Molten Salt-Based Solar Power Plant

rcastro0 writes "Hamilton Sundstrand, a division of United Technologies, announced today that it will start to commercialize a new type of solar power plant. A new company called SolarReserve will be created to provide heat-resistant pumps and other equipment, as well as the expertise in handling and storing salt that has been heated to more than 1,050 degrees Fahrenheit. According to venture capitalist Vinod Khosla 'Three percent of the land area of Morocco could support all of the electricity for Western Europe.' Molten Salt storage is already used in Nevada's Solar One power plant. Is this the post-hydrocarbon world finally knocking?"

Comments

Waste salt

[Threni]

I hope they don't start dumping waste salt in the oceans...

I know this is somewhat OT

[MichaelCrawford]

Nuclear reactors can be made smaller and more efficient if they use liquid sodium for cooling. I think this may be because they can run at a higher temperature, which is more harmonious with the laws of thermodynamics.

But the US Navy refused to build any sodium-cooled submarine reactors. Finally a Congressional committee hauled Admiral Rickover in to a hearing to testify as to why he wasn't making better use of taxpayer's money.

To which he replied "This is what happens when sodium gets wet," and he threw a chunk of sodium into some water.

Re:sun renewable?

[rustalot42684]

I got in trouble for that in grade 5 when I pointed out that the sun would eventually die out. I was told "Well, it's not going to die out in our lifetimes". I replied with "So are oil and gas renewable resources if they aren't depleted before we die?". The teacher put on my report card " ... seems to have trouble distinguishing between renewable and non-renewable resources."