justaevolvedchimp1784336426

Solar energy has a famous limitation. The sun sets. In the Gobi Desert, they bypassed the problem using salt.

The Shouhang plant uses 12,000 tracking mirrors to blast sunlight onto a completely central 260-meter tower. Instead of generating electricity instantly, the beam superheats a colossal vat of molten salt to 565°C. That liquid salt is then pumped into heavily insulated storage tanks. It retains so much extreme thermal energy that it can boil water, drive giant steam turbines, and keep a 100-megawatt grid running for 11 straight hours in total darkness.

It is a solar farm that works at midnight.

Comments

Leave a Reply