Recently, Cogentrix Energy LLC, which is a ruling electric power generation-projects-development company, revealed that they are joining in on a contract with the Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo), Xcel Energy Company. They are going to establish a solar facility near to Alamosa, in the Southern Colorado. The project is going to be completed by the second quarter of 2012, with a potential solar energy capacity of 30,000 KW.

The president of Cogentrix Energy, Tom Bonner said, “Our focus has always been on developing quality power generation facilities that deliver reliable power to our customers,” In the past, Cogentrix Energy has been involved with lasting business relations with Xcel Energy and other electric generating project companies. Bonner is eager to assure that their contribution to the renewable energy requirement is effectively met.

The solar systems that are going to be used for the concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) will be provided by Amonix Inc. The corporation is currently a leading designer and manufacturer of concentrating photovoltaic systems. They supply a CPV technology having optics and dual-axis tracking systems to maximize the exposure of sunlight to the photovoltaic cells. The result of using high-technology systems provided by Amonix is that this CPV facility will be able to produce more energy per acre than other solar generating systems. A total of 30,000 KW of solar energy will be supplied to Xcel energy’s customers, which will be sufficient to power roughly 6500 homes.

In San Luis Valley of Colorado, next to a current transmission system of Xcel Energy, estimated 225 acres of land will be used to erect this innovative solar facility. According to research, San Luis Valley of Colorado is one of the finest locations to generate solar energy in the United States. It has a high altitude and an abundance of sunshine.

The local permits have already been approved to Cogentrix, and they are presently securing capital for the project. The construction of the facility is predicted to commence in the First quarter of 2011. In the second quarter of 2012, the facility will be operational providing electricity to Xcel Energy’s customers over a long-term contract of 20-years.

The CEO of Cogentrix as well as a Managing Director of Goldman Sachs, Robert Mancini said that the company is enthusiastic to be a forerunner in the green evolution as “… more sustainable electric power generation is going to become a larger component of the nation’s energy…”

The focus of Cogentrix is to develop renewable power. It is involved in solar technology; solar photovoltaic & concentrated photovoltaic. Currently, the company considers that solar energy will become one of the key energy sources of the future in the United States of America. The trend is steadily heading towards that direction as material cost is falling and the efficiency of both manufacturing and generating electricity from solar energy is improving. The government has supported this expansion effectively with solid financial incentives offered.

Cogentrix has a widespread portfolio of projects, more than 300 MW of renewable power, which are in the pipeline over the long-term.

According to Xcel Energy, solar installation at San Luis Valley is a proceeding move towards the renewable energy commitment in Colorado.

Source: World of Renewables

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The expansion of electricity capacity for 2009 was of a total of 27.5 GW. Renewable sources such as wind power, photovoltaic (PV), biomass, hydro and concentrated solar power accounted for 37.1 %, 21 % 2.1 %, and 1, 4 % and 0.4 % respectively. The remaining was constructed from gas fired power stations (24 percent), coal-fired power stations (8.7 percent), oil (2.1 percent), nuclear (1.6 percent) and waste incineration (1.6 percent)

However, some of the facilities expanded for energy output are not operating on full potentials. For example, the constructed gas-fired power stations will produce 28 TWh yearly on reaching full capacity. Other sources such as wind will produce 20 TWh and PV 5.6 TWh per annum.

The “report” suggests that if the actual growth rate is sustained then by year 2020 more than 1400 TWh of electricity will be produced from clean energy sources. With such a capacity, renewable energy would represent around 35 to 40 percent of Europe’s electricity consumption. This would definitely contribute to achieve the current goal of generating 20 percent of electricity from renewable sources of energy by 2020.

Indeed, to meet the 20 percent target some obstacles need to be addressed. Emphasis must be laid on improving access to grids, invest more in R&D and encourage the use of renewable electricity systems. According to the study, the cost of renewable technology will not be influenced by the time (in the future) but rather on production volume.

