Solar Thermal Power Plant
A solar thermal power plant uses mirrors or lenses to focus the sun’s rays and generate heat, which is then used to produce electricity through a steam turbine. It is a renewable and clean energy source.
In solar thermal power plants, solar radiation is used to generate electricity in what is otherwise a conventional power plant process. Mirrors concentrate the sunlight on a radiation collector and heat up a heat-bearing medium, generally thermal oil. A turbine transforms this energy into electricity. In dry, hot zones with a high proportion of direct sunlight, solar thermal power plants are an efficient way of transforming solar energy into electricity.
Considerable quantities of solar thermal power plants in india are now being commercially built and operated. There continues to be a need for research and development so that the construction and operation of the power plants can be made cheaper, and the electricity generation costs thus significantly reduced.
At present, electricity from solar thermal power plants is still three or four times as expensive as electricity from fossil-fuel power stations. As the market continues to develop (economies of scale) and further efficient research and development work is done, it may be possible (according to an EASAC study from November 2011) to reduce electricity generation costs by 50-60% in the coming 10 to 15 years.
A solar thermal power plant uses mirrors to concentrate direct sunlight and convert this into Heat. This is used to produce steam to operate a turbine, which in turn drives a generator that
Converts the kinetic energy into electricity. Integrated heat storage systems make it possible for the power plant to generate electricity exactly when it is needed, regardless of fluctuations in the intensity of the solar radiation over the course of the day.
The current environment crisis is a clear call to transform our awareness and lifestyle. Therefore there is an urgent need for a new paradigm that integrates clean technologies into our day to day life.
In order to give a strong impulse towards the development of clean technologies and a sustainable society the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University have been actively involved for 25 years in the research and demonstration of alternative renewable energy concepts it also has advantages and disadvantages of Solar thermal power plant
Solar thermal power/electric generation systems collect and concentrate sunlight to produce the high temperature heat needed to generate electricity. 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. The steam is converted into mechanical energy in a turbine, which powers a generator to produce electricity.
Heating water in your house through solar thermal energy is one of the best ways to save up on energy costs. On an industrial scale, it’s possible to harness heat from the sun to produce electricity for an entire areal population. This is a Solar Thermal Energy System.
In an effort to utilise solar energy for power generation, various systems are being tried.
These are:
- Low temperature solar power plant using flat plate collector.
- Medium temperature solar power plant using concentrated solar collectors.
- High temperature solar power plant using tower system.