How do solar power plants work?

From PV to solar ponds, solar power plants use various strategies to turn the Sun’s power into energy and electricity. Solar power plants are rapidly becoming popular for generating clean and renewable energy. With technological advancements and decreasing costs, solar power plants are becoming more accessible and efficient. But what are they?

What is a solar thermal power plant?

Solar thermal power plants are active systems, and while there are a few types, there are a few basic similarities: Mirrors reflect and concentrate sunlight, and receivers collect that solar energy and convert it into heat energy. A generator can then be used to produce electricity from this heat energy.

What is a solar power plant?

A solar power plant is any facility that converts sunlight directly, like photovoltaics, or indirectly, like solar thermal plants, into electricity. Solar power plants are incredible pieces of engineering. They come in a variety of types, with each using discretely different techniques to harness the power of the sun.

How is solar energy generated?

Solar energy - Electricity Generation: Solar radiation may be converted directly into solar power (electricity) by solar cells, or photovoltaic cells. In such cells, a small electric voltage is generated when light strikes the junction between a metal and a semiconductor (such as silicon) or the junction between two different semiconductors.

How do solar thermal power plants work?

These kinds of solar thermal power plants work by focussing sunlight from long parabolic mirrors onto receiver tubes that run the length of the mirror at their focal point. This concentrated solar energy heats up fluid continuously flowing through the tubes.

How do you generate energy from the Sun?

There are two main ways of generating energy from the sun. Photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar thermal (CST), also known as concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies. PV converts sunlight directly into electricity.