Due to population increase and industrial advancement, the world’s energy requirements are sharply increasing. This is crucial to emphasize the role that emerging economies have played in the population increase, which has risen by 2 billion people in just one decade. Preventing an energy disaster is one of the least important challenges of the twenty-first century.
In order to keep up with the increase in world population, the need for energy is rapidly increasing. Different countries have their own strategies, plans, programs, and command systems for establishing themselves globally. Developing nations are currently under pressure to look for energy sources because of their rapid population increase and need for economic development to become economically feasible. Since energy demand is inversely correlated with economic growth, it rises as the economy develops.
Several individuals from developing countries still live without power despite the fact that several ways to increase energy production capacity have been proposed. Nonrenewable energies are limited and scarce, hence there is no certainty that their consumption will satisfy energy requirements. That’s the reason research is moving toward Renewable energies & concentrated solar power (CSP) is one of the technology.
Concentrated Solar Power
Solar radiation is concentrated in Concentrated solar power (CSP) to create steam or hot air. Using a traditional power cycle, this steam or hot air is then used to produce electricity & power. The 4 types of CSP technologies currently in use are
- Parabolic troughs CSP
- Power-towers CSP
- Dish/engine-systems CSP
- Linear Fresnel reflectors CSP
Parabolic Troughs
This CSP technology is now the most dependable & economical. In California, USA, there are 9 enormous commercial power plants using parabolic troughs are available. There are three main parts to a parabolic trough collector.
- Absorber (working fluid)
- Transparent cover
- Parabolic reflector plate.
Transparent cover is used to prevents the heat loss from the absorber tube. Sun tracking device is included in Parabolic trough collectors which follow the sun all day to maximize solar energy absorption. Parabolic trough collectors have a receiving tube at their focal point, into which the solar energy is then focused.
The receiving tube is used to increase absorbance in the range of solar spectrum wavelength and it is steel coated. Steel tube is then enclosed in a glass tube to eliminate the heat losses. Concentrated solar energy can enter the glass tube & impact the absorber there. It sufficiently produces steam heated the fluid inside the tube which powers a conventional steam power plant.
By putting the following strategies into practice, parabolic trough collector power plants’ operational and maintenance expenses can be decreased.
- Better trough receivers with coatings that can endure greater temperatures and optimize solar energy absorption are being developed.
- To enhance tracking performance, better parabolic trough concentrators are being developed using lighter, less expensive materials.
- Creating an energy storage system for parabolic trough systems that can store energy for years with the least amount of heat loss.
Power Towers
Mirrors dispersed across heliostats are used in this method to follow the sun continually. These mirrors direct the sunlight that reflects off them onto a receiver that is mounted above the tower. A liquid inside the receiver absorbs thermal energy & transfers it to power generation system, where it is transformed into electricity. The energy storage system in these power towers is built to deliver a steady stream of power all day long. Power tower has an efficiency of fifteen to twenty-five percent. These towers can experience temperatures that are well above 1000°C and even as high as 800°C.
Dish/engine Systems
A parabolic dish-shaped concentrator, which is the core of the Stirling dish system, directs solar radiations onto a receiver at the dish’s central focus. Since generator is at dish’s focal point, the Stirling dish system has the major benefit of preventing heat loss due to heat transfer fluid. The dish-engine system is thought to have maximum efficiency (of roughly 30 percent) among the CSP technologies.
Linear Fresnel Reflectors
In this CSP technology long flat or slightly curved mirrors are utilized. Both are set at different angles to direct the sun’s rays toward a stationary receiver from either side. Long tube receiver is with an absorbent coating on one side made of black chrome solar absorption cermet. A traditional electricity generation system receives the thermal energy from the fluid. Flat mirrors used in this kind of setup are less expensive than parabolic troughs.
Cite this Article
| Author: | Scholars Harbor |
| Year: | 2022 |
| Title |
Concentrated Solar Power and its Types – Explained |
| Publisher: | Scholars Harbor |
| URL: | https://scholarsharbor.com/concentrated-solar-power-and-its-types-explained/ |
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