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| Joined: | Mon Nov 21st, 2005 |
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Store power from the Sun as heat.
How?
Solar Thermal with Storage Capacity
The ability to utilize solar thermal technology after the sun sets is made possible by a storage system that is up to 93% efficient, according to Ausra’s executive vice president John O’Donnell.
http://cleantechnica.com/2008/03/10/clean-energy-intro-solar-thermal/
So how does C.S.P. produce electricity at night? It takes advantage of a unique property of water: very high specific heat capacity. That means it takes a lot of energy to increase the temperature of water. It also means that water stores heat energy for a long time. Think of a pool, lake, or the ocean. It stays warm long after the sun goes down and even through cooler days in autumn. Water has the second-highest specific heat capacity of any known substance, which makes it perfect for storing large amounts of heat energy, just as a battery stores electricity. In the form of steam, water can continue to generate electricity when the sun is down and recharge the heat “battery” when the sun is up.
Power is stored in the water.