Types of solar power plants

The future is green. Several developing and developed countries of the world have pledged to use renewable resources to create energy such as electricity. This is an important step for mankind. The non-renewable energy sources we have been using, have been breathing life out of our planet.

Therefore a move towards renewable energy is beneficial to the whole human race. Several renewable energy sources have been touted to play big roles. Solar energy is one of the major renewable energies that promises to live up to its promise. In solar powered technology, photovoltaic cells are used to convert sunlight into electricity. Several solar power plants implementing this technology have been set up. This has provided splendid business opportunities to companies like Thermax, which is a solar power plant manufacturer in India.

Here are a few types of solar power plants that will be used to make the most of solar energy. 

Photovoltaic solar energy plant
Photovoltaic cells capture sunlight and convert it into electricity. It is a very clean source of energy as there is no pollution of any form involved in the conversion of electricity. It generally provides power at the utility level rather than to local users.

Solar thermal energy plant

In this type of plant heat from the sun is used to heat a fluid to a high temperature. The fluid then transfers its heat to water which turns into steam. This steam is then used to turn turbines in a power plant which creates mechanical energy. This mechanical energy is then used to create electricity. This generation of electricity is the same as the one which uses fossil fuels. Instead of combustion of fossil fuels, it uses sunlight. In this form, there is little to no pollution.  

Concentrating power plant

It is similar to photovoltaic solar energy plants but not the same. What differentiates it from photovoltaic solar energy plants is that it makes use of lenses and mirrors to capture energy from sunlight. The light then is directed towards photovoltaic cells and then it is converted into heat energy.

Solar power tower

It is also known as the central tower. It is a type of solar furnace that uses a tower to receive focused sunlight. It uses an array of flat, movable mirrors to reflect and focus sun rays on the tower. The focused rays are used to heat fluids that turn into steam and power a turbine. This mechanical energy is then used to generate electricity.   

The call to go green is upon us. The emphasis on using renewable energy is increasing day by day. Solar power is one of the front runners when it comes to renewable energy resources.  Mentioned above are the types of solar power plants that have the capacity to be the future of electricity generation.