Baseload solar in Italy

I mentioned before how, by using molten salt as a heat collecting medium, concentrating solar power plants can achieve higher temperatures and continue to produce electricity after dark. Now, the first facility with that capability is being built.

The Archimede Solar Thermal Power Plant is being built in Italy, at a cost of 60 million Euros. It will put out only five megawatts of power (as much as three and a half large wind turbines), but hopefully it will serve as a proof of concept for more ambitious facilities.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. Between 2005 and 2007 I completed an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. I worked for five years for the Canadian federal government, including completing the Accelerated Economist Training Program, and then completed a PhD in Political Science at the University of Toronto in 2023.

2 thoughts on “Baseload solar in Italy”

  1. 60 million Euros for 5MW of output seems extremely expensive. Is the plant able to put out 5MW at all times of day and night, at least?

  2. Pingback: Options for energy storage

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