> Solar thermal plants such as currently the world's 
> largest -
> the 64 MW Luz built solar trough concentrator installation
> in Nevada, USA use molten salt thermal storage to get 
> about
> 7 hours of off-sun storage.
>
> Abengoa of Spain are about to build a 280 MW installation 
> at
> Gila Bend* - near Arizona USA. It also uses  thermal 
> storage
> to allow input smoothing during day to day operations and
> 'into the night'. Scheduled to commence power generation 
> in
> 2011.

Serendipitously, this just turned up as a reference in an 
email newsletter

"Barriers to Commercialisation of Large-Scale Solar 
Electricity:- Lessons learned from the Luz experience"

        http://www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet/pdfs/sand91_7014.pdf

While this is a 1991 Sandia report it was actually written 
by the previous President for business development for Luz, 
so his perspective is partisan, but useful.

The Nevada Luz solar thermal parabolic concentrator plant 
was and AFAIK still is the worlds largest. It was built on 
the subsidy structure of the 1970's oil shocks and the 
com,pany foundered when the nightmare memories faded and the 
pricing structures were varied. The plant itself remained 
viable as a cash cow and is still chugging along nicely some 
20+ years on. The new Gila Bend plant will be bigger. The 
latest "carbon credits" regime helps the economic viability 
of such plants. They are not too uncompetitive compared with 
alternatives and if eg 'cheap' hydrocarbons were not 
available the cost jump to cost effective operation would 
not be vast. As noted, longer term night storage than the 
existing thermal is desirable. Pumped hydro is one option.

NZ has substantial hydro % capacity and is currently looking 
at a 5% chance of winter power shortages due to low summer 
lake inflows.


        Russell







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