A view of a 100-megawatt molten-salt solar thermal power plant in Dunhuang City, Northwest China's Gansu Province. The plant is powered by 12,000 mirrors that concentrate sunlight onto a receiver at the top of a solar tower, 260 meters high. The heat collected is used to create steam that turns a turbine and generator, as at a traditional thermal power plant. The molten salt can also be stored and used to generate power on demand, even at night.