Using the heat of solar radiation is not a new idea
We use Solar energy for centuries and for various purposes. Solar thermal energy is the first form of solar energy we learned to use. One of the early recorded documents of that is how the ancient Greeks, used magnifying glasses to light fires. Later on, the Romans used solar energy to heat water in their bathhouses. Over time, the use of solar energy evolved and became more sophisticated. One of the most significant advancements in solar energy was the invention of photovoltaic cells in the 1950s. Since then it’s possible to convert sunlight into electricity directly. We covered this topic in the article about solar technologies’ historical path and evolution.
In this article, we discuss the aspect of harvesting solar thermal energy. The first form of solar energy we learned how to use is doing a comeback and helping us generate electricity in a sustainable way. There are countless applications, from lighting campfires to heating water and bathhouses. Thermal energy is part of the sun’s radiation spectrum, infrared.
What makes thermal solar so appealing to inventors?
Primarily there is the potential to save power. The process of water heating with electricity demands a lot of energy. Heaters are considered a heavy consumers. In many places, a simple and passive device can help us save on energy. Not only passive you can also build it on your own or buy secondhand to save even further. Although the energy solar thermal systems can collect is lower in efficiency, their low-tech use makes them accessible worldwide. Water heating is not the only use for solar thermal power. As we will explain soon, we even use it to generate electricity in power plants.
What is Thermo solar Energy And How Do We Catch It?
To extract energy from sunlight, there are generally two methods. The first method is photovoltaic (PV) which you can read here.
The photovoltaic method involves capturing solar energy in a semiconductor material, which then transfers that energy directly to its electrons. The electrons directly supply electrical energy when and pass it across a circuit. Electricity production goes on as long as the sun is out. Most PV solar panels function best when they are colder. Thus it is an issue when they absorb too much solar thermal energy.
This then brings us to the second. Solar thermal energy is an alternative method. Solar thermal heats a liquid using sunlight. There are a few technical ways to achieve this effect. For example by positioning a large tank in front of a field of mirrors. alternatively by positioning pipes evenly spaced above many long rows in an unshaded area. The goal of this strategy is to transfer the infrared spectrum of the sun’s radiation into heat absorbed in mass, in most cases a fluid mass.
The reason we want to store it in a fluid is that it will allow the location transformation of the mass that holds the energy through flow. If you have ever touched a dark car on a hot day, you probably understand how much energy is emitted by the sun and understand how we can passively absorb it.
In both methods (tanks or pipes), the heated liquid inside the containers is used to either directly or indirectly power a turbine, generating electricity. A solar thermal plant can continue to operate for several hours after the sun sets. It’s possible simply by running the flow of mass that absorbed the energy through the system.
Solar Thermal Uses In Commercial Facilities
Solar air heaters are the most widespread application in the commercial sector. They are either glazed or unglazed and are typically used to heat rooms. They are also among the most cost-effective and efficient solar thermal systems currently available. To stop heat from escaping into the surrounding air, the top sheet of a glazed system contains a transparent top layer, an insulated surrounding frame, and a rear panel. In an unglazed system, air travels over an absorber plate while the absorber absorbs heat.
Through the absorption of sunlight, a solar thermal collector gathers heat. The phrase “solar collector” generally refers to solar hot water panels. But it could refer to systems like solar parabolic troughs and solar towers—or basic systems such as solar air heaters. We typically use the more sophisticated collectors in concentrated solar power plants to produce energy by heating a fluid that drives a turbine attached to an electrical generator. We primarily use simple collectors for space heating in residential and commercial buildings. William H. Goettl was the first one to file a patent for a “Solar heat collector and radiator”. His invention was the first solar thermal collector made for building roofs.
How Do We Utilize This Technology To Create Electricity
Thermoelectric power plants have been around for several decades, but the concept of thermal solar power plants is relatively new. These plants use the sun’s energy to heat a fluid, which drives a turbine to generate electricity. The first commercial thermal solar power plant was built in 1984 in California, and since then, the technology is constantly evolving and improvin. There are now many different types of power plants utilizing this concept. Some examples include parabolic trough plants, central tower plants, and linear Fresnel reflector plants. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. To determine which type of plant is best suited for a location we need to consider various factors, including the availability of sunlight, the local climate, and the cost of land.
