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Need-to-knows about concentrated solar power plants
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A concentrated solar power plant in principle works no differently than a conventional steam power plant. However, there is one important difference. No harm is done to the environment by burning coal, oil, natural gas or by splitting uranium to produce steam. It is produced solely by the energy that
comes from the sun.
In order to achieve the high temperatures required, solar radiation must be
concentrated. Parabolic trough collectors represent the most advanced technology for use in doing this. These troughs are more than 1,300 feet (400 meters)in length and are made up of parabolically shaped mirror segments. The troughs track the sun over the course of the day and focus the resulting radiation along the caustic line of the mirrors onto specially coated, evacuated absorber tube receivers.
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Electricity can be stored
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Solar radiation heats up the thermo-oil
that flows through the receiver to a temperature
of 400° Celsius so that a downstream
heat exchanger is able to generate
steam. As in a conventional power
plant, the steam is pressurized inside the
turbine that drives the generator. Heat
storage systems can allow electricity
output even if the sun isn’t shining.
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Receivers as key components
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In addition to the role that precision optical mirrors play, the evacuated
receivers, which are approximately 13 feet (4 meters) in length and are protected
by glass covers, also contribute considerably towards the efficiency of parabolic
trough power plants. In fact, they convert solar radiation into heat. The envelope
tube consists of coated, highly-transparent and robust borosilicate glass, the on the inside located absorber tube is made of steel.
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SCHOTT Memorandum on solar thermal power plant technologyMemorando Tecnológico SCHOTT de Centrales Térmicas SolaresSCHOTT Memorandum on solar thermal power plant technology - Arab
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