CSP = concentrating solar power

~DLR (link below) will use heliostats = steerable mirrors to produce steam which drives turbines to make electricity~ 3. Isn’t the water demand for the cooling of the solar thermal power plants and cleaning of the mirrors a problem in arid locations? In arid regions, conventional oil, gas or coal-fired steam cycles are usually air-cooled, and CSP plants can be operated in the same way. Solar-thermal power plants can be cooled by air, and there are cleaning procedures that require very little water. Depending on the location, vaporized cooling towers and seawater cooling may be used because they are more efficient than air-cooling techniques. If saltwater from nearby coasts is used instead of drinking water for the cooling units, a 250 MW collector field may be used to operate a 200 MW turbine and 100,000 cubic neters of drinking water may be produced a day (over four million litres per hour) through the process of water desalination. All details see AQUA-CSP study by German Aerospace Center (DLR): www.dlr.de/tt/aqua-csp 4. Can the mirrors withstand the harsh desert conditions and sandstorms? Solar-thermal power plants have been operating in the Mojave Desert for over 20 years and have withstood hailstorms, sandstorms and cyclones. In the event of impending danger, the mirrors, which are rotatable, can be positioned in such a manner that they are protected. Should the mirrors break nonetheless (0.4% per year), replacements are part of the operating costs. Signs of wear and tear on the mirrors in Kramer Junction have not been an issue for the last 20 years. Today, the power plants work more efficiently as operating and maintenance methods are now better than when operations began. 5. Aren’t the land areas required for the solar-thermal power plants enormous and an environmental threat? According to a TRANS-CSP study, 17% of Europe’s energy requirements may be met by solar imports by 2050. This would involve 2,500 sq km of desert surface for the solar power plants and 3,500 sq km for the high-voltage direct-current transmission lines throughout the entire EU-MENA region (Europe – Middle East – North Africa). This total surface area of 6,000 sq km is as... [Excerpted from the archived discussion.] Archived source: https://web.archive.org/web/20101205112351/http://www.spacetimeandtheuniverse.com/general-physics/3562-csp-concentrating-solar-power.html