Concentrated solar energy uses mirrors to convert sunlight into heat rather than directly turning photons into electricity, allowing the generated heat to drive traditional turbines. While heat storage advancements once positioned concentrated solar as a viable round-the-clock power source, plummeting photovoltaic prices ultimately made solar panels the cheapest energy option in most areas.
The Economics of Solar Power
The economic dominance of photovoltaic panels has forced power grids to rely on a combination of battery installations and natural gas facilities to manage overnight energy demands and weather-related shortfalls. However, a small company aims to eliminate the need for separate backup facilities by designing a concentrated solar version where a fossil-fueled backup system shares the majority of the generating hardware with the solar infrastructure.
Understanding Solar Thermal Technology
Concentrated solar, also known as solar thermal, operates through heliostats, which are motorized tracking devices with mirrors designed to maintain focus on a single point as the Sun moves. This focal point is located in a tower where sunlight heats a specific working fluid, which can then power a traditional steam turbine or store heat for overnight electricity generation. Despite these mechanics, variations in working fluids, heat storage methods, and mirror designs intended to mitigate moving parts and corrosive fluids have failed to achieve the cost-efficiency of photovoltaics.
