🔬 Science 6d ago · John Timmer

Turning a solar power system into its own backup

Ars Technica Science
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Turning a solar power system into its own backup
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Rather than directly converting photons into electricity, concentrated solar energy uses mirrors to turn sunlight into heat, which can then be used to drive traditional generating turbines. Up to about a decade ago, there was a case to be made that concentrated solar energy had a bright future, as improvements in heat storage had turned it into a way to generate power around the clock.
It wasn't to be. While concentrated solar costs fell enough to compete with nuclear power, the price of photovo

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