Over the past few years, there has been a renewed interest in sustainable sources of energy and solar really is one of the most widely used options available today. There are all sorts of options available for businesses, countries and individual citizens. We’re seeing countries rapidly adopt solar power and set up new farms to cash in on this sustainable and renewable energy source. Morocco has flipped the switch on its new solar farm which has the potential of becoming the world’s largest solar farm in the near future.
Noor I solar farm is located in the town of Ourrzazate that’s on the edge of the Saharan desert. It covers an area of several thousand acres and in its current capacity can generate about 160 megawatts of power. Even now it’s one of the biggest solar grids on the planet but two expansions have already been planned.
Noor II and Noor III will add more mirrors to the farm and once the expansions are completed the entire grid will span a staggering 6,000 acres that’s capable of generating up to 580 megawatts of power. Currently, the solar farm has about 500,000 curved mirrors with each being about 40 feet tall.
The mirrors concentrate the sun’s light on a pipeline that’s filled with fluid and heat it up to 739 degrees Fahrenheit. The fluid heats up another source of water nearby that turns to steam and spins turbines to create electricity.
One big issue with most solar installations is that they’re effectively of no use at night because there’s no sunlight, however, this one is a bit different. Since heat from the fluid can be stored in a tank of molten salts it’s even possible to continue generating electricity from this plant at night.
Noor I is already big enough that it can be seen from space. It will most likely become the world’s largest solar farm and it compares rather nicely with the world’s largest floating solar power plant that Japan is building
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