January 6, 2010

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

Mirrors, mirrors all around,
Helping to collect sunlight,
Mirrors, mirrors do astound,
By producing energy right!

Mirrors for Fears

Next time you look in the mirror, know that the sun is also looking at its own reflection in millions of mirrors at concentrated solar power (CSP) plants around the world. CSP technology is a cost-effective and scalable way to successfully enjoy renewable solar energy.

• CSP technology utilizes small, flat mirrors called heliostats to precisely track the movement of the sun. The heliostats focus sunlight onto a receiver on top of a tower.
• The focused sunlight collected by the receiver is then used to boil water, which creates steam. The steam is used to power a conventional turbine and generator, creating electricity.
• Specializing in CSP technologies, the company eSolar has designed and deployed over 1.5 GW of projects globally. These projects range from 46 MW to over 500 MW and are scalable to any size.
• eSolar's Sierra Sun Tower, the only commercial CSP tower in the United States, supplies electricity to Southern California Edison and powers up to 4,000 homes.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory collaborates with industry to further the research and development of CSP technology.