A combination solar/hydropower plant is proposed in Chile: From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...ountain-reservoirs-power-three-provinces.html Chile to build a hydropower plant in the world's driest DESERT: Pumping seawater to mountain reservoirs could power three provinces. The Chilean energy company Valhalla wants to use solar power to pump water from the Pacific Ocean into two reservoirs high in the Andes Mountains. The water will be allowed to rush back down into a hydroelectric plant. It will provide a constant supply of energy for three provinces if it is built. Valhalla is seeking investors and hopes to break ground in late 2016. By Sarah Griffiths for MailOnline Published 11 December 2015 Building a $400-million (£263 million) hydroelectric power plant in the world's driest desert may seem like engineering folly, but Chile sees it as a revolutionary way to generate green energy. The plan will take advantage of the Atacama Desert's unique geography to solve one of the key problems of renewable energies like solar and wind power - inconsistency. The sun is not always shining and the wind is not always blowing, but in long and narrow Chile, there are always mountains next to the sea. Chilean energy company Valhalla wants to use solar power to pump water from the Pacific Ocean into two reservoirs high in the Andes Mountains. The water will be allowed to rush back down into a hydroelectric plant with a capacity of 300 megawatts - enough to power three provinces in Chile. Chile currently imports more energy than it produces and mainly relies on fossil fuels. The first commercial hydroelectric power plant was built at Niagara Falls, New York in 1879 and the electricity was used to power local streetlights. The two mountaintop reservoirs will hold as much water as approximately 22,000 Olympic swimming pools -enough to generate electricity around the clock. The plant got the green light from environmental authorities last week. Valhalla has an estimated construction timeline of three and a half years. ----------------- Chile is among a group of countries in a 'high ambition coalition' at the COP 21 climate talks in Paris. The coalition includes some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable countries as well as the US, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Iceland and Norway, and is calling for a strong climate deal. Marshall Islands foreign minister Tony de Brum is the driving force behind the coalition.
Hawaii to be powered by solar energy... Solar Energy Station to Power Hawaiian Island March 09, 2017 - One of Hawaii's islands may soon be powered by solar energy, at least during the night. See also: US Solar Soared in 2016, But Investors Still Leery March 09, 2017 — New U.S. solar installations nearly doubled last year, but slowing demand for both residential and large-scale systems, falling panel prices and concerns about looming federal tax reform are still dampening investor appetite for the sector.
