Solar energy is a renewable source of power which harnesses the abundant solar radiation available to the earth. The solar radiation is converted into usable form of electrical energy by either using photovoltaic cells (PV) or by using concentrated solar power (CSP). Photovoltaic cells directly convert sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic semiconductors. Concentrated solar power systems use large mirrors and lenses to concentrate sunlight into a small beam to produce heat which can drive steam turbines. Though solar power has huge potential, it is limited in use due to its high installation cost and its inability to produce energy at night or in the dark. Although costs have been decreasing due to the learning curve the inability to produce energy in the absence of sunlight is still the main problem. However these latest innovations are set to overcome the biggest obstacle in solar adoption. 1. Keahole Solar Power 
Keahole Solar Power’s new Holaniku Solar Farm on Hawaii’s Big Island has set up thousands of micro-scale solar power concentrators to generate energy efficiently even in the dark. The plant can generate up to 2 MW of thermal energy which would be used to heat 8000 gallons of water to produce electricity. Even during the absence of sunlight, thermos like tanks are used to store heat and produce continuous energy 2. Gemasolar solar project 
The flagship project from Torresol Energy Investment will use molten heat systems to store heat during the day so that electricity can also be produced during the night. The 17 MW Spanish solar project is set to be an important forerunner for future concentrated solar energy projects. 3. Archimede Solar Project 
It is the world’s first plant that will use molten salt to store and collect heat from the sun. This 5 MW Concentrated Solar Power plant will use molten salts for heat transfer and storage. As direct molten salt allows higher-temperature (over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit) heat storage than the oil operated CSP plant with molten salt storage, the plant can operate 24 hours a day for many days without sunlight. 
The heat generated from the molten salt is used to boil water and drive the turbines. This is helpful in integrating the plant with the existing power plants. This plant has a higher efficiency than some of the existing CSP plants which use oil and require two heat exchanges (one during the oil-to-molten-salt system, and the other during the molten-salt-to-steam system). 4. SolarReserve Project 
The new solar plant will produce up to 500 MW of peak power by saving and storing solar energy in molten salt. Huge arrays of mirrors will reflect light onto the tank to run turbines for producing electricity.
