Concentrating Solar Power

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies use mirrors to focus the sun's light energy and convert it into heat to create steam to drive a turbine that generates electrical power. These plants consist of two parts: one that collects solar energy and converts it to heat, and another that converts the heat energy to electricity.

Molten salt storage technology could allow us to overcome the intermittency of sun and wind and go 100% renewable. In our first video Russell Beard of Earthrise goes on a tour of Gemasolar, near Seville, Spain - the first Concentrated Solar Thermal Power plus molten salt storage plant to produce energy 24 hours per day. This power tower plant produces 20MW, enough to power 25,000 homes but much bigger plants are now in operation or being built in the US, the Middle East, Chile and elsewhere.

This video explains what CSP is, how it works, and how systems like parabolic troughs produce renewable power. A single CSP plant can generate enough power for about 90,000 homes.

"PROS AND CONS OF CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER"



Origin: renewable-energy-dummies.blogspot.com