Solar thermal power plant - Revision history

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	[[Category:Done 2018-04-30]]		[[Category:Done 2018-04-30]]
			[[Category: Translated to French]]
			[[fr:Centrale solaire thermique]]
	[[File:12-05-08_AS1.JPG\|360px\|thumb\|right\|Figure 1. A solar thermal power plant in Spain.<ref>Wikimedia Commons. (August 18, 2015). ''AS1'' [Online]. Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/12-05-08_AS1.JPG</ref>]]		[[File:12-05-08_AS1.JPG\|360px\|thumb\|right\|Figure 1. A solar thermal power plant in Spain.<ref>Wikimedia Commons. (August 18, 2015). ''AS1'' [Online]. Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/12-05-08_AS1.JPG</ref>]]

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Jmdonev: /* For Further Reading */

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For Further Reading

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:37, 9 May 2018
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	[[Category:Done ~~2015~~-08-21]]		[[Category:Done 2018-04-30]]
	[[File:12-05-08_AS1.JPG\|360px\|thumb\|right\|Figure 1. A solar thermal power plant in Spain.<ref>Wikimedia Commons. (August 18, 2015). ''AS1'' [Online]. Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/12-05-08_AS1.JPG</ref>]]		[[File:12-05-08_AS1.JPG\|360px\|thumb\|right\|Figure 1. A solar thermal power plant in Spain.<ref>Wikimedia Commons. (August 18, 2015). ''AS1'' [Online]. Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/12-05-08_AS1.JPG</ref>]]

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	==Types of Plants==		==Types of Plants==
	Despite the fact that there are several different types of solar thermal power plants, they are all the same in that they utilize mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight on a point. At this point the solar energy is collected and converted to heat energy, which creates steam and runs a generator. This creates electricity.		Despite the fact that there are several different types of solar thermal power plants, they are all the same in that they utilize mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight on a point. At this point the solar energy is collected and converted to heat energy, which creates steam and runs a generator. This creates electricity.

	===Parabolic Troughs===		===Parabolic Troughs===
	: [[solar collector#Types of Solar Collectors#Line Focus Collectors\|''main article'']]		: [[solar collector#Types of Solar Collectors#Line Focus Collectors\|''main article'']]
	These troughs are composed of a long, parabolic shaped reflector that concentrates incident sunlight on a pipe that runs down the trough. The ~~collector is able~~ to ~~move and~~ track the Sun across the sky as it moves from east to west to ensure that there is always maximum solar energy incident on the mirrors. The receiver pipe in the center can reach [[temperature]]s upward of [[Celsius\|400°C]] as the trough focuses Sun at 30-100 times its normal intensity.<ref name="RE1"/>		[[File:trough.jpg\|200px\|thumb\|right\|Figure 2. Parabolic Trough Collectors.<ref>flickr. (April 5, 2018). ''Parabolic trough'' [Online]. Available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/argonne/7783883506</ref>]]
			These troughs, also known as line focus collectors, are composed of a long, parabolic shaped reflector that concentrates incident sunlight on a pipe that runs down the trough. The collectors sometimes utilize a single-axis [[Solar tracking]] system to track the Sun across the sky as it moves from east to west to ensure that there is always maximum solar energy incident on the mirrors. The receiver pipe in the center can reach [[temperature]]s upward of [[Celsius\|400°C]] as the trough focuses Sun at 30-100 times its normal intensity.<ref name="RE1"/>

	These troughs are lined up in rows on a solar field. A heat transfer fluid is heated as it is run through the pipes in the parabolic trough. This fluid then returns to heat exchangers at a central location where the heat is transferred to water, generating high-[[pressure]] superheated steam. This steam then moves a turbine to power a generator and produce electricity. The heat transfer fluid is then cooled and run back through the solar field.<ref name="RE1"/>		These troughs are lined up in rows on a solar field. A heat transfer fluid is heated as it is run through the pipes in the parabolic trough. This fluid then returns to heat exchangers at a central location where the heat is transferred to water, generating high-[[pressure]] superheated steam. This steam then moves a turbine to power a generator and produce electricity. The heat transfer fluid is then cooled and run back through the solar field.<ref name="RE1"/>

