Concentrated Solar Panels

Concentrating solar power csp technologies use mirrors to concentrate focus the sun s light energy and convert it into heat to create steam to drive a turbine that generates electrical power.

Concentrated solar panels.

Concentrated solar power system types. The solar energy technologies office seto supports research and development of concentrating solar thermal power csp technologies that reduce the cost of solar energy. Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat solar thermal energy which drives a heat engine usually a steam turbine connected to an electrical power. Concentrating solar power plants can integrate thermal energy.

The thermal energy concentrated in a csp plant can be stored and used to produce electricity when it is needed day or night. 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. Generally concentrated solar power is not installed at a residential scale and instead will almost always be installed over a large area as a utility scale generating facility. Here in we review basic solar energy facts of competing solar technologies csp vs pv.

The heat can then be used to create steam to drive a turbine to produce electrical power or used as industrial process heat. Concentrator photovoltaics cpv also known as concentration photovoltaics is a photovoltaic technology that generates electricity from sunlight. For residential and commercial property owners solar photovoltaic panels are the best way to harness the sun s energy for use. The ouarzazate solar power station osps also called as noor power station is a solar power complex that is located in the drâa tafilalet region in morocco.

Csp systems concentrate radiation of the sun to heat a liquid substance which is then used to drive a heat engine and drive an electric generator. Concentrated solar power csp also known as concentrating solar power concentrated solar thermal systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight onto a receiver. Unlike conventional photovoltaic systems it uses lenses or curved mirrors to focus sunlight onto small highly efficient multi junction mj solar cells in addition cpv systems often use solar trackers and sometimes a cooling system to further. The ivanpah solar electric generating system is a concentrated solar thermal plant in the mojave desert it is located at the base of clark mountain in california across the state line from primm nevada the plant has a gross capacity of 392 megawatts mw.

Csp technologies can be used to generate electricity by converting energy from sunlight to power a turbine but it can also be used as heat in a variety of industrial applications like water desalination enhanced oil. Concentrated solar thermal systems csp are not the same as photovoltaic panels. Csp vs pv technologies. Csp technology utilizes focused sunlight.

It deploys 173 500 heliostats each with two mirrors focusing solar energy on boilers located on three 459 ft 139 9 m tall solar power.