The parabolic trough collectorsconcentrate solar radiation through parabolic-shaped mirrors in an absorbing pipe that passes through the parabola's axis. Inside this absorbent pipe, fluid is heated that ca.
The operating temperature reached using this concentration technique is above 500 degrees Celsius —this amount of energy heat transfer fluid to produce steam using heat exchangers. The energy source in a high-temperature solar power plant is solar radiation. Meanwhile, a conventional thermal power plant uses fossil fuels such as coal or gas.
What is high-temperature solar?
High-temperature solar is concentrated solar power (CSP). It uses specially designed collectors to achieve higher temperatures from solar heat that can be used for electrical power generation. In this chapter, we discuss different configurations of concentrating collectors and advancements in solar thermal power systems.
High-temperature solar technology (HTST) is known as concentrated solar power (CSP). It uses specially designed collectors to achieve higher temperatures from solar heat that can be used for electrical power generation.
High-temperature operation of solar cells is of interest to future NASA missions.Technology solutions such as off-pointing can reduce operating temperature, but alsoreduce power from the array. New solar cells that can operate at high temperature aredesirable; this requires development of high bandgap semiconductors.
Do high-temperature solar energy systems cost more than conventional solar systems?
High-temperature solar energy devices have higher initial costs than conventional systems, but the factors in their favor are lower operational costs and reduced burden on fossil fuel resources. The huge collectors, which should remain oriented toward Sun, dominate the capital cost of most solar thermal systems.
Quite high temperatures can be reached in the solar receiver, above 1000 K, ensuring a high cycle efficiency. This review is focused to summarize the state-of-the-art of this technology and the open challenges for the next generation of this kind of plants.