and instant as with photovoltaic (PV) panels, or inDirect or Email rcarson@pmfohio.com
as with concentrating solar power (CSP) where the sun's rays are focused to boil water or other mediums which can store heat and is then used to produce steam . The sun has the potential to produce over one thousand times the total world energy consumption, though it provided only 0.02% of the total in 2008. If it would continue to double in production every two to three years or less, it would become the dominant source of electricity this century. The largest plants are concentrating thermal plants, but recently large, multi-megawatt photovoltaic plants have been constructed. Large farm parks in Portugal and Germany are characteristic of the trend toward huge photovoltaic power stations. Many larger ones are proposed in the U.S. and around the world..
Due to the nature of the sun's availability it is a predictably intermittent source. This means that while the sun's rays are not available at all times, we can forecast with a very high degree of accuracy when it will and will not be available to produce electricity. Some technologies, such as thermal concentrators have an element of longer term thermal heat storage. One of these mediums is molten salts. These store extra heat which can be made made available for overnight use or during periods that the sun is not available to produce electricity.