Concentrated solar power station

Molten salt can be used in a solar power generator to store heat for later use is the gist of a The Wall Street Journal report on 2 Jan W 08, p. A7; "Solar Venture Will Draw on Molten Salt," by J. Lynn Lunsford. The report has one process flow diagram.

Some attributes of a concentrated solar energy power system include

• molten salt stores heat extremely well, losing only about 1% of its heat during a day
• rising fossil fuel prices have made the system competitive and
• for generating energy during periods of peak demand when utility companies pay premium prices.

Lee Bailey, Managing director, US Renewables Group-

• the system functions like a conventional hydropower plant
• salt is free and inexhaustible and
• availability is more predictable than water reserves andenvironmental impact is essentially zero.

[If "hydro-like functions" pan out, concentrated solar power stations are potential regulators of wind power. Regulators of wind were identified by the Midwest Independent System Operator organization as a critical development need if wide-spread wind development in South Dakota can be realized.]

The uniqueness of this solar system is in de-coupling the collection of solar energy from producing power, electricity can be generated in periods of inclement weather or even at night using the stored thermal energy in the hot salt tank.

According to Tom Mancini, Sandia National Laboratory; U.S. Department of Energy, the tanks are well-insulated and can store energy for up to a week. Other studies show that the two-tank storage system could have an annual efficiency of about 99 percent.

A concentrated solar power station could be part of a farm energy production system of wind, biogas, and anaerobic digestion.