Different Solar Projects

Different Solar Projects

Different Solar Projects

The term "solar energy" and "solar power" are misleadingly generic. They tend to lead to the idea that all solar installations are pretty much the same. In reality there are many different types of solar technology some of which are incredibly simple, while others are extremely complex.

The secret to efficient solar installations is to concentrate the sun's heat energy. There are two primary ways of accomplishing this: one is to concentrate the heat itself, and the other is to concentrate the photons (light particles) onto photovoltaic cells. Most solar projects use a combination of the two.

People have been experimenting with solar technology for a very long time over two thousand years, in fact. There is evidence suggesting that the ancient Greek scientist Archimedes used concentrated solar energy to destroy battleships of the Roman Navy. Not surprisingly, there is nothing in Roman historical accounts to support this story, however one of Archimede's intellectual descendants recreated the weapon in the 1970s, suggesting that the Greeks of Hellenistic times were successful.

The first of many successful solar projects was done in the late 1960s; located in Genoa Italy, this demonstration of solar technology generated one megawatt of energy.

Today's CST plants use a combination of parabolic mirrors and magnifying lenses (including the fresnel lens used in video projection) to focus sunlight into a very small area, such as a conduit containing liquid. This in turn generates enough heat to produce steam that then operates turbines and electrical generators. Solar power plants using this technology differ little from fossil fuel plants, except that no harmful pollution is created.

Solar installations that use concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) the sun's rays onto actual solar cells, which generates electricity directly. Since this process eliminates a step (heating water in order to generate steam), it's actually more efficient than both the CST solar plants and the fossil fuel plants.

Both methods have their advantages and drawbacks, which is why most solar systems employ both technologies. The former works very well when it comes to producing electricity for immediate use; in addition, engineers have more control over the process, particularly when it comes to heating and cooling. The latter does a better job at producing energy that can be stored for future applications.

The main issue that has prevented the expansion of such solar technology (other than propaganda and media manipulation by the coal and oil industries) is cost. Even as recently as 2009, the cost per kilowatt hour from solar plants was as much as eighteen cents as opposed to five or seven cents for coal generation. However, aside from the hidden costs of fossil fuels, the 2009 price tag for solar electricity was well under half of what it had been two years previously. It is now expected that solar energy will achieve grid parity with fossil fuels within the next ten years, and possibly as soon as 2020.

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