With energy prices rising and an increasing awareness of the damage that using fossil fuels might be causing to the environment there’s a will to commercialize other kinds of power generation. These types of energy are generically termed renewable energy and include such things as wave and wind power. A common type of renewable energy that doesn’t have side effects on the environment is solar power. Solar energy has been used for tens of thousands of years but it’s only within the last fifty years that photovoltaic P2001 power station (PV) technology has been used to generate electricity. In the early days of this technology, it was simply too inefficient to be considered as a viable option to fossil fuels for powering towns and cities. It absolutely was also expensive so that it ended up being utilized in remote areas where there is no connection to the grid or for people with lots of money. Over time the technology has improved the efficiency and the cost has come down.
Governments will also be encouraging the development and utilization of solar power by offering tax breaks and grants. It has started people thinking about creating solar energy power stations and providing energy for tens of thousands of people at any given time and eventually supporting towns and cities. Indeed some solar power stations already exist and some are in the planning stage which are so grand in ambition and design that they will dwarf many of the biggest structures ever built by mankind. This informative article will discuss the way the solar energy power station works and some power stations which are already operational and some which are planned in the future.
The current solar power station consists of a large amount of solar reflectors (known as heliostats). They’re formed in a circle around a solar tower. The purpose of the heliostats is always to direct the suns energy to the foot of the solar tower. This highly concentrated heat rises up the tower and in the act runs turbines or heats up liquid. The turbines are accustomed to create electricity or the liquid is changed to steam which may also be used to operate electricity generating turbines. The European solar power station currently supports 6000 homes in and around Seville in Spain. The hopes are that it will eventually support the entire city as how many heliostats is increased. The Australian project aims to produce electricity to 100,000 homes.
Other Considerations Of The Solar Energy Power Station
Obviously the located area of the power station is paramount. It must be positioned in areas where the sun shines a lot. Southern Spain and outback Australia tick this box but many other areas on earth mightn’t have the ability to guarantee the sunlight. How big is each structure is huge so there needs to be lots of space. Again, Spain and Australia have the room but this might not be for sale in high density living areas like major cities.
The expense of developing a solar energy power station is far harder and costly than a traditional power station though the thinking with this cost will change in the near future. As fossil fuels go up in price it will undoubtedly be prudent to have a solar or other type of renewable energy generator in place. People are far more receptive to renewable energy production compared to the other option to fossil fuels energy, namely nuclear power.