	~~These troughs are used at a solar thermal power plant in the Mojave Desert in California, the largest solar power facility in the world.~~

	===Parabolic Dishes===		===Parabolic Dishes===
	: [[solar collector#Types of Solar Collectors#Point Focus Collectors\|''main article'']]		: [[solar collector#Types of Solar Collectors#Point Focus Collectors\|''main article'']]
			[[File:SolarStirling_Engine.jpg\|200px\|thumb\|right\|Figure 3. Parabolic Dish Collector.<ref>Wikimedia Commons. (April 5, 2018). ''Solar Stirline Engine'' [Online]. Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SolarStirling_Engine.jpg</ref>]]
	These are large parabolic dishes that use [[electric motor\|motor]]s to track the Sun. This ensures that they always receive the highest possible amount of incoming solar radiation that they then concentrate at the focal point of the dish. These dishes can concentrate sunlight much better than parabolic troughs and the fluid run through them can reach temperatures upwards of 750°C.<ref name="RE1"/>		These are large parabolic dishes that use [[electric motor\|motor]]s to track the Sun. This ensures that they always receive the highest possible amount of incoming solar radiation that they then concentrate at the focal point of the dish. These dishes can concentrate sunlight much better than parabolic troughs and the fluid run through them can reach temperatures upwards of 750°C.<ref name="RE1"/>

	In these systems, an engine ~~in the system~~ coverts heat to mechanical energy by compressing working fluid when cold and allowing the heated fluid to expand outward in a piston or move through a turbine. A generator then converts this mechanical energy to electricity.<ref name="RE1"/>		In these systems, a [[Stirling engine]] coverts heat to mechanical energy by compressing working fluid when cold and allowing the heated fluid to expand outward in a piston or move through a turbine. A generator then converts this mechanical energy to electricity.<ref name="RE1"/>

	===Solar Towers===		===Solar Towers===
	:: [[solar power tower\|''main article'']]		:: [[solar power tower\|''main article'']]
	[[Solar power tower]]s are large towers that act as a central receiver for solar energy. They stand in the middle of a large array of ~~solar collectors~~ that all concentrate sunlight on a point in the tower. These ~~solar collectors are a~~ large number of flat, sun tracking mirrors known as heliostats. In the tower, there is a mounted heat exchanger where the heat exchange fluid is warmed. The heat concentrated to this point can be 1500 times as intense as incident sunlight.<ref name="RE1"/> One drawback with these towers is they must be very large to be economical.		[[File:PS10_solar_power_tower.jpg\|300px\|thumb\|right\|Figure 4. Solar Tower.<ref>Wikimedia Commons. (April 5, 2018). ''PS10 solar power tower'' [Online]. Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PS10_solar_power_tower.jpg</ref>]]
			[[Solar power tower]]s are large towers that act as a central receiver for solar energy. They stand in the middle of a large array of mirrors that all concentrate sunlight on a point in the tower. These large number of flat, sun tracking mirrors are known as heliostats. In the tower, there is a mounted heat exchanger where the heat exchange fluid is warmed. The heat concentrated to this point can be 1500 times as intense as incident sunlight.<ref name="RE1"/> The hot fluid is then used to create steam to run a turbine and generator, producing electricity. One drawback with these towers is they must be very large to be economical.

