37 ms·
This is really two things in one - a solar plant, and an energy storage system. Couldn't we decouple them? I.e. when electricity is cheap (Germany during the da
by tomp 10y ago
This is really two things in one - a solar plant, and an energy storage system. Couldn't we decouple them? I.e. when electricity is cheap (Germany during the day can dip to zero), heat up the salt, and discharge it at night (actually, in the evening, when electricity is most expensive).
Also, I wonder how it compares to big batteries?
- jws 10y agoThis is not a photoelectric plant. It is a sunlight concentrator to heat salt which stores energy which is eventually used to drive a steam turbine and turn a generator. All one thing. You could use molten salt to store electricity on its own, but I think the efficiency would make it undesirable. A steam turbine is something like 50% efficient and is probably the least efficient part of the system, so it just gets worse from there. For comparison, lead acid batteries are above 70% efficient.
- ams6110 10y agoBut if electricity is free during the day (I guess because of oversupply from wind and/or solar?) who cares about a 50% loss? I wonder if using the heat directly e.g. with a Stirling engine/generator would be any more efficient? Lead acid batteries are an environmental nightmare compared to molten salt.
- Tharkun 10y agoElectricity wouldn't be free during the day if you wasted 50% of it.