With energy prices rising and a growing awareness of the damage that using fossil fuels may be causing to the environmental surroundings there’s a will to commercialize other forms of power generation. These forms of energy are generically termed renewable energy and include things such as wave and wind power. A standard kind of renewable energy that doesn’t have unwanted effects on the environmental surroundings is solar power. Solar power has been useful for tens and thousands of years but it is only within the last few fifty years that photovoltaic (PV) technology has been used to generate electricity. In the first days of the technology, it had been simply too inefficient to be looked at as a viable option to fossil fuels for powering towns and cities. It absolutely was also expensive therefore it finished up being utilized in remote areas where there clearly was no link with the grid or for those who have a lot of money. Over time the technology has improved the efficiency and the price has come down.
Governments may also be encouraging the development and usage of solar energy by offering tax breaks and grants. It has begun people considering creating solar energy power stations and providing energy for tens and thousands of people at the same time and eventually supporting towns and cities. Indeed some solar energy stations already exist and some have been in the planning stage which can be so grand in ambition and design that they will dwarf many of the biggest structures ever built by mankind. This informative article will discuss how a solar energy power station works and some power stations which can be already operational and some which can be planned in the future.
The existing solar energy station includes a large quantity of solar reflectors (known as heliostats). They are formed in a circle around a solar tower. P2001 power station The purpose of the heliostats is to direct the suns energy to the foot of the solar tower. This highly concentrated heat rises up the tower and along the way runs turbines or heats up liquid. The turbines are accustomed to create electricity or the liquid is made into steam which can also be used to operate electricity generating turbines. The European solar energy station currently supports 6000 homes in and around Seville in Spain. The hopes are that it will eventually support the whole city as how many heliostats is increased. The Australian project aims to provide electricity to 100,000 homes.
Other Considerations Of The Solar Energy Power Station
Obviously the located area of the power station is paramount. It needs to be situated in areas where the sun shines a lot. Southern Spain and outback Australia tick this box but many other areas on earth might not have the ability to guarantee the sunlight. How big is each structure is huge so there must be a lot of space. Again, Spain and Australia have the room but this may possibly not be obtainable in high density living areas like major cities.
The expense of making a solar energy power station is far more complicated and costly than a traditional power station though the thinking on this cost will change in the near future. As fossil fuels rise in price it will undoubtedly be prudent to have a solar or other kind of renewable energy generator in place. People are more receptive to renewable energy production compared to other option to fossil fuels energy, namely nuclear power.