In the desert of Nevada stands the most advanced solar power plant in the world that has solved the greatest predicament that comes with harnessing the power of the sun: energy storage. Within a tower surrounded by ten thousand silvery glass panes is a mixture of potassium and sodium nitrate that is heated to unforgiving temperatures by the concentrated sunlight reflecting off the panes. When the potassium-sodium concoction, also known as molten-salt, reaches 560°C, it is stored in large tanks that maintain the heat efficiently. From there it can be converted into electricity through a conventional steam turbine. The solar power plant in Nevada is only a mile-and-a-half wide, and yet it can power 75,000 homes even when the sun goes down.
