This setup allows these kinds of systems to focus sunlight approximately 30 times the normal intensity. The panels used in the photovoltaic plant are of two types or two forms. Silicon is the most widely used semiconductor material for constructing the photovoltaic cell. There are two categories of solar power plants, and both the types are differentiated based on how they are converting the energy from the sun into electricity. Photovoltaic converts light into electric current using the photoelectric effect. Required fields are marked *. Its working fluid temperature is greater than 749 degree Celsius. These are the, This hot, salty water can then be pumped away for use in electricity generation, through a. Solar panels constitute the most important element of the whole plant as they convert sunlight into electricity. Saltwater naturally forms a vertical salinity gradient, known as a halocline, with low-salinity water on the top and high-salinity water at the bottom. Typically, you will find that attached to each solar array is a solar inverter (a power inverter designed explicitly for use with photovoltaic cells) – with static solar inverters being the most common in this day and age due to the lack of moving parts, which as we explained before, means less maintenance. Solar power towers are an interesting method in which hundreds to thousands of flat sun-tracking mirrors (heliostats) reflect and concentrate solar energy onto a central tower. 2.1 Linear, Parabolic Trough Solar Thermal and Solar Dish Power plants, These systems tilt to keep track of the sun throughout the day. Solar rays penetrate the pond and eventually reach the bottom of the pool. Solar power plants work on solar energy which is available in abundant on the earth surface at most of the places. Working of Solar Power Plant. The silicon atom has four valence electrons. The DC power can then be stored in a battery or converted by a solar inverter into AC power which can be used to run home appliances. Since the area-specific power density is limited, the irradiation is concentrated by an optical system onto an absorber to obtain elevated temperatures allowing an effective transformation of heat into mechanical work. What better way to do that than going solar. This is an interesting method, which uses hundreds and thousands of flat sun-tracking mirrors called heliostats, which concentrate and reflect solar power onto a central tower. These kinds of solar thermal power plant work by focussing sunlight from long parabolic mirrors onto receiver tubes that run the length of the mirror at their focal point. Legal documents, magazine articles, marketing proposals, and CVs were sent to me via email for professional quality control. In a normal pond or body of water, water at the bottom of the pond is heated, becomes less dense and rises setting up a convection current. Solar panels or modules are designed to supply electric power at a certain voltage (say 12v), but the current they produce is directly dependent on the incident light. In the following article, we'll take a quick look at the different types of solar power plants that harness the sun's life-giving sunlight to produce electricity. The principle is fairly simple. A solar dish's concentration ratio is much higher than linear concentrating systems, and it has a working fluid temperature higher than. 1. These kinds of solar power plants are ideally suited for operations in areas with adverse weather conditions. Concentrating solar power plants produce electric power by converting the sun’s energy into high-temperature heat using various mirror configurations. They come in a variety of 'flavors' with each using discretely different techniques to harness the power of the sun. Unsubscribe at any time. The most common type of heat engine used in dish/engine systems is the, Solar dish/engine systems always point straight at the sun and concentrate the solar energy at the focal point of the dish. These systems use Fresnel lens effect, which allows the use of large focusing mirror with short focal length and large aperture, and this type of setup allows to focus sunlight around 30 times more than the normal intensity. Solar ponds are designed to impede this process by adding salt to the water until the lower levels become completely saturated. The U.S. Army is developing a 1.5 MW system at the Tooele Army Depot in Utah with 429 Stirling engine solar dishes. These power plants need investors in order to transform DC into AC. Solar panels first convert solar energy or sunlight into DC power using what is known as the photovoltaic (PV) effect. These panels are ideal for applications as flexible films or for integration purposes within structural development like roofing tiles. This is known as the photo-effect in physics. The electron travels from p-type region to n-type region due to the action of electric field at p-n junction. This makes these towers really appealing and these are very well suited for operating in adverse weather conditions. - Solar panels that convert sunlight into useful electricity. This alignment allows the sun tracking mirrors to track the light throughout the day. Case Study. Generally, the AC power is used for household appliances.A solar inverter helps many devices that run on DC power to run on AC power so that the operator makes use of the AC power. These are the 392 MW Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in Ivanpah Dry Lake California, the 110 MW Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project in Nevada and the 5 MW Sierra Sun Tower in the Mojave Desert, California. This creates electricity. The company was very pleased with the result as they had a 100% placement rate for staff that had completed the training. https://us.sunpower.com/what-solar-net-metering-and-how-does-it-work As of now it is clear that photovoltaic modules produce DC electricity. Solar power plant is a facility, which utilizes or converts sun’s rays to produce electricity. These are the most common type of solar thermal power plants which use parabola shaped reflectors that can focus ranging from 30 to 100 times more sunlight levels on the collector than its normal intensity. Long distance transmission allows remote renewable energy resources to displace fossil fuel consumption. Most solar energy plants use the thermal power of the sun to heat reservoirs of fluid and power turbines. They can be either monocrystalline or poly- or multi-crystalline. Solar pond solar power plants make use of a  pool of saltwater that collects and stores solar