	==Benefits and Drawbacks==		==Benefits and Drawbacks==
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	Some of the drawbacks include the large amount of land necessary for these plants to operate efficiently. As well, the water demand of these plants can also be seen as an issue, as the production of enough steam requires large volumes of water.<ref>Wisions. (August 11, 2015). ''Solar Power Tower'' [Online]. Available: http://www.wisions.net/technologyradar/technology/solar-power-towers</ref> A final potential impact of the use of large focusing mirrors is the harmful effect these plants have on birds. Birds that fly in the way of the focused rays of Sun can be incinerated. Some reports of bird deaths at power plants such as these amount the deaths to about one bird every two minutes.<ref>Sarah Fecht. (August 11, 2015). ''Solar Power Towers are Vaporizing Birds'' [Online]. Available: http://www.popsci.com/solar-power-towers-are-vaporizing-birds</ref>		Some of the drawbacks include the large amount of land necessary for these plants to operate efficiently. As well, the water demand of these plants can also be seen as an issue, as the production of enough steam requires large volumes of water.<ref>Wisions. (August 11, 2015). ''Solar Power Tower'' [Online]. Available: http://www.wisions.net/technologyradar/technology/solar-power-towers</ref> A final potential impact of the use of large focusing mirrors is the harmful effect these plants have on birds. Birds that fly in the way of the focused rays of Sun can be incinerated. Some reports of bird deaths at power plants such as these amount the deaths to about one bird every two minutes.<ref>Sarah Fecht. (August 11, 2015). ''Solar Power Towers are Vaporizing Birds'' [Online]. Available: http://www.popsci.com/solar-power-towers-are-vaporizing-birds</ref>

			== For Further Reading ==
			For further information please see the related pages below:
			*[[Solar power]]
			*[[Solar chimney]]
			*[[Solar collector]]
			*[[Solar water heating]]
			*[[Photovoltaic cell]]
			* Or explore a [[Special:Random\| random page!]]

	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}[[Category:Uploaded]]		{{reflist}}[[Category:Uploaded]]

J.williams: 1 revision imported

2015-08-26T21:31:55Z

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J.williams at 18:50, 24 August 2015

2015-08-24T18:50:47Z

New page

[[Category:Done 2015-08-21]]
[[File:12-05-08_AS1.JPG|360px|thumb|right|Figure 1. A solar thermal power plant in Spain.<ref>Wikimedia Commons. (August 18, 2015). ''AS1'' [Online]. Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/12-05-08_AS1.JPG</ref>]]

<onlyinclude>'''Solar thermal power plants''' are [[electricity generation]] plants that utilize [[energy]] from the [[Sun]] to heat a fluid to a high [[temperature]]. This fluid then transfers its [[heat]] to [[water]], which then becomes superheated [[steam]]. This steam is then used to turn [[turbine]]s in a power plant, and this [[mechanical energy]] is converted into [[electricity]] by a [[generator]].</onlyinclude> This type of generation is essentially the same as electricity generation that uses [[fossil fuel]]s, but instead heats steam using [[sunlight]] instead of [[combustion]] of fossil fuels.<ref name="RE1">EIA. (August 18, 2015). ''Solar Thermal Power Plants'' [Online]. Available: http://www.eia.gov/Energyexplained/?page=solar_thermal_power_plants</ref> These systems use [[solar collector]]s to concentrate the Sun's rays on one point to achieve appropriately high temperatures.

There are two types of systems to collect [[solar radiation]] and store it: passive systems and active systems. Solar thermal power plants are considered active systems.<ref name="RE2">Maria Trimarchi. (August 18, 2015). ''Solar Thermal Systems'' [Online]. Available: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/energy-production/solar-thermal-power1.htm</ref> These plants are designed to operate using only solar energy, but most plants can use fossil fuel combustion to supplement output when needed.<ref name="RE1"/>

==Types of Plants==
Despite the fact that there are several different types of solar thermal power plants, they are all the same in that they utilize mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight on a point. At this point the solar energy is collected and converted to heat energy, which creates steam and runs a generator. This creates electricity.
===Parabolic Troughs===
: [[solar collector#Types of Solar Collectors#Line Focus Collectors|''main article'']]
These troughs are composed of a long, parabolic shaped reflector that concentrates incident sunlight on a pipe that runs down the trough. The collector is able to move and track the Sun across the sky as it moves from east to west to ensure that there is always maximum solar energy incident on the mirrors. The receiver pipe in the center can reach [[temperature]]s upward of [[Celsius|400°C]] as the trough focuses Sun at 30-100 times its normal intensity.<ref name="RE1"/>

