Solar thermal energy - fully developed and efficient

Solar thermal power plants play an increasing role in the energy supplies of the future.Research and develeopment efforts were already taking place in the USA in the 1980s, but were stopped and not started again until recent years.

Solar thermal power plants achieve high efficiency and are a climate and resource-friendly form of energy production. In sun-rich regions they can be built and operated profitably for investors.

In a conventional power plant, steam is produced through the burning of substances such as coal or oil. Under high pressure, the steam propels a turbine, which is connected to an electricity generator. The steam is condensed into water and fed back to the steam generator.

Solar thermal power plants function along similar basic principles. The difference from conventional power plants lies in the fact that the energy required for the steam generator is provided free of charge by the sun. In simplified terms, it operates in the following way: Parabolic mirrors concentrate the sunlight onto an absorber pipe situated on a focal line. The sunlight is transformed into heat and emitted to the heat transfer medium (thermal oil, liquefied salt or water, as used by Solarlite). This allows high temperatures of up to 500°C to be reached. The resulting steam produces electricity via a turbine and a generator, as with a conventional power plant.

Variable solar radiation can be offset by a heat storage system and/or through a combination with other energy sources, such as biomass or fossil energy carriers, to guarantee a year-round supply of energy.

Solar thermal power plants, based on parabolic trough collectors, use mature technology and have already been tried and tested in operation, generating a reliable energy supply.