In energy systems in sunny countries that rely on renewable energy sources, solar thermal instead of fossil fuel power plants will be able to supply cost-effective base-load and peak-load electricity at low cost and stabilise the power grids.
How to increase water temperature in a solar thermal power plant?
To raise the water temperature to the desired high levels, maximum solar radiation must be concentrated at one point. In this way, temperatures of 300ºC to 1000ºC can be obtained, which will be used to generate steam. The higher the temperature, the greater the thermodynamic performance of the solar thermal power plant.
Since solar thermal power plants can feed their electricity into the power grid even after sunset, they are of particular value for an energy system based on renewable energy sources. Solar thermal power plants are of strategic importance in sunny countries to be able to phase out coal and gas power plants in the future.
New heat transfer and storage media can withstand temperatures of 600 °C, higher than has previously been possible in solar thermal power plants. This increases the efi-ciency of converting solar radiation into heat and then into electricity.
Thermal storage allows the shifting of amounts of energy over a day or a few days. Since power generation can be flexibly adapted to demand, solar thermal power plants are referred to as controllable power plants. Solar thermal power plants have an additional advantage.
What are the location requirements for solar thermal power plants?
The location requirements for solar thermal power plants are comparatively low. Stony, rocky and gravel deserts with little vegetation are suitable, as are grasslands, scrublands and savannahs, for which there are practically no other economic uses, and which are available is almost unlimited quantities for this application in the Sun Belt.
Do solar power plants have a thermal storage system?
Almost all new power plants have an integrated thermal storage system. They manage to produce the low emission values mentioned above with almost no combustion of additional fuel. Solar thermal power plants are primarily built in desert-like areas that are not suitable for agri-cultural use due to lack of water.