http://futurism.com/worlds-largest-coal-company-going-solar/
Interesting article that describes the benefit of molten salt based solar power generation – it has storage that allows it to continue electrical power generateration also at night.
http://futurism.com/worlds-largest-coal-company-going-solar/
Interesting article that describes the benefit of molten salt based solar power generation – it has storage that allows it to continue electrical power generateration also at night.
3 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google-Backed Solar Plant Catches on Fire
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/16/05/21/236254/google-backed-solar-plant-catches-on-fire
“The world’s largest solar plant just torched itself,” read the headline at Gizmodo, reporting on a fire Thursday at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. Built on 4,000 acres of public land in the Mojave Desert, the $2.2 billion plant “has nearly 350,000 computer controlled mirrors — each roughly the size of a garage door,” according to the Associated Press, which reports that misaligned mirrors focused the sunlight on electrical cables, causing them to burst into flames,
The World’s Largest Solar Plant Just Torched Itself
http://gizmodo.com/the-world-s-largest-solar-plant-just-torched-itself-1777767880
Misaligned mirrors are being blamed for a fire that broke out yesterday at the world’s largest solar power plant, leaving the high-tech facility crippled for the time being.
A small fire was reported yesterday morning at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) in California, forcing a temporary shutdown of the facility. It’s now running at a third of its capacity
concentrated solar thermal plant is equipped with 173,500 heliostats—each with two mirrors—that focus sunlight on boilers located on top of three 459-foot towers. The tremendous heat created by the concentrated solar power produces steam that drives turbines to produce electricity.
A spokesperson for the plant said it’s too early to comment on the cause, but it appears that misaligned mirrors are to blame.
Inevitably, the incident reveals the inherent dangers of concentrated solar power as well as the need to ensure that the mirrors are always on target. Concentrated solar power plants, in addition to being a menace to themselves, can also pose a hazard to local wildlife.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Canada’s energy superpower status threatened as world shifts off fossil fuel, federal think-tank warns
‘Significant disruptions’ forecast in 10 to 15 years as cost of renewables, energy storage plummet
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canada-super-power-oil-decline-renewables-policy-horizons-1.3601400?
Canada’s status as an “energy superpower” is under threat because the global dominance of fossil fuels could wane faster than previously believed, according to a draft report from a federal government think-tank obtained by CBC News.
“It is increasingly plausible to foresee a future in which cheap renewable electricity becomes the world’s primary power source and fossil fuels are relegated to a minority status,” reads the conclusion of the 32-page document, produced by Policy Horizons Canada.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coal Market Set To Collapse Worldwide By 2040 As Solar, Wind Dominate
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/17/06/16/2046232/coal-market-set-to-collapse-worldwide-by-2040-as-solar-wind-dominate
Solar power, once so costly it only made economic sense in spaceships, is becoming cheap enough that it will push coal and even natural-gas plants out of business faster than previously forecast. That’s the conclusion of a Bloomberg New Energy Finance outlook for how fuel and electricity markets will evolve by 2040. The research group estimated solar already rivals the cost of new coal power plants in Germany and the U.S. and by 2021 will do so in quick-growing markets such as China and India. The scenario suggests green energy is taking root more quickly than most experts anticipate. It would mean that global carbon dioxide pollution from fossil fuels may decline after 2026, a contrast with the International Energy Agency’s central forecast, which sees emissions rising steadily for decades to come.
Solar Power Will Kill Coal Faster Than You Think
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-15/solar-power-will-kill-coal-sooner-than-you-think
Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s outlook shows renewables will be cheaper almost everywhere in just a few years.