Overview of 2010 Snapshot

Several targets set are being met earlier than expected. For wind energy, the total installed capacity reached above 74 GW in 2009. It is already 80 percent more than the target for 2010, which is 40 GW. The current target established by the European Wind Association is to reach an installed capacity of 230 GW (40 GW offshore) by year 2020. This will be enough to provide roughly 20 percent of the energy consumption required in Europe.

The expansion in biomass is doubling the output from 108 TWh to 200 TWh in 2008 to 2010. Nevertheless, there are competing uses of biomass such as for transport fuels and heating. These competing alternative uses might hinder its use as bio-electricity. The positive aspect of bio-electricity is that it can be stored to be used when demand for electricity increases.

In Europe the use of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is only moderately developed. It generated 0.43 GW in May 2010. However, it is a growing source of electricity. For 2020, CSP can provide an estimated 30 GW of electricity, assuming that European Solar Industry Initiative ESII is implemented. Spain has most of the CSP projects currently in Europe.

Typical solar photovoltaic (PV) has since 2003 increased its total installed capacity by 100 percent per annum. It reached a total of 16 GW in 2009, which accounts for around 2 percent of the general capacity. In 2010, PV is expected to expand with a further 10 GW of installed capacity. Moreover, solar photovoltaic has surpassed the suggested amount of installed capacity prescribed by EU’s white papers on renewable energy sources.

There are other sources of renewable energy which are progressing gradually in research and development such as geothermal, wave and tidal power. They are thus not incorporated in the Renewable Energy Snapshots. Nonetheless, they will be included in the years to come.

There is one particular source of energy which is not expected to increase much. Hydropower does already represent the major part of renewable energy but it is not predicted to expand much, as most of its resources are already being exploited. Yet, hydropower, such as pumped hydro will be used as a storage capacity for alternative sources of energy.

PDF Report: Renewable Energy Snapshot 2009

Sources: Escience, Europe Commission Link 1 and link 2

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Fascinatingly, solar-powered reactors can be used to convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide. Besides, this reactor can also change water into both oxygen and hydrogen.

These two elements (oxygen and hydrogen) can be processed to produce hydrocarbon fuels. It is done through a mechanism called the Fischer-Tropsch process.

Generating fuel using this methodology is quite similar to current fuel systems used. There would not be a need for a radical change in engines as well as refueling stations. What is intriguing is that if fuel could be produced from atmospheric carbon, driving cars would thus be completely carbon neutral.

Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have a team of scientists who have created a Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5). A machine collecting carbon dioxide emitted by power plant’s exhausted fumes. Yet, they suggest that in the future they will be able to capture CO2 directly from the air.

The CR5 system has big parabolic-mirrors that intensify sunlight on two chambers divided by rotating rings of cerium oxide. The cerium oxide is heated up to 1500 degrees celsius as the rings spin. The machine releases oxygen in one of the chambers. However, the oxygen is sprayed away.

The ring continues to spin and the newly de-oxidised cerium shifts into the second chamber. In that chamber carbon is injected. The de-oxidised cerium will now take a molecule of oxygen to generate cerium oxide and carbon monoxide.

A team at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology located in Zurich has developed a similar machine. However, this apparatus uses zinc oxide, calcium oxide and steam to produce a steam of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The system that they have invented can already collect and use atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Yet, these two reactors are not fully prefect. The one that the New Mexico team is working on can only operate for a few seconds per trial. The Swiss model can only generate roughly 10 KW. However, both the reactors are expected to be improved in terms of yield capacity and consistency.

Generating usable fuel from carbon dioxide and solar energy is a promising solution. It will help in bring down the level of greenhouse emissions.

Ken Caldeira from the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Stanford University, California said to new scientists (news) “This area holds out the promise for technologies that can produce large amounts of carbon-neutral power at affordable prices…”

He also suggested that this CR5 technology could evolve the future of energy to another level.

