Solar power options have been developed to produce electricity for remote communities and mineral processing plants in the harshest, most remote locations of Australia for an ongoing cost of just cents per kWh. Power requirements range from 400 kW to over 50 MW.

Mineral processing sites and remote communities share the tyranny of distance that drives up the cost of fuel delivered to the power plant. While similar in some aspects, the two applications differ markedly, especially with respect to the difference in their load demand, hence they require different technological and engineering solutions.

The major advantage of solar energy is that the ongoing operating cost is extremely low and linked essentially to the cost of local unskilled labor. For communities and operations located more than a couple hundred kilometers away from a grid or natural gas pipeline, solar power may prove to be the financially prudent choice.

The solar thermal power solutions for a variety of sites having widely differing design criteria, and therefore differing technological and engineering solutions, are presented with respect to their performance and cost.

The greatest benefit is derived when the capital investment is made upfront, however, a staged investment approach may be applied that offsets or eliminates daytime fuel consumption first and is later expanded to provide inexpensive power day and night all year round.