Sustainable Energy for the SKA

CSIRO is building capability in the area of renewable energy solutions in support of

the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope.

CSIRO will build Australia’s largest direct heat geothermal demonstration site in Perth, and renewable energy infrastructure at a radio astronomy observatory in the remote Mid West region of Western Australia, to support Australia and New Zealand’s bid to host the SKA radio telescope.

In June 2010 the Australian Government announced that CSIRO will receive $47.3 million for the ‘Sustainable Energy for the SKA’ project through the Sustainability Round of the Australian Government’s Education Investment Fund.

The ‘Sustainable Energy for the SKA’ project has two components:

• Ahybridsolar/dieselstorageandgeneration plant, coupled with sophisticated energy management

systems, will be built to service the CSIRO-managed Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) about 700 km north of Perth

• Australia’slargestdirectheatgeothermal demonstration site will be built at the Pawsey High Performance Computing Centre for SKA Science in Perth, to be co-located with the Australian Resources Research Centre (ARRC).

Green Energy for ASKAP and the MRO

The proposed sustainable energy generation and management system to be constructed at the MRO will include:

• Asolar/diesel power generation system for CSIRO’s Australian

SquareKilometreArrayPathfinder(ASKAP) radio telescope and other telescopes under construction at the MRO in collaborative partnership with Horizon Power

• Anenergy-efficientcontrolbuildingfor the MRO incorporating pre-fabricatedelementsforefficientremote deployment, internal energy management, and passive geoexchange cooling elements

• Ademonstrationgeoexchangecoolingsystem for ASKAP’s antenna electronics

•Monitoringequipmenttoprovideessential climatic and energy management performance information, as well as data for linked education programs.

Geothermal Demonstrator at the Pawsey Centre and ARRC

The direct heat geothermal demonstration site in Perth will use hot sedimentary aquifers to provide a cooling and ventilation system for the Pawsey Centre and ARRC. It will incorporate:

• Installationofplantinfrastructureincluding exploration and production wells, submersible pump and down-hole geophysical and geochemical sensors

•Developmentofweb-accessiblemonitoring infrastructure to enable the continuous evaluation of the power system performance at the site, and to make data accessible to students.

> Installation of a trial geoexchange system for cooling ASKAP’s antennas (see the back page for more details on the trial). Credit: Graham Allen, CSIRO.

Maximising Benefits

The MRO and its associated computing facility, the Pawsey Centre, will both have high electricity demands. On-site geothermal and solar renewable energy technologieswillprovidemultiplebenefits.

Meet Energy Needs

The MRO will require approximately 0.9 MW of power. Once the solar hybrid power generation system has been installed, the site’s carbon footprint can be reduced by over 50%.

Electricity use at ARRC will be reduced by up to 0.4 MW from 2011, and the combined Pawsey Centre and ARRC electricity consumption will be reduced by up to 1.9 MW in 2013, to give an estimated operating cost saving of up to $3 million each year.

Demonstrate Renewable Power

The large-scale demonstration of renewable energy technologies at the MRO and Pawsey Centre will showcase Australia’s industry capacity to develop and deploy sustainable clean technology and advance commercial scale renewable energy systems.

Build the Case for the SKA

Creating renewable energy systems for the MRO will highlight the viability of remote Australian sites for SKA array stations and strengthen Australia and New Zealand’s bid for hosting the SKA.

Help Achieve Carbon Neutrality

The project will assist CSIRO in meeting its goal of reducing energy consumption to be ‘carbon neutral’ by 2015.

Expand Education Opportunities

Education and training institutions will be provided with monitoring and performance information via a web-

accessible interface that will create hands-on learning opportunities.

Extend Relationships

Research and industry partnerships will be essential in delivering the project.

Wider Applications

The project will demonstrate practical renewable energy management solutions that could be applied to remote communities, mine sites, hospitals, universities and data centres.

Project Schedule

The project is expected to commence in October 2010 and to be completedbyDecember2013.

> Geothermal energy has the potential to provide continuous clean and sustainable energy for Australia well into the future. CSIRO research is focused on defining, assessing, developing and managing suitable geothermal resources. Credit: CSIRO.

> The education materials linked to ‘Sustainable Energy for the SKA’ will build on the success of CSIRO’s Pulse@Parkes remote observing program. Credit: David Crosling.

FAST FACTS

What is the MRO?

The Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, or MRO, is a 126 km2 area that has been created for radio astronomy research. It is located in the remote Mid West region of Western Australia and is extremely ‘radio quiet’, making it an ideal location for sensitive radio telescopes. The MRO will be home to ASKAP and other radio telescopes that are currently under construction. It is also Australia and New Zealand’s candidate core site for the international SKA project.

What is ASKAP?

CSIRO is currently building ASKAP, the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder,attheMRO.ASKAPwillbe a next-generation radio telescope made up of 36 identical antennas, each 12 metres in diameter, working together as a single instrument. As well as being a leading telescope in its own

right, ASKAP will be an important technology demonstrator for the SKA.

