How much land area does it cover?
Wikipedia says it "will be approximately three times the size" of Solar Two, but I'm not sure they mean land area footprint precisely, and the fact it says "will be" suggests it's outdated. Plus it's Wikipedia and, thus, unreliable. I can't find any sources that claim any specific land areas.
According to the
BBC article, it currently generates 11 megawatts with plans to produce 100 times that. That means it currently produces about electricity at about 1/5,400th the rate that Canada consumes it (consumption rate from CIA World Factbook is 522.4 billion kWh annually). It's planned maximum capacity, 1,100 MW, is a much more impressive 1/54th Canada's rate, but is yet to be seen. (Also, Canada's electrical consumption will increase by then.)
The same BBC article claims there are 600 mirrors of 120 sq meters each, for a total mirror area of 72,000 m² to generate the 11 MW. I have to assume that's the ideal land area covered as well, with a slightly larger actual site footprint. If that proportion holds true, it would take at least 390 square km of similarly lit land to power Canada at current electrical consumption rates.
The video mentions building similar structures across the Sahara. Certainly enough sunny land area exists in the Sahara to power the world, if it can be used as such. I wonder how they'll build a series of 40-story structures on an endless sea of sand dunes. That requires quite the architectural feat, though I do not doubt it can be accomplished eventually. Further, Sahara solar would be subject to the political unrest and natural phenomena (sand storms and whatnot) inherent to the north African desert.
The video's claim that "power from here is about three times more expensive than from a conventional power station" (1:10 from the end) ends my list of reality checks: this power will be more expensive than fossil fuel electricity for the foreseeable future (at least until production costs can be cut, perhaps until we see the predicted oil crunch).
It's a fantastic first step, and I'm eager to see where it goes from here. It really is beautiful, and is radically cool technology.
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