thermal energy. This is the most common form of a solar power plant that is characterized by their use of fields of either linear U-Shaped,  parabolic trough collectors pr solar dishes. Salt fixations levels increment with depth, and accordingly, density also increments from the surface to base of the lake until the arrangement winds up uniform at a given depth. Today, in the U.S., there are three solar power tower plants in operation. Today there are currently seven operating SEGS plants with a combined capacity of 357 MW - this makes it one of the largest solar energy thermal electric power plants in the world. They tend to generate DC current with voltages up to 1500 v; - These plants need investors to transform the DC into AC. In spite of certain drawbacks, the solar power plants make the right use of the sun’s energy and have till date been successful in supplying electricity all over the world. They tend to be made from amorphous silicon (aSi), cadmium telluride (CdTe), cadmium sulfide (CdS),  and copper indium (gallium) diselenide. Because of their parabolic shape, these kinds of reflectors are able to focus between. These kinds of power plant tend to have the following basic components:-. One is Crystalline solar panel and the other one is Thin film solar panel, which are elaborated below: These solar panels are made from crystalline silicon, they can be either mono-crystalline or poly- or multi-crystalline. Solar Thermal power plants, on the other hand, focus or collect sunlight in such a manner as to generate steam to feed a turbine and generate electricity. I carved a niche for myself in an international software testing company with clients in South Africa, The United Kingdom, Canada, The United States of America, and Australia as a Business and English Language Consultant. Solar energy is available at free of cost. As the high-salinity water doesn’t blend effectively with low-salinity water above it, convection currents are contained inside each discrete layer and negligible blending or mixing between them occurs. Generated steam runs the turbine coupled to a generator which produces electrical energy in Thermal Power Plants. The DC current then needs to be converted to alternating current (AC) using an inverter before it can be directly used or fed into the electrical grid. They are 15-20% more efficient whereas the other two forms tend to be 13-16% efficient and if we talk about prices then mono-crystalline version is quite expensive. The two types are Photo-voltaic power plants and second one is solar thermal power plants. This was developed to lift water for irrigation purposes. Basically there are three types of Solar Power Plant. In the solar photovoltaic system, solar energy is directly converted to electric power. The Contractor shall Sign-up to get free updates to Solar Power Nerd. All solar thermal power systems have solar energy collectors with two main components: reflectors (mirrors) that capture and focus sunlight onto a receiver. 1.1 How does a solar PV power plant work? Solar pond power plants utilize a pool of saltwater that collects and stores solar thermal energy and it uses a technique known as salinity-gradient technology. The Parabolic troughs consists of distinct systems that are characterized by the use of fields of either linear U- shaped or solar dishes which are elaborated below: These systems are also called as Fresnel reflectors; they consist of large fields, which are filled with sun tracking mirrors. In most types of systems, a heat-transfer fluid is heated and circulated in the receiver and used to produce steam. The course taught new recruits, students, and experienced employees, as well as Test and Data Services HR and management, how to effectively look for clients and employees, how to research companies to prepare for contact and interviews, how to conduct themselves during the interview using what they had learned through their research and a through a clear understanding of their own body language and that of the interviewer, and how to follow up on the interview. What is thermal generation? Working of sunlight based power plant Sun based power plant have an extensive number of sun oriented boards associated with one another to get a huge voltage yield. The facility is spread over an area of, Today, in the U.S., there are three solar power tower plants in operation. - If the plant generates in excess of 500 kW they will usually also employ step-up transformers. Some are currently in development in Chile too. A solar energy plant uses the power of the sun to produce electricity. PV panels do not concentrate energy they simply convert photons into electricity that is then transmitted somewhere else. Solar Thermal power plants generate heat and electricity by concentrating solar energy that in turn builds steam, which helps to feed a turbine and a generator to help produce electricity. These days, more efficient and advanced systems are being researched for the usage of nitrate salts because of their higher heat transfer rate and storage properties, which are better as compared to water and air. At this point the solar energy is collected and converted to heat energy, which creates steam and runs a generator. Help in generating electricity easily . They work on a very simple principle which is to absorb the light and then convert it to power. The sun emits solar radiation, and certain devices such as solar panels are designed to react to this radiation and convert it into electricity. 1.1.2 The scope of work includes commissioning of the power plant. The longest operating solar thermal plant in the world, the Solar Energy Generating Sytems (SEGS) in the Mojave Desert, California, is one of these types of power plants. These tend to consist of oversized satellite dishes that are clad in a mosaic of small mirrors that focus energy onto a receiver at the focal point. This technique acts as a thermal trap inside the lake which can either be utilized at that point of time or can be stored for later use. Each forms are going under a lot of advancements over time and due to these advancements, the gap between them is becoming very close over time. Solar dish systems always point straight to the sun and concentrate the power at the focal point of the dish. I found that almost all of the students the company was training had no idea of how to compose and present themselves, both physically and on paper, in the professional environment as these learners all came from disadvantaged communities. 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