Super Eco

Photo credit: SolarReserve

Sun, salt and rocket science--a winning combination? Quite possibly. Sandia Laboratories was ahead of its time with the Solar Two project a decade ago. Now the LAT reports there are plans to build a much larger plant that could power 100,000 homes.

The description that accompanies the SolarReserve process diagram:

1. Sunlight is concentrated and directed from a large field of  heliostats (mirrors) to a receiver on a tall tower.
2. Molten salt from the cold salt tank is pumped through the receiver where it is heated to 1050ºF (566ºC).
3. The heated salt from the receiver is stored in the hot salt tank.
4. Molten salt is pumped from the hot salt tank through a steam generator that creates steam, which drives a steam turbine, generating electricity.
5. Cold salt at 525ºF (288 ºC) flows back to the cold salt tank and is re-used.