh of storage.
At the end of 2023, the Carwarp site commenced commercial operation and can produce up to 17 continuous hours of power into the national grid.
The results from Brazil could show whether the technology remains a demonstration project or moves into wider commercial use in the future.
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