Solar power plants that generate electricity even at night? Their market is set to grow substantially

The market for concentrating solar power plants, which use molten salts to temporarily store thermal energy when generating electricity from sunlight, is expected to grow by up to 20% annually over the next four years. One company active in this field is California-based SolarReserve, which announced a new contract in the second half of last year.

Solar power plants are often criticised because their ability to generate electricity ends when the sun stops shining. As a result, the search is on for an optimal technology, or rather a combination of technologies, capable of spreading the supply of electricity generated from sunlight evenly over time.

There has been much discussion of the capabilities of lithium-ion batteries, whose prices have fallen significantly in recent years and which could become a suitable complement to conventional solar power plants. At the same time, the first larger projects are emerging, such as the battery storage facility that Tesla supplied in Australia.

However, some companies are also seeking to use other options. One such option is the use of molten salts as a medium in concentrating solar power plants. Their main advantage is that, thanks to the properties of molten salts, these plants can supply electricity during the night as well – molten salt can retain the heat needed to drive a turbine for up to 10 hours.

This is by no means a completely marginal method of electricity generation: plants of this type are operating around the world, and a survey published this January expects the concentrating solar power market to see 20% growth over the next 4 years.

One of the main companies involved in this technology is California-based SolarReserve. In addition to the 110MW Crescent Dunes power plant, which entered operation in 2015, the company decided last autumn to build another similar plant in South Australia. The facility is expected to have a capacity of 150 MW and estimated costs of 650 million Australian dollars (11.4 billion koruna). The government of the Australian state expects the plant to enter operation in 2020.