within the receiver, fluid flows through the piping that forms the external walls; this fluid absorbs the heat from the concentrated sunlight. in solarreserve’s technology, the fluid utilized is molten salt, which is heated from 500 to over 1,000 degrees fahrenheit. molten salt is an ideal heat capture medium, as it maintains its liquid state even above 1,000 degrees fahrenheit, allowing the system to operate at low pressure for convenient energy capture and storage.

after passing through the receiver, the molten salt then flows down the piping inside the tower and into a thermal storage tank, where the energy is stored as high-temperature molten salt until electricity is needed.

solarreserve’s technology leverages liquid molten salt as both the energy collection and the storage mechanism, which allows it to separate energy collection from electricity generation.

when electricity is required by the utility, day or night, the high-temperature molten salt flows into the steam generator, as water is piped in from the water storage tank, to generate steam.

once the hot salt is used to create steam, the cooled molten salt is then piped back into the cold salt storage tank where it will then flow back up the receiver to be reheated as the process continues.

after the steam is used to drive the steam turbine, it is condensed back to water and returned to the water holding tank, where it will flow back into the steam generator when needed.

the hot molten salt generates high-quality super heated steam to drive a standard steam turbine at maximum efficiency to generate reliable, non-intermittent electricity during peak demand hours.

the steam generation process is identical to the process used in conventional gas, coal or nuclear power plants, except that it is 100 percent renewable with zero harmful emissions or waste.

solarreserve plants provide on-demand, reliable electricity from a renewable source – the sun – even after dark.

kgra is currently installing the world’s first orc project in the pulp, paper & wood industry, at a large north carolina lumber mill operated by weyerhaeuser company. the 800-kilowatt (kw) weyerhaeuser installation will generate usable carbon dioxide (co₂)-free electricity, nc facility, which will displace more than 9 million pounds of co₂ each year and create 20 american jobs in the development, construction and installation process.

the most interesting bit of the article comes from city manager jeff ball, “we didn’t know it was green. it just made sense,”. this is exactly how future, carbon footprint reducing technology, will grow. if you add the financial incentive, people will make the change.

geothermal technology is a form of alternative energy that does not get the sort of publicity that wind or solar does. yet, it is available worldwide and has the potential to supply an almost unlimited amount of energy.

right now, the technology is expensive, but it has already broken ground in the western states, primarily northern california (near the plant in klamath falls). the plant in the mayacamas mountains north of san francisco is the largest of its kind in the world, supplying energy to power 725,000 homes.

in places such as klamath falls, communities have found ways to supplement their energy needs on their own, and they’ve saved money at the same time. this is how we all should look to moving forward, and hits to the central premise of planet forward – how can individuals and communities reduce their carbon footprint?

do you know of other communities such as klamath falls that are utilizing their own forms of alternative energy? is geothermal a viable option? is it too expensive or difficult to obtain? share your thoughts below.