Abstract
Publisher Summary This chapter describes the nonconvective solar ponds. A solar pond allows collection over large areas with negligible energy transport losses. There are no windows or mirror surfaces to be kept clean, and there is built-in storage adequate to smooth out diurnal and weekly fluctuations of output. Even seasonal storage is not ruled out. A number of natural nonconvecting solar ponds have been reported, the density gradient being caused by various mechanisms, such as having a natural salt bottom that is flooded with water so that natural diffusion gives rise to a salt concentration gradient, that is, a density gradient that suppresses convection. In any real pond with a nonconvecting zone, there is a mixed zone at the top because of wind and a mixed zone at the bottom because of energy extraction. In actual fact, an NaCl pond—greater than 75 cm deep— must have a mixed zone at the bottom as the stability conditions at the bottom would call for salt concentrations greater than saturation.
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