I just read about a new solar power plant in Spain. They can run steam turbines through the night using stored energy in huge tanks of molten salts. This allows them to over-collect during the day (more energy than they can sell at a time) and then basically make tens of millions of dollars more each year by extending their operating hours. Nice.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/oct08/6851
One thing that jumped out at me was the difference in policy between Europe and the US. There seem to be much more consistent incentives in Europe to develop facilities that will truly meet people's needs. Rather than minimizing up-front investment, they are willing to build big if that is what will actually work the best. In the US, solar facilities with storage aren't as common. Mistake?
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