solar electricity generation
An enormous amount of research on renewable fuel technologies is being spent on finding ways to generate large amounts of electricity. This, in turn, will inevitably create a situation where consumers will simply exchange an electric bill from a company that used fossil or nuclear fuels for one that generates or buys electricity made with solar power. Needless to say, many people are wondering how Solar Parabolic Trough Power Plants will meet the demands of consumers and overcome a wide range of obstacles. Perhaps it can be said that as the technology improves, some of the most glaring issues will cease to exist.
Acreage Required for Energy Generation
In order to generate one megawatt of electricity, solar parabolic collectors will take up between 5 and 10 acres of land. Unfortunately, it is hard to say how long it takes to generate that one megawatt of electricity. For example, on a rainy or cloudy day, it might be impossible to get electricity. Even though many plans involve building collectors almost exclusively in the southwestern United States, the amount of land required still represents a serious issue to the advancement of this technology.
Transmission of Power
As you may be aware, California routinely transports coal several thousand miles in order to power electricity plants. Typically, this is accomplished by creating a slurry, or mixture of coal and water that moves along a pipeline. There is no question that this transportation system is extremely expensive to build and maintain.
If solar power is going to be collected and turned into electricity in the southwest, a great deal of thought will have to be given to transporting that electricity all over the country. While you may not be aware of it, the length of power transmission lines has an enormous impact on the amount of energy that actually reaches power sockets. In fact, some estimates indicate that power loss during transmission adds up to 10 to 50% of all the power generated. No doubt this will prove to be a difficult factor to overcome, even if more efficient solar collectors are developed.
Component Durability
In order to function at an optimal level, solar collectors have to maintain a highly reflective surface. Today, collectors for solar parabolic trough power plants are usually made from aluminum or silver. While a desert environment will not necessarily pose a rust hazard for aluminum, sand and other particles can still cause scratches and pits on the collector surface. As a result, it may not be possible to determine how much it will actually cost to maintain these devices without further research.
There is no question that large scale solar power generation may become feasible within the next few years. Unfortunately, some of the issues that need to be dealt with are serious enough to drive up the cost of energy production. As may be expected, consumers can only hope that researchers will find inexpensive and safe ways to overcome these difficulties as quickly as possible.
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Array of solar PV photovolataic panels mounted on steel frame in field Photo Mugs
MAB-1253 Array of solar PV photovolataic panels mounted on steel frame in field Cotswolds UK Mark Boulton Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way. contact details prints ardea tel and 44 (0) 20 8672 2067 .... |
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Solar photovoltaic panels on roof Photo Mugs
MAB-1005 Solar photovoltaic panels on roof Centre for Alternative Technology Machynlleth Wales UK Mark Boulton Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way. contact details prints ardea tel and 44 (0) 20 8672 2067 .... |
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