As much as we report on the electrification of the automobile, it's important to remember that electric cars need to be charged somehow, and with a huge amount of the electricity in the world coming from less-than-clean power sources, alternatives must be found. Solar power is one such alternative, and energy from the sun can be captured by either using PV cells or through solar-thermal technology, which focuses the sun's rays on a fixed point, heating fluids and powering turbines. Solar-thermal company Ausra believes that soon they will be able to provide enough power for 90 percent of the homes in the U.S. along with an entire fleet of electric cars using their Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector technology. Wouldn't that be nice!

As intriguing as solar-thermal technology already is, there are hurdles to overcome. Some question how well the successful small power plants will scale to become large providers of energy. The biggest question, though, remains how to store the heat generated throughout the day so that power can be made throughout the night as well. Until these questions are adequately answered, solar-thermal technology is likely to remain a small player against the established players, including coal.

[Source: Wired Science]