Ecocentricity Blog: Solar Juice, from Concentrate
To the Flipboard! Let’s see what we’ve got in my “Sustainability” category……
Ooooooooohhhhhhh. Concentrated solar. I like concentrated solar.
What is it, you ask? Well, to answer that, let’s first say what it isn’t. Concentrated solar isn’t the same thing as photovoltaic solar panels. That’s a form of solar power where an individual panel is able to absorb the energy from the sun and directly convert that energy into electricity. That’s good technology too.
Concentrated solar is actually a lot more like conventional power plants. Whether coal fired, natural gas fired, or nuclear, power plants operate with the same basic principles. Step one: generate heat (burn coal, burn natural gas, or split an atom). Step two: boil water with that heat to create steam. Step three: use the steam to make a turbine spin, which results in kinetic energy that a generator can convert into electricity. Step four: send that electricity to your smart phone, toaster, night light, etc.
