Solar thermal power just got hotter with linear Fresnel technology  

Plenty Magazine has an article on the hottest energy technology around, solar thermal power - Solar thermal power just got hotter with linear Fresnel technology .

The linear Fresnel (pronounced Freh-nel) reflector is arguably the hottest new solar power technology being developed today—not only for its inventiveness, but the temperatures it can produce are upward around 800 degrees Celsius.

It’s the latest innovation in concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies, a family of approaches to providing solar energy for power utilities—we’re talking hundreds of megawatts as opposed to photo voltaic cells, which are ideal for small scale use in the kilowatt range.

As a group, CSP technologies, also referred to as solar thermal technologies, rely on mirrors to reflect and concentrate solar radiation to generate heat. In turn, the heat is used to produce steam, which powers a turbine to produce electricity. CSPs are credited with solving the irregularity of solar power availability, which vacillates with cloud cover and nightfall. By converting solar power into thermal energy, it can be stored and deployed whenever needed. As the crowned king of solar thermal power, Fred Morse, says, “CSP is game-changing.”

Morse, who investigated the feasibility of solar power for President Nixon, and then managed solar within the Department of Energy for Carter and Regan, says power companies face a bleak road ahead, and would do well to look into CPS. Nuclear is expensive and has waste and storage problems. In the face of a carbon-constrained economy, coal has become difficult to finance. The price of natural gas has shot up and will always be subject to variability. Given those options solar thermal is looking increasingly attractive. As for the viability of the emerging linear Fresnel reflectors, Morse says, “The market will decide. The banks and the EPC contactors will decide. But the technology is wonderful.”