The method of electricity generation of thermal energy focuses the sunlight to provide the high-temperature heat required to produce the steam that rotates a turbine. Those turbines produce electricity. The difference between those facilities and a traditional power plant is the way we obtain the heat, instead of burning expensive fuels we get it for free from the sun.
How do we concentrate the sun’s radiation?
To collect the heat we use solar energy collectors and a big tank. The collectors consist out of two significant parts: reflectors, and directing platform. The first is most commonly mirrors that gather and direct sunlight onto a receiver. At the same time, the directing platform can move those reflectors to increase their efficiency as the sun angle shifts throughout the day. Typically, solar thermal power plants are made out of a field or array of collectors and therefore require relatively large space and are more suitable for large energy facilities. The tanks simply contain the fluid that we want to heat with an outlet for the steams to go out and rotate the turbines.
We sometimes include a thermal energy storage system in those power systems. This feature enables the heating of the energy storage system during the day, and the heat from the storage system is used to generate electricity at night or in cloudy conditions. Such a system can partly overcome some of the flaws of this design. Solar thermal power plants can also be a hybrid system that utilizes the sun’s radiation during the day and summer days and burns fuels or gas for the rest of the time. This design allows more steady electricity production in the plants.
The advantages of thermo solar power plants
Thermosolar power plants have several advantages over traditional power plants that use fossil fuels. They are a clean and renewable source of energy, they do not emit greenhouse gases, and they do not contribute to air pollution. In addition, we can build thermosolar power plants in a variety of locations, including areas that are remote or not well-served by other types of electricity infrastructure. This makes them a valuable addition to the energy mix, especially in regions where access to electricity is limited.
The disadvantages of thermo solar power plants
Despite these advantages, thermosolar power plants are still relatively expensive to build, and their efficiency is affected by factors such as cloud cover and dust accumulation. Making it a little more complicated solely to rely on them. Nevertheless, as technology continues to improve, thermosolar power plants will likely play an increasingly important role in the global energy mix in the years to come. since we now understand that there isn’t one solution to fix all of the problems in the way we generate electricity.
The Biggest Operating Solar Thermal Power Plant
Noor Complex Solar Power Plant, Morocco:
The Ouarzazate Solar Power Station more commonly known as Noor is currently the world’s largest thermal solar power plant. With a total capacity of over 1,000 MW. The plant uses parabolic trough technology to concentrate sunlight and generate electricity. A neat fact about The Noor power station in Morocco besides being the world’s largest concentrated solar power facility is that it generates electricity at night using molten salt storage.
The facility is located in the city of Ouarzazate in southern Morocco in the Agadir region. The Moroccan desert has some of the world’s greatest levels of sunlight — up to 2635 kWh/m2 annually. The power plant is spread over 2,500 square kilometers. The array of mirrors is organized in the shape of rings each of tens of thousands of units. The Noor solar complex is called after the Arabic word for “light,” enabling Morocco to supply over half of its electricity from renewable sources. The complex, which comprises the Noor I, Noor II, and Noor III facilities, can power more than a million homes and prevent 760,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
The concentrating array of the Noor 1 alone consists of 537,000 parabolic mirrors controlled by a computer to face the sun continuously. We direct those mirrors toward a tank with a special oil that circulates throughout the facility inside stainless steel pipes. The central power plant receives this heated synthetic oil, which reaches a temperature of about 390 °C and uses it to create steam that powers the main turbine and provides energy.
Noor’s size and output are outstanding, considering it is only the third operational power plant of this scale. It represents a significant technological advance that might portend a promising future for the production of sustainable energy.
To Conclude
Thermal solar power plants can play a crucial role in the shift towards sustainable and carbon-neutral energy generation. These types of power plants harness the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity, reducing our dependence on finite resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The technology is beneficial both in our houses to save on electrical consumption and as part of global electricity production. With the global demand for energy continuing to rise, we have to prioritize the development and implementation of clean energy solutions such as this one. By investing in this technology, we can not only mitigate the impacts of climate change but also promote equality in developing countries that currently suffer from the effects of the global environmental crisis to further extinction. also, create new job opportunities and secure a better future for generations to come.
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