Abstract
A model for predicting the salt gradient solar pond (SGSP) area that could be maintained with a given water supply is presented together with several specific applications. For example, based on 30-year average water flows, the model predicts that 1.93 × 10 9 m 2 (477,000 acres) of solar ponds, 1.02 × 10 9 m 2 (253,000 acres) of evaporation ponds to recycle salt, and 0.51 × 10 9 m 2 (125,000 acres) of freshwater storage reservoirs could be maintained at the Great Salt Lake of Utah. Water use requirements per unit of electrical energy from solar ponds are calculated as 600,000 m 3/MW·yr. This is roughly 30 times the water evaporated per unit of electrical energy from coal-fired generating plants using wet cooling towers, but substantially less than water evaporation losses per unit of electrical energy produced from typical hydropower dams and reservoirs. It is concluded that water use requirements for solar ponds, although not necessarily prohibitive, are substantial; and in many locations may be the physical factor that limits solar pond development.
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