Loading... Please wait...
Save Money. Grow Your Own!
Fast Plain Box Shipping.
We ship to the US & Canada.
Posted on 24th Jun 2022
According to a 2021 CBS report, roughly 4% of American households derive their energy from solar power. Experts expect this number to rise significantly over the coming years.
But many solar enthusiasts wonder if larger facilities can access solar power benefits. Can these facilities use solar energy to reduce their carbon footprint?
It may surprise you that these facilities have another form of solar energy called concentrated solar power. However, this begs the question, "What is concentrated solar power?"
Concentrated solar power has many similarities to solar panels but also has distinctive differences. Learn all about them in our solar power guide below!
Concentrated solar power shares a few traits with its sibling technology, the solar panel. Both of these devices need the sun to generate power. However, while solar panels derive energy from sunlight, concentrated solar power uses solar heat.
How does this work? Concentrated solar technology uses special reflectors to concentrate solar energy into a receiver. Then, the receiver collects heat and stores it in various particle forms.
These forms include solid, liquid, and gas particles. Next, the receiver uses this heat to drive an electrically-charged steam turbine.
The most significant difference between concentrated solar power and solar panels is that these systems can store thermal energy for lengthy periods. It doesn't rely on constant sunlight to produce power.
There are two primary ways to generate concentrated solar power. These include:
We'll discuss both of these in more depth below.
Have you ever seen several rows of solar panels in an open space? If so, you have a general idea of how parabolic trough systems work.
Like the above solar panel design, parabolic trough systems are a type of linear concentrator system. Their name comes from the collector's design, whose curved shape resembles a feeding trough.
Operators fill these receivers with a heat transfer fluid. These fluids absorb the heat from focused sunlight and convert it to energy. Most experts consider these systems to be the most cost-effective.
Solar towers are the second most common concentrated solar power system. In these systems, operators erect a central tower and surround it with several flat reflectors called heliostats.
These reflectors change their position as the sun moves throughout the day. This way, they can focus solar radiation onto their receivers. The central receiver rests on top of the solar tower and receives the majority of concentrated heat.
You may wonder who would need this type of concentrated energy. Usually, the answer is industrial facilities.
Several plants can benefit from concentrated solar power, including:
Experts predict that this technology will increase in numbers over time. Continue investigating online to learn more about the best solar power methods.
If you were wondering, "What is concentrated solar power?", we hope you found an answer! This form of solar power offers significant benefits to the industrial world.
Over the coming years, experts expect this technology to become more commonplace across the country. When that happens, energy can become cleaner and more affordable.
But, solar power is just one aspect of home life that interests people. Fortunately, we have articles and products that can improve several parts of your house! Check out our other content today to learn more helpful tips about your household appliances.
