Concentrated Solar Power Diagram

Csp plants generate electric power by using mirrors to concentrate focus the sun s energy and convert it.

Concentrated solar power diagram. Dubai is building the world s largest concentrated solar power plant with the inevitable depletion of traditional fuel sources many nations are now spending time money and effort into the. Concentrating solar power systems can be sized for village power 10 kilowatts or grid connected applications up to 100 megawatts. Solar energy diagram 5 concentrated solar power csp concentrated solar power or csp works by using an array of lenses or mirrors to focus a large area of sunlight solar thermal energy onto a small area. Unlike photovoltaic pv systems which use the sun s light to generate electricity concentrating solar power systems generate electricity using the sun s heat.

All concentrating solar power csp technologies use a mirror configuration to concentrate the sun s light energy onto a receiver and convert it into heat. This solar power complex is a concentrated solar power station located in the mojave desert in eastern riverside county california about 25 miles 40 km west of blythe. Some systems use thermal storage during cloudy periods or at night. Others can be combined with natural gas and the resulting hybrid power plants provide high value dispatchable power.

Most csp systems work by heating up water which in the form of steam drives a steam turbine and produces electrical power. Concentrating solar power plants can integrate thermal energy. Csp technology utilizes focused sunlight. Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat solar thermal energy which drives a heat engine usually a steam turbine connected to an electrical power.

Parabolic trough the world s only complete line of pumps for concentrated solar power generation simplified parabolic trough flow diagram cold tank hot tank steam turbine electrical generator htf gas heater solar field thermal storage power block expansion vessel condenser cooling water pump cooling tower condensate pump. Think about using a magnifying glass to concentrate the sunlight on a specific point concentrated solar power uses the same technique only that a large system of mirrors is used instead. The united states was a pioneer in the development of csp or solar thermal power and california s mojave desert hosts some of the earliest operating csp plants in the world installed in the 1980s. The above diagram is an example of a concentrated solar power system using a reflective mirrored surface to intensify the heat of the sun.

Concentrated solar power csp also known as concentrating solar power concentrated solar thermal systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight onto a receiver.