What is concentrated solar energy?

Concentrated solar thermal solar energy, is also a means of collecting solar energy different from using photovoltaic (PV) panels. Instead of direct conversion of solar energy into electricity, as in PV panels, concentrated solar energy concentrates sunlight on a relatively small point that heats the medium. The heat from the medium is then either transferred directly to the destination to be heated, such as the pool or connected to the electricity generator.

Unlike commercial PV panels, which have an efficiency of about 17-19%, concentrated sun efficiency ranges from 40-60%. There are three types of concentrated solar equipment-low temperatures (used for thermal pools), medium temperature equipment (used to heat water for commercial or residential use) and high-temperature equipment (used to produce electricity).

concentrated solar energy is cheaper than solar panels because it primarily consists of mirrors to make withE was concentrated by Thela rays, rather than photovoltaics, an electronic system that requires the production of highly pure silicon. Both must be regularly cleaned or lost energy generating energy.

Several extensive concentrated solar power plants have been built in recent years. Segs (solar energy generation systems), a solar thermal plant operated by the Israeli company SOLEL, covers 1000 acres. The largest solar power plant of any species produces this plant 90% of all commercially available solar energy - 354 megawatts, about 1/6 of the main nuclear power plants and about 1.5% of three Gorges ladies, the largest power plant in the world. In the SOLEL plant, mirrors concentrate solar energy on oil -filled tubes that are heated to produce electricity.

In 2006, about 21 million square feet of concentrated solar systems were built in the United States, of which 16 million the variety with low temperature used for cheaply heating pools. They use either warm water or air as a medium to transmit heat.

The term “concentrated solar energy” is most often associated with high -temperature solar thermal collectors such as those used in the SOLEL plant. They use steam or gas turbines to produce electricity from overheated liquid.