Morocco has switched on what is going to be the world’s largest concentrating solar power plant. The plant is located near the city of Ouarzazate, an area previously famous as a filming location for blockbusters like Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. When fully online in 2018, the plant will produce enough energy to power over a million homes. It will also cut carbon emissions by 760,000 tons a year.
There is much talk these days about energy storage. As more and more wind and solar power enters the electrical grid, there is an increasing need to be able to store excess energy and have it available when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining. Much of the talk centers around battery technology, and having storage batteries distributed throughout the grid is the most versatile and widely applicable way to provide storage.
One of the challenges of operating the electricity grid is that there are times when everybody wants more electricity than usual – like during a hot afternoon in August – and the system struggles to keep up with the increased demand.
The Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis was established at Caltech and its partner institutions in 2010 with one main goal: to find a cost-effective way to produce fuels using only sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. The natural process of photosynthesis in plants accomplishes exactly the same thing. As a result, such a solar fuel generation system is generally described as an artificial leaf.
The so-called hydrogen economy is an idea that has been kicking around for quite a while. The notion is to use hydrogen as a primary energy carrier – a fuel, if you will – that will both power our cars and store the energy generated by renewable sources like solar power and wind farms. The hydrogen would then be transported if necessary to where it is needed and used to provide energy when it is needed.