Solar Thermal Power How It Works

Solar panels aren t the only way to generate electricity from the sun solar thermal is becoming an increasingly popular way to generate power.

Solar thermal power how it works. It doesn t give off carbon dioxide emissions. It works by concentrating light bouncing off a vast array of reflective panels at a central point. These collectors are known as linear concentrator systems and the largest are able to generate 80 megawatts of electricity source. A solar thermal system works by harnessing is the sun s energy and converting it into heat which is then transferred into your home or businesses heating system as hot water or space heating.

All concentrating solar power csp technologies use a mirror configuration to concentrate the sun s light energy onto a receiver and convert it into heat. Department of energy they are shaped like a half pipe you d see used for snowboarding or. Concentrating solar power plants can integrate thermal energy. Solar thermal panels are used in conjunction with a boiler collector or immersion heater.

The most common type of solar thermal power plants including those plants in california s mojave desert use a parabolic trough design to collect the sun s radiation. The heat can then be used to create steam to drive a turbine to produce electrical power or used as industrial process heat. Solar thermal power plants may also be hybrid systems that use. Solar thermal power plants are electricity generation plants that utilize energy from the sun to heat a fluid to a high temperature this fluid then transfers its heat to water which then becomes superheated steam this steam is then used to turn turbines in a power plant and this mechanical energy is converted into electricity by a generator this type of generation is essentially the same as.

It won t run out. The sun that power plant in the sky bathes earth in ample energy to fulfill all the world s power needs many times over.