Solar thermal power generation installation diagram

How do solar thermal power systems work?

All solar thermal power systems have solar energy collectors with two main components: reflectors (mirrors) that capture and focus sunlight onto a receiver. In most types of systems, a heat-transfer fluid is heated and circulated in the receiver and used to produce steam.

How does a solar tower power plant work?

In a solar tower power plant, biaxially tracking mirrors, referred to as heliostats, direct the solar radiation onto a central receiver mounted on a tower. A heat transfer medium, usually molten salt or alternatively water / steam or air, absorbs the energy there and transports it to the thermal storage system and to the power plant circuit.

What is a solar thermal power plant?

Solar thermal power plants usually have a large field, or array, of collectors that supply heat to a turbine and generator. Several solar thermal power facilities in the United States have two or more solar power plants with separate arrays and generators.

What are the location requirements for solar thermal power plants?

The location requirements for solar thermal power plants are comparatively low. Stony, rocky and gravel deserts with little vegetation are suitable, as are grasslands, scrublands and savannahs, for which there are practically no other economic uses, and which are available is almost unlimited quantities for this application in the Sun Belt.

How is solar thermal energy converted to heat?

The general strategy of energy conversion using solar thermal energy is presented on the diagram below. The solar energy obtained and converted to heat by the collector system is transferred by the thermal fluid to the storage and further to a boiler, where steam is generated.

Are solar thermal power plants controllable?

Since power generation can be flexibly adapted to demand, solar thermal power plants are referred to as controllable power plants. Solar thermal power plants have an additional advantage. If there is little solar radiation for several days due to the weather, they can be operated in hybrid mode.