All-Night Solar Plant Opens in Spain

A new 24-hour solar plant will be able to power up to 100,000 homes.

A solar power plant that doesn't sleep has gone online in southern Spain, becoming the first one in the world that can operate consistently for 24 hours a day. The massive Gemasolar power plant, built near the city of Seville and funded both by the United Arab Emirates and the Spanish government, produces enough power to cover a city of 100,000 people. It's able to produce throughout the day by using the sun's rays to heat liquid salt, which produces steam that's stored in tanks to provide power for up to 15 hours of darkness. It's also just about the prettiest-looking power plant that we've ever seen, plus there's that whole lack of greenhouse-gas emissions thing, too.