Solar Power Tower – A Way To Commercialize Solar Energy ?

Energy generation through solar power has always been seen as a back up system to traditional grid electricity or used in remote areas where there was no grid. It generally consisted of solar panels placed on a roof or in the back garden. These are known as photovoltaic cells that convert sunshine into direct current. This is either stored in batteries or converted into alternating current and used in the home. It was a departure from the traditional power station model of supplying energy, in that the home became self sufficient and responsible for it's own energy production. Whereas a power station was a central hub that supplied thousands of homes and various power stations supplied huge cities or towns. As the environment becomes more of an issue to people, renewable, environmentally friendly energy production becomes more important to people and they are looking at alternatives to grid electricity. Does this mean that everyone will have a solar panel on their roof in the next few years ? Some people think nuclear power will take over from fossil fuels for energy production, some think solar panels will be the future and some think that a solar energy power station along the lines of the traditional power station might be an alternative. This article will discus what a solar power station is and how the solar power tower is the key feature of a solar power station.

The solar energy power station is a merging of two ideas : the use of solar power for energy and the idea of a traditional power station supplying thousands of homes with electricity. The solar power station aims to use solar power to supply whole cities with their electricity needs.

A solar power station consists of a solar power tower surrounded by a large number of mirrors (known as heliostats) that track the sun. The heliostats are aligned in a concentric circle around the tower. The heliostats concentrate all the heat that they get from the sun into the base of the solar power tower. Within the tower there are a series of turbines that are used to create electricity or heat water that becomes steam. The steam is then used to create electricity. The heat is directed at the base of the tower but because it rises it will base up to the top of the tower. During this trip, it spins the turbines hence creating power.

The current project in Southern Spain, outside of Seville can supply 6000 homes using this design. It is hoped that i will eventually supply the whole of the city as the number of heliostats are increased. A similar project is in the planning stages in central Australia. It is hoped that this solar power station will supply up to 100,00 to 200,000 people when it is fully operational.

One of the difficulties of creating an efficient solar power tower is the shadows cast by the heliostats on those on lower levels. Stacking them to eliminate the shadow possibility is made possible by hinging the panels and using small motors to keep the panels aimed at the sun throughout the day.

They would not only have to rotate up and down, but also left and right to make sure they achieve the most direct sun exposure as possible. The height of solar power tower is determined by the amount of power it is hoped to produce as well as the size of the panels in use. This type of arrangement is also being seen as more expensive as the cost of the additional panels will be higher than a single, large collector gathering light and heat from a multitude of mirrors.

The solar power tower in Spain is a success and proves that this is a viable alternative to fossil fuels  but it has not been universally popular with governments around the world. There are a number of problems with the system. Firstly it is climate sensitive, you need many days of sunlight to make it viable. You also need a large amount of land space which could be costly or simply unavailable in high density areas.

Enter your search terms Submit search form