Space Based Solar Power

The PS10 concentrated sunlight from a field of heliostats on a central tower.

Solar energy is by far the Earth as an energy source available, easily able to provide several times the current total energy demand. The largest solar power plants, as SEGS 354 MW, is concentrated solar thermal power plants, but recently, several megawatts of photovoltaic power plants have been built. Completed in 2008, the 46 MW Moura photovoltaic power station in Portugal and 40 MW solar park in Germany Waldpolenz are characteristic of the trend toward larger photovoltaic power stations. Much larger are proposed, such as the 550 MW Topaz Solar Farm, and the 600 MW Solar Farm Rancho Cielo. Covering 4% of the area of desert in the world with photovoltaics could provide all the electricity in the world. The Gobi desert alone could supply nearly all of the total world demand of energy.

Solar energy is an intermittent source of energy predictable, which means that if solar power is not available at all times, we can predict with a good degree of accuracy when it will and will not be available . Some technologies, like solar thermal concentrators with a thermal storage element, have the potential to eliminate the intermittent nature of solar energy, storing solar energy back as heat, and using that heat the night or during periods when solar energy is not available to produce electricity. This technology has the potential to make solar energy "controllable" as a source of heat can be used to produce electricity at will. solar energy installations are normally supplemented by storage or other energy source, such as wind and hydropower.

Applications

Solar energy is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Sunlight can be converted directly into electricity using photovoltaic (PV), or indirectly in concentrating solar power (CSP), which generally focuses the sun's energy to boil water which is then used to provide energy and technologies such as flat sterling engine using a motor-cycle sterling a power generator. Photovoltaics were first used to feed the demands of small and medium enterprises, the calculator powered by a single solar cell to off-grid homes powered by a photovoltaic generator.

The only major problem with solar is the cost of installation, although the cost has decreased due to the learning curve. Developing countries have begun to build solar power stations, replacing other sources of energy production.

Since solar energy is intermittent, it must be combined with storage or other energy sources to power continuously, even if for small distributed generation / consumers, net metering makes it transparent to the consumer. A combined power plant has been demonstrated, using 100% renewable energy.

A fundamental difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources that are nonrenewable can be purchased as they are consumed, so that renewable resources, you prepay for the next twenty years of energy.

Concentrating Solar Power

Concentrating Solar Power

Solar troughs are the most widely deployed.

A legend claims that Archimedes used polished shields to concentrate sunlight on the invading Roman fleet and repel them from Syracuse. Augustus Mouchout used a parabolic trough to produce steam for the steam solar first time in 1866. Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large part of the sunlight into a small bundle. The concentrated heat is then used as a source of heat for a conventional plant. A wide range of concentrating technologies exist, the most developed are the parabolic mirrors, the Fresnel reflector focuses linear Stirling dish and tower solar. Various techniques are used to TRA.