{"id":251966,"date":"2023-04-09T16:06:32","date_gmt":"2023-04-09T14:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=251966"},"modified":"2023-04-09T16:06:34","modified_gmt":"2023-04-09T14:06:34","slug":"aussie-abc-pushes-failed-solar-concentrators-for-night-time-renewable-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=251966","title":{"rendered":"Aussie ABC Pushes Failed Solar Concentrators for Night Time Renewable Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"407\" data-attachment-id=\"251971\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=251971\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0concentrated-solar-power.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,720\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0concentrated-solar-power\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0concentrated-solar-power.jpg?fit=723%2C407&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0concentrated-solar-power.jpg?resize=723%2C407&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-251971\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0concentrated-solar-power.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0concentrated-solar-power.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0concentrated-solar-power.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0concentrated-solar-power.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0concentrated-solar-power.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"http:\/\/Watts Up With That?\">Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Essay by Eric Worrall<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"387\" data-attachment-id=\"251968\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=251968\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0ivanpah-glare-photo1.webp?fit=991%2C530&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"991,530\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0ivanpah-glare-photo1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0ivanpah-glare-photo1.webp?fit=723%2C387&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0ivanpah-glare-photo1.webp?resize=723%2C387&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-251968\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0ivanpah-glare-photo1.webp?w=991&amp;ssl=1 991w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0ivanpah-glare-photo1.webp?resize=300%2C160&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0ivanpah-glare-photo1.webp?resize=768%2C411&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Solar concentrators hypothetically offer the ability to coast on stored renewable energy at night, but this doesn\u2019t seems to work well in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Concentrated solar power is an old technology making a comeback. Here\u2019s how it works<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/science\/\">ABC Science<\/a>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;By technology reporter&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/james-purtill\/5736550\">James Purtill<\/a><br>Posted&nbsp;Thu 6 Apr 2023 at 5:30amThursday 6 Apr 2023 at 5:30am,&nbsp;updated&nbsp;Thu 6 Apr 2023 at 12:41pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was a time, not long&nbsp;ago, when the future of electricity generation&nbsp;looked something like the opening scene&nbsp;of Blade Runner 2049, with endless arrays of mirrors in concentric circles<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Concentrated solar power (CSP) uses mirrors to focus heat from the Sun to drive a steam turbine and generate electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While CSP was once the great hope for replacing coal and gas-fired generation, it\u2019s now generally considered to have been eclipsed by cheaper forms of renewable&nbsp;generation, like solar panels and wind turbines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recently, however, it\u2019s been making a quiet comeback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reason for this&nbsp;boils down to three words that describe one of the major challenges of&nbsp;decarbonising the grid: overnight energy storage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2026Read more:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/science\/2023-04-06\/concentrated-solar-power-technology-comeback-electricity-mirrors\/102184372\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/science\/2023-04-06\/concentrated-solar-power-technology-comeback-electricity-mirrors\/102184372<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seems reasonable, so why isn\u2019t everyone doing it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the biggest downsides of solar concentrators, apart from the cost, is their habit of igniting protected birds. The following is a 2019 CBS report about the bird kills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"723\" height=\"407\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r9IdJHNYX40?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue appears to be the dazzling light of the focus of the solar concentrator, much brighter than the sun, attracts insects, just like an outdoor light at home. The insects are vaporised by the extreme heat of the air near the concentrator focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Birds are attracted by the concentration of insects near the concentrator focus, and follow the insects into the kill zone. Then larger birds follow the smaller birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People who work at solar concentrator facilities call the dying birds \u201cstreamers\u201d, because they leave a smoke trail when they catch fire in mid flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the industrial scale destruction of birds isn\u2019t enough of a deterrent, there also appear to be substantial technical issues with the operation of solar concentrator plants. For example it is difficult on some days to maintain the temperature of the molten salt reservoir at the heart of the solar concentrator above its minimum operating temperature, so facilities generally have gas burners on standby, to top the heat up if the weather fails to oblige.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m sure public money will be spent on trying to pump this useless green energy idea. A track record of failure and environmental carnage is no deterrent to funding for green ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Solar concentrators hypothetically offer the ability to coast on stored renewable energy at night, but this doesn\u2019t seems to work well in practice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":251971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818182,691818181],"class_list":{"0":"post-251966","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-concentrated-solar-power","9":"tag-renewable-energy","11":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0concentrated-solar-power.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-13xY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":288005,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=288005","url_meta":{"origin":251966,"position":0},"title":"Net-Zero Targets: Sustainable Future or CO2 Obsession Driven Dead-end?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"17\/11\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"From Climate Etc. By Bal\u00e1zs M. Fekete For over three decades, the reduction of CO2\u00a0emission was the primary motivation for promoting the transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. Concerns about the inevitable exhaustion of fossil fuels were considered particularly during energy crises, but these concerns died out quickly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-420.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-420.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-420.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-420.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":238646,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=238646","url_meta":{"origin":251966,"position":1},"title":"Climate Changed: Calm, Gloomy Weather Killing Europe\u2019s Grand Wind &#038; Solar \u2018Transition\u2019","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In the mother of all ironies, Europe\u2019s wind and sun cult are complaining about uncooperative weather. The Germans have even coined a word for it: \u2018dunkelflaute\u2019 \u2013 meaning a period of gloomy, windless weather. Which, in reality, means little or nothing by way of output from their more than 30,000\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0wind-turbines.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0wind-turbines.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0wind-turbines.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0wind-turbines.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0wind-turbines.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":226825,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=226825","url_meta":{"origin":251966,"position":2},"title":"ERCOT renewable energy: reality check","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/11\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A local example of the penetration problem for renewable energy in Texas","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-28.png?fit=768%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-28.png?fit=768%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-28.png?fit=768%2C563&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-28.png?fit=768%2C563&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":407439,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=407439","url_meta":{"origin":251966,"position":3},"title":"Have Renewables Overtaken\u00a0Coal?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Kathryn Porter mentioned claims that renewables were now supplying more electricity than coal on a worldwide basis.","rel":"","context":"In \"Kathryn Porter\"","block_context":{"text":"Kathryn Porter","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=kathryn-porter"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0facepalm.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0facepalm.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0facepalm.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0facepalm.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0facepalm.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":224115,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=224115","url_meta":{"origin":251966,"position":4},"title":"Swiss professor: \u201eWe still haven\u2019t come up with the perfect energy storage solution. \u201c","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"16\/10\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"They\u2019ve had coal, gas and oil filling that requirement for many decades. But now they scratch their heads and look for viable alternatives, with nothing of note to show for their effort.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image-754.png?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image-754.png?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image-754.png?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image-754.png?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":214758,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=214758","url_meta":{"origin":251966,"position":5},"title":"Aussie Triumph? Solar Briefly Overtook Coal, then Failed at Sunset","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"21\/08\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"There will be no end to skyrocketing household electricity bills, so long as the Australian Federal Government keeps trying to inflict useless renewables on the market.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-887.png?fit=869%2C507&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-887.png?fit=869%2C507&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-887.png?fit=869%2C507&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-887.png?fit=869%2C507&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=251966"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251973,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251966\/revisions\/251973"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/251971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=251966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=251966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=251966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}