These troughs are lined up in rows on a solar field. A heat transfer fluid is heated as it is run through the pipes in the parabolic trough. This fluid then returns to heat exchangers at a central location where the heat is transferred to water, generating high-[[pressure]] superheated steam. This steam then moves a turbine to power a generator and produce electricity. The heat transfer fluid is then cooled and run back through the solar field.<ref name="RE1"/>

These troughs are used at a solar thermal power plant in the Mojave Desert in California, the largest solar power facility in the world.

===Parabolic Dishes===
: [[solar collector#Types of Solar Collectors#Point Focus Collectors|''main article'']]
These are large parabolic dishes that use [[electric motor|motor]]s to track the Sun. This ensures that they always receive the highest possible amount of incoming solar radiation that they then concentrate at the focal point of the dish. These dishes can concentrate sunlight much better than parabolic troughs and the fluid run through them can reach temperatures upwards of 750°C.<ref name="RE1"/>

In these systems, an engine in the system coverts heat to mechanical energy by compressing working fluid when cold and allowing the heated fluid to expand outward in a piston or move through a turbine. A generator then converts this mechanical energy to electricity.<ref name="RE1"/>

===Solar Towers===
:: [[solar power tower|''main article'']]
[[Solar power tower]]s are large towers that act as a central receiver for solar energy. They stand in the middle of a large array of solar collectors that all concentrate sunlight on a point in the tower. These solar collectors are a large number of flat, sun tracking mirrors known as heliostats. In the tower, there is a mounted heat exchanger where the heat exchange fluid is warmed. The heat concentrated to this point can be 1500 times as intense as incident sunlight.<ref name="RE1"/> One drawback with these towers is they must be very large to be economical.

==Benefits and Drawbacks==
Because these systems can generate steam of such high temperatures, the conversion of heat energy to electricity is more [[energy efficiency|efficient]]. As well, these plants get around the issue of being unable to efficiently store electricity by being able to store heat instead. The storage of heat is more efficient and cost-effective than storing electricity.

Additionally, these plants can produce [[dispatchable source of electricity|dispatchable]] [[baseload power|baseload]] energy, which is important as it means these plants produce a reliable amount of energy and can be turned on or up at will, meeting the energy demands of society.<ref name="RE3">Visions of Earth. (August 18, 2015). ''Solar Thermal Power'' [Online]. Available: http://www.visionofearth.org/featured-articles/solar-thermal-power/</ref> In addition to this, solar thermal power plants represent a type of electricity generation technology that is cleaner than generating electricity by using fossil fuels. Thus, these are some of the cleanest options for generating electricity. Despite this, there are still associated [[environmental impact|environmental effects]] of these plants as a full [[life cycle analysis]] can show all associated [[carbon dioxide]] [[emission]]s involved in the building of these plants. However, emissions are still much lower than those associated with fossil fuel plants.

Some of the drawbacks include the large amount of land necessary for these plants to operate efficiently. As well, the water demand of these plants can also be seen as an issue, as the production of enough steam requires large volumes of water.<ref>Wisions. (August 11, 2015). ''Solar Power Tower'' [Online]. Available: http://www.wisions.net/technologyradar/technology/solar-power-towers</ref> A final potential impact of the use of large focusing mirrors is the harmful effect these plants have on birds. Birds that fly in the way of the focused rays of Sun can be incinerated. Some reports of bird deaths at power plants such as these amount the deaths to about one bird every two minutes.<ref>Sarah Fecht. (August 11, 2015). ''Solar Power Towers are Vaporizing Birds'' [Online]. Available: http://www.popsci.com/solar-power-towers-are-vaporizing-birds</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}[[Category:Uploaded]]