Mirrors in the Desert: A Tale of Solar Magic

Most children have tried using a magnifying glass or reflective mirror to amplify the sun's intense energy to fry an egg on the pavement or maybe a bug. Imagine if there were a way to collect so much of that heat that it could generate electricity for 24 hours, even well into the darkness of the moon and starlit skies of night. What once captured the magic of our childhood imaginations has now become reality.

Deep in the deserts and arid lands of the United States, Morocco, Australia, Spain, India, and Canada, Concentrated Solar Power (or CSP) thermal electricity plants have been up and running for the past few years. Others are currently under construction and will soon be online.

This first video shows exactly how CSP produces 24 hours of electricity and heat from the sun. This is known as "base load" in technical talk, because it can provide secure and reliable electricity at all times without interruption. Plus, since it comes from the sun, there are no air or water polluting side effects like with coal, oil and gas.

Jason Scrimshaw created the first video below and donated it to Beyond Zero Emissions in Australia.

Concentrated Solar Thermal Plant Animation

 

The next video is a CNN Money report. It offers a glimpse inside the world's largest solar power plant in the U.S. State of Arizona.

 

See you with another post on July 1. Until then, thanks for reading. -MikePat



Over Pump It, Recharge It

Hello Readers, Just a report from the always apt Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes on CBS. This one is about the current groundwater crisis in many places around the world, but especially in our own California. The story provides a good perspective on how we both use and abuse groundwater without allowing time for it to recharge. After all, each and every human being, from the fittest elite athlete to the unhealthiest coach potato, would die in a matter of days without water.

Lesley Stahl CBS 60 Minutes Report Depleting the Water (airdate 11/16/2014)

(Click on link above for direct link to the report.)

A preview of the report follows here:

Happy Viewing! See you in a few weeks!