Technical principles of solar thermal power generation

What is solar thermal power generation?

Harnessing solar energy for electric power generation is one of the growing technologies which provide a sustainable solution to the severe environmental issues such as climate change, global warming, and pollution. This chapter deals with the solar thermal power generation based on the line and point focussing solar concentrators.

How do solar thermal power plants work?

Solar thermal power plants are composed of three processes: collection and conversion of solar radiation into heat, conversion of heat to electricity, and thermal energy storage to mitigate the transient effects of solar radiation on the performance of the system.

What is solar thermal plant?

Solar thermal plant is one of the most interesting applications of solar energy for power generation. The plant is composed mainly of a solar collector field and a power conversion system to convert thermal energy into electricity.

How to compare the different solar thermal power generation systems?

To compare the different solar thermal power generation systems, some key characteristics/parameters are important to analyze the performance of the power generation system. Some of those parameters are discussed as follows: Aperture is the plane of entrance for the solar radiation incident on the concentrator.

Can solar thermal power plants be integrated with conventional power plants?

Solar thermal power plants have enormous potential to be integrated with the existing conventional power plants. The integration of CSP systems with conventional power plants increases the efficiency, reduces the overall cost, and increases the dispatchability and reliability of the solar power generation system.

Which thermodynamic cycle is used for solar thermal power generation?

Rankine, Brayton, and Stirling cycle are commonly used thermodynamic cycles for solar thermal power generation. The integration of thermal energy storage and hybridization of solar thermal energy systems with conventional power generation systems improves the performance and dispatchability of the solar thermal systems.