Apparently Spain is all about setting alternative energy records. In March, the nation was, for a short span of time, generate 40 percent of its power from wind, and now the country has turned on the world’s largest solar-tower power plant. What is a solar tower, you ask? Well, CNET says that “A solar tower configuration uses a field of heliostats, or mirrors, to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver held in the tower. The heat creates steam which turns a turbine to make electricity.” Yes. Heliostats. Or, mirrors. Whatever. So, this solar tower thing…how powerful is it? Where is it? How tall is it?

The 531-foot solar tower, located near Seville, Spain, features a number of improvements on the first design and has exceeded the anticipated output. Called PS20, the installation is the largest in the world with a capacity of 20 megawatts, enough electricity to supply 10,000 homes.

That’s pretty powerful stuff there. Solar towers are thought to be a better technology than solar troughs, which is how most solar power is generated these days, and companies across the world are trying to get in on the action. Apparently it’s pretty cost-effective, and as storing solar power becomes more viable, this could really take off. We can hope.

Photo credit: afloresm’s flickr photostream/Creative Commons.