Tech That Will Save Our Species - Solar Thermal Power

NoMoreCoal writes "Salon has up a story by Joe Romm, former undersecretary of energy during the Clinton administration, discussing a lesser-known alternative energy solution. It's a technology that (he claims) is ready to provide zero-carbon electric power big, fast, cheap and (most importantly) right now: solar thermal power. 'Improvements in manufacturing and design, along with the possibility of higher temperature operation, could easily bring the price down to 6 to 8 cents per kilowatt hour. CSP makes use of the most abundant and free fuel there is, sunlight, and key countries have a vast resource. Solar thermal plants covering the equivalent of a 92-by-92-mile square grid in the Southwest could generate electricity for the entire United States. Mexico has an equally enormous solar resource. China, India, southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Australia also have huge resources.'" Interesting stuff, even if he does mention the Archimedes Death Ray.

Comments

so in other words

[OrochimaruVoldemort]

this is similar to a nuclear reactor, where heat is causing water to spin a turbine. i suspect that that this will do the same, but it will be faster.

Re:Why do you think that?

[GospelHead821]

Like any economic comparison, the cost of the Iraq war should also factor in the the value of the next best alternative. Supposing that's energy development, we have to consider that energy infrastructure is durable, while a war is not. In absolute fact, developing durable energy infrastructure will, in the long run, even provide benefits to Iraq (the ostensible value generated by the war.) Oil is one destabilizing factor in the region. Although it provides monetary benefits, it also leads to political upheaval. The value of energy infrastructure could be a net gain by the people of the middle east.