A heightened industry and public awareness about the commercial potential of solar ponds for supplying process heat, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions . The design work on the solar pond, the heating system, and the performance monitoring system has been completed. Earthworks needed for pond construction are due to commence in mid August 2000. It is planned to complete construction of the solar pond and bring it into operation during Spring 2000. A solar pond is a shallow body of saline water several metres deep, set up so that there is increasing salinity with depth.
Solar radiation entering the pond is stored as heat in the lower layer.
A solar pond can store solar heat much more efficiently than a body of water of the same size because the salinity gradient prevents convection currents. Solar radiation entering the pond penetrates through to the lower layer, which contains concentrated salt solution. The temperature in this layer rises since the heat it absorbs from the sunlight is unable to move upwards to the surface by convection. Solar heat is thus stored in the lower layer of the pond. This heat will be available through the night as well as the day.