Solar plant first to generate energy AT NIGHT - in a glowing 'lightbulb' tower hot enough to melt salt

The first solar plant that can operate without the sun has been officially opened.


The £260million Germasolar power plant has been designed to work even through the night and can store heat to power turbines for 15 hours without exposure to sunlight.
The plant - a tower with a glowing 'bulb' surrounded by 2,600 mirrors - is situated near Seville, one of the hottest places on the European mainland. 

The plant is a heliostatic solar plant - a solar furnace - which uses mirrors to concentrate the intense heat onto two salt tanks. The 900C heat melts the salt, boiling water around it to drive turbines.   More Read

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