Source: New Scientist and Telegraph

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Two varieties of solar power exist today able to supply large requirements: Solar thermal and photovoltaic cell technologies.
Basically speaking, solar thermal energy is generated when the sun heats fluids that produce steam and the steam is then utilized to power a generator or turbine. Utility scale enterprises use mirrors or lenses that focus the sun’s rays in a concentrated manner like a kid with a magnifying glass.

With photovoltaic solar cell technology [PV], the sun radiates on to the solar panel or the solar film where it converts into an electrical current. This PV apparatus is a semi conductor cell. Photovoltaic is defined as converting or producing electric current or charge after exposure to a light source or radiated energy.

Smaller kinds of solar photovoltaic devices have been around for some time now such as calculators, flashlights, garden lights etc. Mid size utilization would be powering a home a couple rooms within a home or a garage. Large utilization of Photovoltaic usage would be enormous utility scale solar power arrays installed in large areas with unremitting sunlight directed at the facility.

The use of large scale solar power plants is still novel and in development stages. Technology is progressing rapidly as is the overall interest in solar as a source of renewable power. The government however, has been slow to adapt to utility scale solar power. It is still treading in new turf when commencing discussions regarding Utility scale solar power plants. California is beginning to move into utility solar to a larger degree. Pacific Gas and Electric [PG&E] is working on a development alongside Topaz Solar Farms which they hope will begin generating power by next year and move into peak production by 2013.

It has been forecast that the PG&E solar project will add a further 1.1 million megawatts to the California grid with more projects projected at a utility scale for California and Nevada. They are also looking at utilizing solar thermal power also. Further solar power plans are under evaluation for Florida, Arizona and surprisingly New Jersey. US Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar has discussed fast tracking some developments for this year of 2010 that would mean fourteen projects slated for US government property. In January of this year, the number of applications was one hundred twenty eight sent to the Bureau of Land Management for building large utility solar facilities.

One of the potential road blocks for rapid development of utility scale solar plants is a dearth of transmission capabilities. Most big utility solar facilities need to be built in remote locations where land is available and sunshine is abundant, and the remote desert locations fill this requirement. Secretary Salazar has since made an announcement that approximately five thousand miles of transmission cabling onto land corridors on managed land has been allotted. They are also managing the right of way access applications for other available lands.

Solar energy is free and a widely available source of power. Certain spots in the US have the ideal conditions to sustain utility scale solar power. The solar power plants run clean and are renewable energy sources as opposed to fossil fuel operations, which are finite petro based systems and come at a cost to the environment. What is required is a durable and long standing plan for creating new and reliable supplies of power including utility scale solar power.

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Morocco has plans to invest nine billion dollars in advance to construct two gigawatts of solar power, dispersed between five solar power facilities within ten years.

Two Gigawatts or [Two Thousand Megawatts] is plenty to provide for forty percent of the country’s electricity requirements for thirty two million inhabitants, who by the sounds of it, utilize very little energy in general. For instance, in California in 2008, they needed to add three thousand megawatts of power – primarily in the form of wind energy production. Nevertheless, it was supplying but a small fraction of the states actual energy requirement.

In Morocco, their five solar power facilities will be constructed successively, the initial plant slated for construction beginning in 2015. It will start saving Moroccans money straight away since it will reduce the need for foreign fossil fuel imports from adjacent oil producing nations.

It is inspirational to see the country’s politicians get behind the solar power initiative stating how they desire to see a “green footprint in the sands of time” and even more astounding was the ability to garner the majority of ballots in the Kingdom’s parliament that will give it the  necessary push to get it off the ground.

No Right Wing Media Pundits Here!

The Moroccan Minister of Finance has said that the solar project will be an obviously significant point regarding the vital requirement of government to step up to the climate change question and he says this is simply their initial effort as a country. He adds that Morocco is placing a priority on environmental safeguards in every foreseeable project.

The Moroccan Minister of Energy also is staunchly behind the solar power progress. She emphasized that though it is a formidable plan it is a realistic endeavor and that guarantees are in place for all financial and technological resources for the project to be a winning venture.

