Using Solar Thermal Energy Today
Unlike photovoltaic
cells that convert sunlight into electricity,
Solar thermal energy uses the energy of the
sun to generate heat. There are three kinds
of solar thermal energy collectors being produced
today as categorized by the US Energy Information
Agency: Low, Medium and High Temperature solar
thermal energy collectors. In 2006, there
were roughly about 21 million square feet
of solar thermal energy collectors produced
in the United States alone. Solar thermal
energy collectors usually transfer and cycle
fluid (such as a special anti-freeze gel,
glycol or just plain water) and it gets heated
as it passes through the collector
Heat 'em Up!
Low-temperature solar thermal energy collectors
can be used if a residential owner just wants
to heat up swimming pools and small space
areas.
Heat 'em More!
Residential houses and small
to medium commercial buildings wishing to
have hot water in their establishments can
use medium-temperature solar thermal energy
collectors to heat up their water. The US
Government supports solar thermal energy collectors
and would give tax incentives to households
and business establishments that use them.
There is really no special training required
to install medium-temperature solar thermal
energy collectors. Maintenance work is minimal
and yet the benefits of savings in electricity
and utility bills are enormous. It will usually
pay for itself in three to six years depending
on usage
Go All The
Way!For really powerful solar thermal energy
collectors, nothing beats the high-temperature
types. These solar thermal energy collectors
concentrate the heat of the sun into one location
through the use of special lenses and reflectors.
The heat generated by this concentration sunlight
is powerful enough to supply electricity.
The lenses used in high-temperature solar
thermal energy collectors are specially designed
to maximize the reflection of heat and it
is possible to generate enough heat for electricity.
The design also incorporates heat storage
for night production. It should be noted that
because of the advancements of technology,
it is now cheaper to store heat for electricity
that to store electricity itself. The Future of Solar Thermal Energy
One of the major drawbacks of high-temperature solar thermal energy collectors is that it might not be reliable enough to provide constant electricity. But a solution can be to use a regular back-up system like generator sets that still rely on fossil fuel.
Another drawback is the space required for installation. Because a lot of mirrors and special lenses are used to concentrate the sunlight's heat, a large area of the desert is used just for high-temperature solar thermal collectors. Many architects and engineers are already designing a solution for this by making use of a simple design that can maximize the space available.
One final drawback is the cost of producing a single power plant vs. the cost of a conventional fossil fuel power plant. Simple and efficient designs are being made to reduce the cost of production. Another added cost are the motors that move the mirrors to follow the movement of the sun. It should be noted as the sun moves, the mirrors should also automatically follow it in order to maximize their efficiency.
|
