Take a look inside the first commercial-scale solar energy plant to use nothing more than the sun, molten salt, and a whole lot of mirrors to send power to t…
Take a look inside the first commercial-scale solar energy plant to use nothing more than the sun, molten salt, and a whole lot of mirrors to send power to t…
*Wired article on Cresent Dunes Solar Energy Project* : *Take a look inside
the first commercial-scale solar energy plant to use nothing more than the
sun, molten salt, and a whole lot of mirrors to send power to the people.
If the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy facility works as promised, it could be
a model for the future of renewable energy.*
*The Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project, is a 110 megawatt (MW) solar
thermal power project under construction near Tonopah, about 190 miles
(310 km) northwest of Las Vegas. The project is being developed by
SolarReserve through its subsidiary, Tonopah Solar Energy. The project is
anticipated to cost less then $1 billion. The project includes 17,500
heliostat mirrors that collect and focus the sun’s thermal energy to heat
molten salt flowing through an approximately 540-foot (160 m) tall solar
power tower. The molten salt circulates from the tower to a storage tank,
where it is then used to produce steam and generate electricity. Excess
thermal energy is stored in the molten salt and can be used to generate
power for up to ten hours, including during the evening hours and when
direct sunlight is not available.*
Link to Andasol power project:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andasol_1_solar_power_station (50 MW output).
Wired link:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/11/the-window-crescent-dunes-solar-energy-the-facility/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_Dunes_Solar_Energy_Project
#solar #power #energy #sustainability 
Soooo, what happens in 30 years? I’m all for renewable energy, but unless
the plant is able to be mostly reused or repaired it doesn’t seem
economically feasible to build a new one every thirty years, esp when
people begin to bitch about the expense.
Am i the only one who thought of Fallout new vegas, the site of Helios one

We need the world to be run on Concentrated Solar Thermal. Better air,
better water, less greenhouse gas emissions. CLEAN and RENEWABLE!!
Solar? It may be useful for small scale cell phone charging, but unless
breakthroughs are made right now I don’t see it providing 100% of our
energy. Nuclear fuels are long term solutions, and by that I mean thousands
of energy – and we don’t even have pure fusion energy yet. I do hope we can
implement ways of using nuclear waste that stays hot as a fuel for more
than just long term space missions – which it already has been used for.
Are they sticking to their 90% Nevada Worker Commitment?
Sahara…..jus sayin.
@markdiblasi, the most vocal opposition to any renewable energy projects
are lawyers and politicians claiming to be acting on behalf of
environmental protection, just looking for a cut of the money.
We are also making moves to start using molten salts in nuclear reactors.
Molten salts revolutionized the way we make aluminum, it stands poised to
change the way we do energy as well. 
I wonder if maintenance will be any harder for this plant than any of the
other power plants we use. If the mirrors get scratched or covered in dust
the amount of sun light they will be able to reflect will deminish
significantly so making sure all or most of those mirrors are kept very
clean will be a top priority and that sounds like alot of labor and capital
Science!
Real life Helios One from the game Fallout New Vegas! :)
I hope they have a large cash reserve set aside for the lawsuit on behalf
of the future roasted birds that will try to land on the tower. A wind
energy company just paid out a large settlement for birds hit by their
turbines.
Love this post! Thanks for airing “Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project Part
1: The Facility-The Window-WIRED”. Now, that’s a first using molten salt! A
wonderful look inside the first commercial-scale solar energy plant to use
nothing more than the sun, molten salt, and a whole lot of mirrors to send
power to the people. If the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy facility works as
promised, it could be a model for the future of renewable energy. Woo Hoo!
first
I fucking love science!