The government of Morocco is putting into place all of the necessary financial resources as it collaborates with the World Bank, the European Commission as well as Desertec to realize their vision of a future with lean solar energy at the forefront.

One can only wish that our own western governments – specifically North American – could be so simply persuaded to leave their own green footprints in the sands of time. Domestic reliance on fossil fuel is so great that making any significant inroads toward a renewable energy future is more of a transparent gesture at this time than a determined energy policy promoting green renewable energy advances.

Granted, countries such as Morocco have less of a power commitment than most western democracies do and they have their predictable climate going for them. However, until political will is transformed across the aisle, green energy initiatives will continue to be patronizing at best.

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These MENA nations, as they are so often called, have huge solar power potential. Those countries that adapt quickly take a keen advantage over their competition. This is particularly true of the nations occupying the Arabian Peninsula and countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and also Israel. These nations already have a leg up in solar technology, specifically Israel, which is the leading solar power developer in the mid east region. The UN actually asked Israel if it could increase its solar energy growth. Inspite of being an innovative solar power source, Israel itself is slow to implement solar energy generation within its own borders, its progress likened to that of a developing country.

Experts agree that the MENA nations have the most potential for generating solar power, providing for forty five percent of the world’s energy requirements possible via sustainable energy. Masdar City in Abu Dhabi is a locale of interest as it also plays host to the World Renewable Energy Agency Headquarters. Called IRENA, this organization has the ability to spark growth in the entire area.

The chief issue at play here is the sporadic at best funding of renewable power programs because of the abundant oil reserves and other fossil fuel options according to insiders who made the admission while in Copenhagen. The renewable ventures in the MENA area either are underfunded or are given no money whatsoever, partially due to the fossil fuel stocks.

With that said, those countries in the region that focus on renewable energy development utilizing solar and wind energy potential will have an enormous advantage if they make the move to benefit from them.

The cry for more energy, preferably the renewable variety, will mean these MENA nations must resort to developing their renewables footprint, specifically the use of solar power, as expeditiously as possible to cover off this rising demand. It has been estimated that eighty to ninety Gigawatts of power would be required.

The world need will demand this amount and the MENA nations will be able to satisfy this call with solar power and other forms of renewables.

What Can We Wring Out Of The Sun?

The most popular forms of solar power production are photovoltaic [PV] cells and concentrated solar power or [CSP]. CSP utilizes mirrors and lenses to focus the sun’s rays, tracking old Saul to get the most from him daily. Israeli manufacturers like Zenith Solar and Aora Solar are using this technology.

The CSP technology is used in mega solar power facilities that provide for the masses, supplying the grid while PV solar units are utilized more by less ambitious power facilities based on news media reports out of the region. A major issue for mega solar production in the desert region of MENA nations is the sandstorms and related dust trouble which impacts in poor efficiency of solar lenses, mirrors and PV panel technologies.

The Masdar City initiative in Abu Dhabi is going to be heavily utilizing PV panels on a massive scale. Numerous lesser programs using solar panels are also in development throughout the area.

 If the MENA nations could only upgrade their use of solar power technology, it would free up more fossil fuel exporting only augmenting the reputations of the oil producing nations as mega energy producers and exporters. This is according to a regional energy expert who concluded by saying that doing this now when supplies are limited globally would only expand their position.

Backing up fossil fuel exports with renewable power would increase the value of the regions oil exports. No doubt, that oil and natural gas will live on as the foremost source of energy for the near future. Additionally, the OPEC nation’s part in global supply is forecast to rise from today’s total of forty two percent of world oil supply to fifty two percent inside twenty years.

Due to touchy political issues, solar power technology collaboration among these MENA countries and the global innovator Israel could be exceedingly advantageous for these nations over time. There is every hope that this is already occurring behind the curtain – out of the sunlight!

Both CSP and PV cell technology could be implemented in a big way within this region. The Masdar project only recently approved the initial large scale PV solar array mega project in the region. Less significant designs are already spreading throughout the MENA region but mainly in remote rural locations away from the grid.

