The Solana plant will be able to meet winter heating and
lighting needs by putting electricity on the grid early in the
morning—before the sun is shining—and help satisfy summer
cooling demand by producing power after sundown. The plant,
which can power up to 70,000 houses, has signed a 30-year
agreement to sell electricity to utility company Arizona Public
Service. Mark Mehos, a solar program manager for the National
Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colo., said such molten salt
storage systems add about 20% to the construction cost of solar
plants but more than make up for it by boosting a plant's
flexibility and productivity. Electricity from solar plants is
expensive, especially at a time when natural-gas prices have
plunged, making gas-generated electricity cheap by comparison.
Utilities, which are under state mandates to buy more clean
power, say solar power may look more economical in the future if
fossil fuel prices rise or if a tax is imposed on carbon
emissions by power plants." Link to Original Sourc