Solar Thermal Electricity

Solar Thermal Electricity

Solar thermal electricity technologies (also called concentrating solar power, or CSP) produce electric power by converting the sun`s energy into high-temperature heat using various mirror configurations, which is then channeled to an on-site power plant and used to make electricity through traditional heat-conversion technologies. The plant essentially consists of two parts: one that collects solar energy and converts it to heat, and another that converts the heat energy to electricity.

Concentrating solar power systems can be sized for village power (10 kilowatts) or grid-connected applications (hundreds of megawatts). Some systems use thermal storage during cloudy periods or at night to produce electricity outside of the traditional solar daytime window. Others can be combined with natural gas and the resulting hybrid power plants provide high-value, dispatchable power. These attributes, along with high solar-to-electric conversion efficiencies, make concentrating solar power an attractive renewable energy option in the southwest United States and other sunbelt regions worldwide.

There are three basic types of CSP technologies:

* Stirling engines

* Solar troughs

* Solar towers

For more information on concentrating solar power:

* Sandia National Laboratory

* National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Back 05.10.2008.