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Two years ago in 2008, solar energy had the potential to perhaps supply one thousand times the total human power requirement, nevertheless, only a fraction of that amount was actually generated that year. Should solar energy carry on with increases averaging three years or even fewer, it will not take long for it to develop into primary source for energy and power in this century.

Until recently, photovoltaic was utilized as a power source for small to medium sized functions – for your solar cell calculator to households away from the national grid that used a PV power array for electricity. Installing solar power units can carry with it an enormous cost, but the knowledge base and technical development of solar have begun to lower this expenditure gradually. Far more developing nations are using or setting up solar power arrays and plants intended to take over for more traditional power sources.

The suns radiation is inconsistent and because of this solar power, production needs to be amalgamated with a form of power storage or other forms of energy to guarantee the supply of power remains uninterrupted. However, this issue is something for distribution companies and power utilities to contend with, the problem is mute for the consumer who relies on net metering. On an enormous level, combining power production is proving its worth with wind power, hydroelectric, biomass and solar energy production working together to supply grid requirements. In the end, the net result of this combo model of energy production is total renewable power.

Concentrated Solar Energy

The most common form of concentrated solar energy available is solar trough technology. Concentrating solar power units utilize mirrors or huge lenses along with tracking capabilities to focus enormous quantities of sunlight into a beam of light energy. Then this concentrated energy is utilized as a heat supply for the more customary kind of power plant facility.

There are several varieties of solar concentration technology in use today. The most advanced forms are the parabolic trough, the Stirling dish and the linear fresnel reflector. A number of methods are utilized when tracking the sunlight and concentrating its energy. In each procedure, the focused sunbeam heats the operational fluid, which is then used to produce power or warehouse the energy for another use.

Right now, various levels of government are offering financial inducements to assist with the installation of solar electric power units. These incentives are designed to increase buyer motivation toward solar PV’s and spur a competition between solar power generation and the more traditional methods of generating electricity.

One more method of increasing awareness of photovoltaic [PV] solar power creation is to break into the educational institution market for green technologies since universities and colleges are an influential sector for renewable energy solutions that would facilitate an impactful stimulus for the renewable power industry globally.

These days, solar electric power has garnered a fair share of attention, gaining a foothold in the residential market and small business and industry. Many of these consumers find they are able to generate excess power and are able to make an additional income by reselling their surplus power back to the grid and the power utilities. How exciting it must be to witness their electric meters running backwards for a change!

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The Birth Of Solar Power

Solar power had its beginnings when people realized that they could spark a fire by focusing the sun’s rays with glass of mirrors.
Populations used to make their homes on the side of cliffs that were facing south so they could tap the heat from the sunrays for warmth and had the added advantage of heating the rock for use after sunset. This is the birth of what is now referred to as passive solar power.

From Greenhouses to Photovoltaics

In the 1700s, a scientist is Switzerland by the name of Horace de Saussure was investigating what would happen when the sun was concentrated onto glass and developed what was referred to at the time as a “hot box”, ultimately being utilized as a greenhouse.
In the 1800s, A Frenchman named Edmund Becquerel found what eventually was called the “photovoltaic effect”; there was a reaction when the rays of the sun were concentrated on to particular materials that would generate a tiny electrical charge.
 
Used in later years by the Bell Laboratories in the 1950s to produce the initial solar cell that would create sufficient energy to power a small electrical device. Solar arrays were utilized to energize the early satellites in the later fifties and even today, solar power is a primary feature in the current space program.

Using Solar Power Today

Solar power in today’s modern world has evolved in remarkable ways with technological progress made in how it can be applied and where. Solar – or photovoltaic panels – are so capable they are able to power an entire home or business with very little maintenance or disadvantages. They are becoming less expensive all the time and that downward price tendency is expected to continue for some time.

