A solar power plant converts solar energy into electricity. Solar energy is becoming more and more popular in the world every year. Next, we will consider the types of such power plants operated in different countries.
6. Tower power plant
The working fluid here is water vapor. That is, water evaporates when exposed to solar heat. The water tank is located in the center of the structure - on the tower, from which the power plant got its name. The delivery of water to the tank is carried out using a pumping system. The steam temperature can reach 500 degrees, due to which the turbine generator rotates under its influence.
Several hundred heliostats are installed around the tower to maximize the concentration of sunlight. On a hot summer day, steam can reach temperatures of over 700 degrees. An example of such a power plant is the Israeli plant, which has a capacity of 121 MW. It is located in the Negev desert.
5. Tray power plant
Here, electricity is generated using separate modules, although there is some similarity with the previous version. The design of the module includes a receiver and a reflector, which is created from mirrors. There is also a reservoir with water, which, when heated, turns into steam, thanks to which the turbine rotates. Such a station was installed by Switzerland in South Africa in 2015.
4. Parabolic Power Plant
A parabolic mirror cylinder acts as a reflector in such a station, the length of which can be up to 50 m. The turbine is also rotated by steam, as in the previous versions. In the state of California (USA) in the 80s there were already 9 such stations. And in 2016, the creation of a 500 MW station was completed in the Sahara.
3. Photovoltaic power plant
Here, the modules are based on silicon cells. Such stations are very common in many countries, but they are suitable for providing power supply to small objects - cottages, holiday homes, and so on. In 2015, the most powerful (25 MW) photovoltaic plant in the country was installed in Russia between the cities of Guy and Orsk. The power plant occupied an area of 80 hectares.
2. Solar-vacuum type power plant
This station differs in that it is absolutely safe during operation, since it does not use steam, but air. More precisely, the flow of air that occurs as a result of a temperature drop (air heated near the surface of the earth rises rapidly). Although the idea of such a power plant was patented back in 1929, it was only by 2010 that the construction of a station was completed in China, which occupied 277 hectares of land.
1. Combined power plants
Such options are often used as autonomous power supply systems for heating private houses.