solar thermal

Ask an expert on clean tech what the largest barriers to a low carbon energy future are, and chances are they will list higher technology costs, policy barriers, or the need for new infrastructure to accommodate novel energy sources.[read more]

 One of the knocks against renewable energy has been that, unlike coal, natural gas and nuclear energy, it is  intermittent. Solar and wind power can’t be relied upon when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. SolarReserve, a well-financed California startup that can store energy from the sun, wants to change that....[read more]

A common lament of those analysts wishing to get to grips with the real-world performance of solar thermal power plants has been, well… an absence of data. Trainer noted, in ‘Solar Thermal Questions‘: It would be great to get some actual data on their year round performance. I have found it fiendishly difficult to get such data out of...[read more]

BrightSource Energy, Inc. a utility-scale solar developer, has filed a US$250 million initial public offering (IPO).The California-based solar thermal developer has several intriguing qualities; however, these are saddled along with a few areas of concern.  BrightSource sports a significant list of powerful investors and...[read more]

Two large solar plants were approved Tuesday for construction on federal lands.  Department of Interior (DOI) post.  See analysis of the proposed plants below the position statements.Position Statements:1. Solar thermal is more cost effective than PV solar.2. Construction per kW is extremely high while operating expenses are...[read more]

photo: California Energy Commission In Friday’s New York Times, I wrote about California regulators’ licensing of a 1,000-megawatt solar thermal power plant, which would be the world’s largest solar energy complex: California regulators have licensed what is for the moment the world’s largest solar thermal power plant, a 1,000-megawatt...[read more]

China is building an ambitious “Solar Valley City” as a new national center for manufacturing, research and development, education, and tourism around solar energy technologies. as part of the Chinese government and industry’s efforts to promote clean energy technology and grow the nation’s global market share (see video below beginning...[read more]

The US Department of Energy granted a US$1.37 billion loan guarantee to Brightsource Energy two weeks ago which could help clear the way for over 15 gigawatts of solar thermal power projects in California. Brightsource built a pilot plant in Israel to prove their technology and has tested it over the past 18 months. Their flagship...[read more]

As this blog recently reminded its readers Google has invested in two solar thermal companies, eSolar and BrightSource. Reuters reporter Poornima Gupta (with editing by Toni Reinhold) now informs the Carbon Market Community about the status of a prototype mirror. Google.org Bill Weihl expects the solar energy product ready in one to...[read more]

Dave Roberts has a post at Grist outlining his take on the debate about building large power plants on sensitive land — specifically a solar thermal power plant in the Mojave desert - Taking distributed energy seriously. Many folks are conflicted over the seeming clash between conserving America’s remaining wild landscapes and...[read more]

There have been a number of alternative energy announcements coincident with COP15. A Treehugger from Ottawa, Canada Michael Richard Graham reports on announcement from the World Bank. Photo: Sandia National Laboratory, Public domain MENA (the Middle East and North Africa) is one of the principle regions around the globe that benefits...[read more]

Photo: Ausra Ausra has become the latest credit-crunched solar startup to seek a buyer/investor to bankroll its expansion. As I write Tuesday in The New York Times: Disrupting trillion-dollar energy markets is expensive, as solar companies like OptiSolar and Solel have found. Both sold out to larger, deep-pocketed companies this year....[read more]

Cleantech.com has a post on efforts to bring solar thermal power technology to Africa - eSolar takes solar thermal to Sub-Saharan Africa.Pasadena, Calif.-based eSolar said today its signed a deal with Johannesburg-based Clean Energy Solutions to sell and market the startup's solar thermal power plants in Sub-Saharan Africa.The deal...[read more]

TreeHugger reports that Brightsource's proposed solar thermal power plant for Ivanpah in California has been stymied by the inclusion of the site in a new National Park - California Solar-Thermal Power Project Bumped For New National Monument.In 2008 we learned that - BrightSource [was] to Build 500 Megawatts of Solar-Thermal Power in...[read more]

Recent weeks have seen plans to build two large solar thermal projects come to a disappointing end. Last week BrightSource abandoned its 5,130 acre project in the Mojave Desert. And news is just coming out that Starwood Energy Group has terminated the PPA it was recently awarded by APS for a 290MW solar thermal plant in...[read more]