Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
At what cost in efficiency, though? I've always suspected that the people selling this kind of plant are banking on the fact that very few investors are familiar with thermodynamics.
|
Well first you have to figure out what you mean by "efficiency" in this case. Thermodynamic efficiency doesn't mean much when the fuel is free. What matters is the cost(dollars, environmental, etc.) of collecting it. If they can deliver power to people who need it, when they need it, and at a price they are willing to pay then it's a good system. Up until now coal has been "cheap" because the real costs have been externalized; now that we'll have to pay for cleaning up the mess coal power made the cost of solar looks better.