Two US companies develop solar-energy storehouses

New York Times : Two companies in California are working on trapping energy from the Sun when it’s shining for use later when it is not. Solar thermal power uses the Sun’s heat to boil water and generate electricity. The technologies being developed by SolarReserve and BrightSource will rely on molten salt to store the Sun’s energy because salt can store far more heat than water can, writes Matthew Wald for the New York Times. The stored power will be used primarily to complement solar panels, which produce electricity directly from sunlight. SolarReserve’s Nevada plant is scheduled to start up next year, and BrightSource’s three California plants should begin operating in 2016 and 2017. Together, the four plants could power tens of thousands of households. Unfortunately, solar power companies have been fighting an uphill battle since last year’s bankruptcy of Solyndra, which received $535 million in government loan guarantees.