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Concentrated solar power is the cutting edge of non emission power generation, and paves the way for the possibilities of just using the sun, much like solar.
Although it seems like a relatively new concept, some elements have been around for quite a while.
Advantages
Advantages
- Concentrated solar power is renewable
- It can be used for extremely large or extremely small applications
- It's simple, and maintenance is straight forward
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
- The concentrated heat and light is fatal to avian life
- High construction costs
- Intermittent, highly location dependent
History
History
According to greek mythology, Archimedes used a "Burning glass" to repel the invading Roman fleet from Syracuse. This was disproved in 1973 by scientist Dr. Ioannis Sakkas, using 60 greek soldiers holding mirrors, aimed at a wooden mock-up boat. It took a few minutes for the "Boat" to catch fire, which proved that one man with a large parabolic mirror would be effective. Despite that, the power and heat generated from the experiment proved that such concepts could be put to other use.
These weren't the first people to consider the suns energy, as a Frenchman named Augustin Mouchot believed that coal would run out one day, and an alternate form of energy would be needed. In 1866, Augustin built the first parabolic trough reflector which heated water in a pipe, making steam that ran a steam engine for the first time.
He presented it to Napoleon III the same year, which enabled him to increase the scale of his experiments, write a book about his studies, and construct the biggest steam engine he'd built yet. It was on display in Paris from 1869 until the city fell under siege during the Franco-Prussian war.
His work wasn't forgotten, and in 1878, displayed his engine at the universal expedition in Paris, winning a gold medal in his class. Apparently while in Paris, he removed the engine and proceeded to bake a loaf of bread in 45 minutes, and a pot roast in 30! The French Foreign Legion used Mouchot’s solar oven to cook their meals with North Africa, and in remote areas of Algeria, settlers and explorers used his solar stills to make the water they were able to find drinkable.
But it was too good to last, as the effects of the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty in 1860 made coal easier to obtain for France, so his studies were defunded, allegedly "Uneconomical" to the government.
In 1913 an American Frank Shuman built a solar energy station in Maadi, Egypt for irrigation. In 1929 Dr. R.H. Goddard built a solar power system using a reflective mirror disk, and wrote an article asserting that all the obstacles had been overcome. Finally in 1968, the first large scale concentrated solar power plant was built in Sant'Ilario by Professor Giovanni Francia. Its design is very similar to modern power plants, and proved to be quite effective, starting the spread of concentrated solar power
How it works
How it works
Drawing from the early days, concentrated solar facilities aim at a central point on a tower, being a heat register that turns water into steam that runs a turbine, generating electricity. Excess energy can be stored in molten salts, and the plant can generate steam overnight. Unlike Photovoltaics, solar panels, the plant can operate well into the night because of the salts.
The solar plants use heliostats, reflecting mirrors that follow the sun, and are pitched to continually reflect sunlight to the receiving tower throughout the day.
Smaller systems that can be compared in design to satellite TV disks, usually use several small mirrors aimed at the central point, allowing for more reflecting area. They can be used for households, and several can be installed for office buildings or small communities.
Other types of reflectors are the parabolic trough, which heat a central pipe with either water, or a fluid that exchanges heat with water running through it.
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