What is the SKA?

The Square Kilometre Array, or SKA, will be a revolutionary radio telescope made up of thousands of antennas linked together across an area the size of a continent. Astronomers and engineers from more than 70 institutes in 20 countries are designing the SKA, which will be 50 times more sensitive and will survey the sky 10,000 times faster than any other telescope.

The $2.5 billion project will be built in either Australia – New Zealand orsouthernAfrica,withthefinalsite decision expected to be made in 2012. The MRO is Australia and New Zealand’s candidate site for the central ‘core’ of antennas that will make up the SKA.

What is the Pawsey Centre?

Funding for the $80 million Pawsey High Performance Computing Centre for SKA Science, or Pawsey Centre, was announced by the Australian Government in May 2009. It will be located in Perth on CSIRO-owned land adjacent to the Australian Resources Research Centre.

NamedafterDrJoePawsey,apioneerof radio astronomy, the Pawsey

Centre will process the vast amounts of data generated by ASKAP and provide world-class high-performance computing capability to other computationally intensive applications such as geoscience, medicine and metrology. The Pawsey Centre will also provide essential support for Australia and New Zealand’s bid to host the SKA.

Through iVEC, CSIRO will work with partners Curtin University of Technology, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and The University of Western Australia to build the Pawsey Centre.

What is the ARRC?

The Australian Resources Research Centre, or ARRC, is a major initiative of the Western Australian Government, CSIRO and Curtin University of Technology that delivers innovative solutions for the petroleum and minerals sector. Established in 2001, ARRC is located in Perth’s Technology Park.

> The remote MRO site in Western Australia. Credit: Ant Schinckel, CSIRO.

> An artist’s impression of a complete ASKAP at the MRO. Credit: Swinburne Astronomy Productions/CSIRO.

> An artist’s impression of dishes that will make up the SKA radio telescope. Credit: Swinburne Astronomy Productions/SPDO.

> An artist’s impression of the Pawsey Centre at Perth’s Technology Park. Credit: Woodhead/CSIRO.

> The ARRC is a major initiative of the Western Australian Government, CSIRO and Curtin University of Technology. Credit: CSIRO.

“CSIRO is building capability in the area of renewable energy solutions in support of the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope.”

Building on CSIRO Experience

The ‘Sustainable Energy for the SKA’ project is supported by CSIRO’s depth of experience in renewable energy, earth science and resource engineering, astronomy and facilities management.

Initial testing of the Pawsey Centre and ARRC site, and a geoexchange system trial at the MRO, have already begun.

Understanding Hot Aquifers

Geothermal energy from Perth’s deep hot Yarragadee aquifer will be used to cool the Pawsey Centre’s energy intensive supercomputers and meet ARRC’s heating and cooling needs.

Through the Western Australian Geothermal Centre of Excellence, CSIRO has been conducting research toconfirmthegeothermalpotentialof the Yarragadee aquifer.

Based on data sourced from relogging a bore adjacent to the ARRC site and modelling results, CSIRO estimates that the water temperature is approximately 100°C at a depth of 3 km. These initial results indicate that abundant thermal energy exists in the aquifer to support the operation of the site’s geothermal infrastructure for thousands of years.

The proposed geothermal exploration well will gather temperature, chemistry and permeability data to better characterise the aquifer and guide

the requirements for geothermal production wells. The project will demonstrate the feasibility of future development, and showcase renewable energy technologies and best-practice sustainable management, of the aquifer resource within the Perth Basin.

Geoexchange Trial Underway

Keeping ASKAP’s electronic systems at a constant, cool temperature is important, particularly as the telescope will be operating 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Working with Melbourne-based companyDirectEnergy,CSIROhasinstalled a prototype geoexchange systematthesiteofASKAP’sfirstantenna. This technology offers long-term sustainability as it uses the ground as a heat sink to reduce the telescope’s overall demand on power.

Ten bore holes, each 30 metres deep, were drilled into the ground adjacent to the antenna. Six holes were equipped with copper ‘loops’ containing refrigerant and connected to a compressor and de-superheater unit, while four holes will be used for monitoring the ground heat distribution. Temperature sensors have also been placed in all ten holes.

An adjustable heat load emulating the operation of the antenna’s electronic systems is being used to test the system’s performance.

> A diagram of the trial geoexchange system showing the copper loops, heat load, buffer tank, and chiller and controller units at the base of the first ASKAP antenna. Credit: Direct Energy/CSIRO.

> Temperature and heat flow modelling is an integral component for identifying andassessing geothermal targets. Credit: CSIRO.

Key Contacts

MRO Activities

Neil Marston BusinessDevelopmentManager CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science Phone: 02 9372 4630 Email: Neil.Marston@csiro.au

Perth Activities

Steve Harvey DeputyChief–Operations CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering Phone: 08 6436 8610 Email: Steve.Harvey@csiro.au

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