Concentrated Solar Power

[poliphilo]

The Guardian has an article about how we could solve the coming energy crisis by putting big, big, big solar mirrors in the North African desert. As a by-product the mirrors would produce huge amounts of desalinated water. 

Win-win. 

The technology is called CSP- Concentrated solar power.

Remember how you used to fry toy soldiers with a magnifying glass? This works on the same principle. The sun's rays are concentrated and beamed onto flasks of some special liquid that gets super hot and is used to power conventional steam turbines. 

Oh and by the way, no CO2 emissions. 

I love these sci-fi solutions. They're what the 21st century ought to be about. Really, folks, instead of killing one another over knotty points of medieval theology we should be filling the Sahara up with mirrors.

Comments

[jfs.livejournal.com]

I loved the fact that if they made it DC rather than AC they'd only lose about 10% of the energy when carrying it from Africa to the UK.

People moan about not having jet suits and meal-pills in the 21st Century - I'm perfectly happy with the wacky science that we _do_ have.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

If only we'd spend more money on the wacky science and less on the stupid stuff.

Nuclear submarimes, for instance. Who needs them?
Are we planning to sail them into the mountains of North west Pakistan to confront Osama?