Revolutionary Solar Energy Storage Plant is Big News

March 16, 2023 – A company called Malta, a Google spin-off, wants to use solar energy to produce and store electricity. The “Bluefin Energy Storage Project” is expected to cost $468 million and could go online near Titusville by 2026. There are no plans to have a solar farm or wind turbines on the site.

Using molten salt and coolant, the plant would store electricity generated by an OUC solar plant, then when needed the stored thermal energy would power a generator to return electricity to the grid. The method is said to be a better solution than lithium-ion batteries.

The environmentally “clean” aspects of the technology are exciting: a closed-loop system, it would use no water from the Indian River Lagoon; it would produce no emissions or pollutants and compared to a natural gas or coal plant, it would significantly reduce the carbon dioxide output.

With support from the Brevard County Commission, the company hopes to secure federal funding to help pay for the construction that would begin in 2024. It will mean a positive change in the landscape, demolishing the existing main OUC building, along with the red-and-white exhaust tower stacks that will also be taken down.

Once working at capacity, the plant would be rated as a 100-megawatt facility, generating enough power to cover the needs of 25,000 average Florida homes.

That’s some powerful news!

Source: Florida Today