Novel thin filmed technology is making its arrival and the production expenditure is less than one dollar. This is good news since when an increase in the effectiveness of solar meets the cost and reverses itself, solar will finally be an affordable option for power that many more folks will be able to pay for.

Other forms of solar power have progressed as well. Solar thermal technology provides heat and hot water to residences and industry worldwide. It is a popular heating alternative for many pool owners heating them throughout the year and lower costs substantially. Solar power is widely used in many devices and scenarios presently, what began with calculators in the early years have grown to include everything from electric shavers to airplanes. You can compress garbage in a solar energy trash compactor and pay for your parking via a solar power ticket distributor. New ideas emerge all the time.

What Is In Store For The Future Of Solar?

The solar market is still virtually untapped and so much remains to be discovered. Someday solar powered airplanes will be taking off from airports around the globe. Solar cells and panels will continue to shrink and become more capable, powering everything that is currently powered via electricity at some future time.

Solar energy usage has advanced dramatically since the ancient Greeks began using it to light their cooking and heating fires. What is so exciting about solar power is we have only just begun to tap its potential. Innovative minds will continue to optimize the technology and develop exciting uses well into the future using solar power.

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Compared to what the world is currently dependent on for energy consumption, solar power is renewable and quite clean. It is the perfect method of energy production for sustaining a healthy population and environment.

Solar power is expensive to put in place and for this reason, we do not see more enormous solar power facilities being constructed. They are far more costly to develop than other means of power production, save for nuclear power. It is because of this daunting expense that consumers would end up paying out their share of the difference in cost. There is hope though as solar becomes more popular the cost of developing the technology is dropping and thus the expense of solar power facilities is falling with it.

Another drawback of solar power is the incredible amount of land required to construct the solar power plants. Huge amounts of acreage are necessary so the desert lands are the perfect setting for these structures. The desert presents its own problem due to the population being centered so far away. This means that transmission lines are required in huge numbers and it further increases costs. The environmental issues raised because of the power line trajectory would likely mean regulatory approval and failure is a possibility.

The large solar power plants are great for daytime power generation but the evening hours mean zero production. Solar energy currently is lacking an efficient means to store energy though many unique methods are being evaluated. The top minds in science are working to perfect this dilemma and there is visible light in this particular tunnel that will alter solar power generation immeasurably in the near future.

Currently the best and most efficient way to utilize solar power is to install smaller solar facilities within communities inhabited by energy users. An education process is necessary to promote solar power usage and even offering rebates to users to get them involved in the solar power experience. The majority of people are excited about eventually “going green” and want to do what they can to assist with saving the planet, etc. for their children. At present, there is a collective realization that we must do more as individuals to safeguard the world’s precious resources. The more people who get on board with renewable energy solutions such as solar power, the more it will have a viral effect, and that goes for nations as well.

Not only does solar energy production run cleanly, it is safer for wildlife than fossil fuel or even wind power. The danger to birds with wind is well document as the birds get their wings clipped by huge propellers. Fossil fuels cause so much environmental damage from oil spills to drain pools injuring water fowl and polluting the food and water sources for animals. People suffer from this pollution with lung problems, allergies and complications for asthma sufferers. The asthma diagnosis rate has skyrocketed from previous years.

In the United States, the population uses more than twenty five percent of all global energy yet it accounts for just five percent of the world’s inhabitants, so this is huge utilization of finite resources. Compare that with the approximately two billion people in the world who do not have ANY electricity and you begin to realize how big a problem we have in the western world. Solar power usage would go a long way in alleviating the problem with America’s energy needs as well as for the people with no power at all.

The irony is that it is fossil fuel companies that have the wealth and resources to research and develop solar power generating facilities – among other renewable energy resources. Shell Corporation specifically has forecast that within the next thirty years half the planets electrical power requirements will be generated by environmentally friendly means.

Solar power plants are rising steadily in deserts and unused acreage around the world. Solar is the energy solution for that everyone hopes will take a quantum leap forward because of its many positive attributes if only government and private sector industry can pool their resources to overcome the hurdles t faces. Utilizing the sun to power our planet seems like such a natural solution and a healthy way to preserve our future and the planets.

