Concentrating Solar Power: Biofriendly Technology of the Future?

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http://www.theopenpress.com/index.php?a=press&id=28533

Concentrating Solar Power: Biofriendly Technology of the Future?

Published on: February 11th, 2008 03:39pm by: sharling

Looking like a science fiction scene, the brilliantly lit giant solar collector tower near Seville, Spain, dominates the landscape. More than six hundred huge mirrors on the ground illuminate the 377-foot high concrete tower. The movable computer-controlled mirrors are angled in such a way as to point the beam of reflected sunlight and heat to a specific spot atop the tower. There it heats up water-filled pipes to create steam, which in turn drives turbines to generate electricity in a biofriendly manner.

As Europe’s first solar power station it provides 11 megawatts of power—enough to power 6,000 homes. The plan is to ultimately provide enough power for all of Seville, a city with a population of about 600,000. (1)

An advantage of this method of harnessing the power of the sun is that the plant can continue to generate power for some time after sunset, because there is adequate steam remaining. However, the highest demand for electricity is for air conditioning during the day when the sun is at its hottest.

While this system is currently more expensive than coal-generated power, it is expected that prices will come down when more solar-powered plants will be built. The biggest biofriendly advantage is that it produces absolutely no air pollution or greenhouse gases. This plant is estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 16,000 tons per year, compared to conventional power plants. (link:europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/448#fn1|2])

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