Solar Power Tower: Harnessing The Power Of The Sun
With the growing effects of global warming at hand, many environmentalists and scientists are urgently calling for the reduction of the use of fossil fuel. Studies show that burning fossil fuel is one of the primary reasons for the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. To reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, many scientists recommend the use of solar power towers as alternative source of energy especially in big cities. The good thing about harnessing the power the sun as a source renewable energy will not only solve the problem of power shortage in many areas of the United States and the world, it can also help reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere.
What Is Solar Power Tower?
Solar power towers, also known as heliostat power plants can capture the energy of the sun and focus it on a collector tower. Unlike most other types of solar power technologies, the solar power tower can generate huge amount of energy and store this solar energy. The stored solar energy is then converted into electricity and dispatched to the power grids for distribution. What is really very interesting about the solar power tower technology is its ability to store energy for future use. Where other types of solar power technology could not transmit electricity to the grid at night or cloudy weather, the solar power tower technology can do so using stored energy.
Another advantage of the solar power tower over other types of solar technology is that it does not huge amount of space. According to experts, a 100-megawatt solar power tower that can store up to 12 hours of power will only need about 1,000 acres of space and this tower can supply enough electricity to meet the needs of 50,000 households. The only problem with the use of this technology is that during successive cloudy days, the amount of power supply may be affected. To counter the possibility of depletion in power supply, many experts recommend the combination of solar power and other forms of power generation technology. Combining the solar power technology with other forms of technology with ensure the continued supply of electricity to households.
Cost Of The Technology
We cannot really say that solar power is cheaper compared to the traditional power systems. Although solar power tower technology does not entail high maintenance cost, it does require huge investment in terms of infrastructure. However, the good news is that the huge amount if initial investment can be recovered after a few years of operations.
