The company recently completed a SolarReserve tower that’s 520 feet high (approximately 164 meters) for its fleet of solar collectors located in Tonopah, Nevada. The Crescent Dune project should produce at least 480 000 MW/h per year, a sufficient amount of energy to provide power for 75 000 homes.
Using technology to concentrate the solar energy (“Concentrated Solar Power” or CSP), what remains for the company to do is to install 10,000 mirrors that will redirect sunlight to the top of the tower in order to maximize the energy harvesting.
Using technology to concentrate the solar energy (“Concentrated Solar Power” or CSP), what remains for the company to do is to install 10,000 mirrors that will redirect sunlight to the top of the tower in order to maximize the energy harvesting.
The great innovation of the project lies in its use of molten salt as an element of heat retention rather than using oil. The salt can reach temperatures up to 537 degrees Celsius (1000 degrees Fahrenheit) before being stored up to 15 hours time.
When electricity is needed, whether it was day or night, hot salt is pumped into a steam turbine that creates electricity to be redistributed towards homes. The project is expected to begin producing energy in 2013.
Basma – Green Energy International News Correspondent – 23/02/2012
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