Chile plans hydropower plant in the most arid place of the planet

[leojg]

http://www.afp.com/en/news/chile-plans-hydropower-plant-desert

[lazyant]

so I guess pumping water up to a reservoir and a turbine downhill is cheaper than capacitors/batteries to store solar power?

[ZeroGravitas → lazyant]

If you've got the geography for it, it's cheaper and has a long history of deployment which makes it a relatively safe bet.

[AndrewDucker → lazyant]

It's a lot more efficient, apparently. 70-80% efficient. And cheaper in the long-term than batteries.