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In simple terms, the solution is to store sunlight energy as heat energy.

The use of parabolic reflectors in solar-thermal power plants might soon use salt to assure a night and day provision for energy. Most varieties of salt do only melt at around 800 degrees Celsius and it need to be heated way-above that until it changes into vapor. The salt can be used to store the sun’s energy in forms of heat. The hypothesis is like this, the sunlight is used to heat the molten salt. The salt should be placed near the water and through a heat exchanger used to steam the water. This would ensure that the turbine is stimulated during the day through sunlight and during night from the heat of salt.

Salts generally used for fertilization such as regular blend of potassium nitrate and sodium can store enough heat for the power plant to work another eight hours. According to Sven Moorman, the spokesperson for a German company, Solar Millennium, AG the firm that established the Andasol plant in Spain. The production capacity of solar-thermal power plant can nearly double with the use this new technology.

Old Technology in New Environments

The use of mirrors to concentrate the heat of the sun is a very ancient concept. The Chinese and Greeks used it millenniums before us, to ignite fires. This technology has been redesigned in the modern world to provide substantial sources of renewable energy without any CO2 emissions.

The technology has until now been limited in the sense that it works only when sunshine is present. Scientists have extensively tried to broaden the application of the technology. Alternatives such as batteries have been suggested but according to National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in Golden, Colo the technology is ineffective and costly. Moreover, pumping water uphill for hydropower and compressing air are plausible solutions to sustain renewable sources of energy.

The process of heating salts to a temperature above 224 degrees Celsius can return as much as 93 percent of that energy. Moreover

The Andaso- 1-power plant required a cost approximately of $380 millions to be constructed and is the first of its kind. The practicability of the plant is yet to be seen. However, In America its feasibility has already been demonstrated through laboratories such as NREL and Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, N.M.

Solar Millennium stays ascertain that the technology will be a success. An identical power plant (Andasol 2) has already been constructed. The best thing about using molten salt is that it maximizes the potential of solar energy. It provides substantial amount of energy during cloudy or rainy days or after sunset.

The energy does however come at a cost. The power plant needs a larger surface area to allow for the heating of the salt. For instance, Andasol 1 covers a surface area of 50 hectares (126 acres) with pipes rows. Moreover, molten salt storage tanks are also required.

Nevertheless, the additional cost involved in assuring that the salt technology work does not add up any daily expenses. It pays for itself, as allows energy to be generated during times (night) previously not possible. Yet, the cost of thermal energy still is around twice the cost of coal-fired power plants, ignoring environmental cost. The reason why storage technology is being considered as fundamental is that the peak demand for energy is regularly in the evenings. The time that energy harnessed from the sun fades out.

For instance the Andasol 1 solar power plant, can store a heat of above 750 degrees. However, companies like SolarReserve in Santa Monica, Calif., are trying to innovate the technology and make it possible to boost the heating process of the molten salt. They are focusing on creating a molten solar power tower of 200-MW but this will cost around $800 million. It is risky investment, as the technology has not yet been fully scrutinized.

Solar Millennium is also working on modifying the mixture of salt. This includes new compositions such as lithium nitrate and calcium nitrate. However, lithium nitrate is a bit expensive. However, Bob Bradshaw at Sandia in California, chemical engineer and leader in the research says that there is always price to pay as nothing is obtained for free.

Other Studies
There are other long-term studies that are focusing on storing heat in sand or simply creating tanks full of salt. The priority is to find new storage technology at reasonable cost. The real trigger for renewable energy will only emerge when emissions-free technology gets the attention due. Establishing higher tax on pollution, would immediately give investors the right call for renewable energy to grow and together with storage and energy conservation technology.

Solar Millennium has constructed the first Solar Thermal power plant that uses molten salt to store energy. Andasol 1, might not be the best one but it is at least the first one to show that the technology exist and works.

Source: Scientific America

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