Solar Thermal Plant
Solar thermal plant is one of the most interesting applications of solar energy for power generation. The plant is composed mainly of a solar collector field and a power conversion system to convert thermal
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The world's largest solar thermal power plants are now the 370 MW Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, commissioned in 2014, and the 354 MW SEGS CSP installation, both located in the Mojave Desert of California, where several other solar projects have been realized as well. Systems for utilizing low-temperature solar thermal energy include means for heat collection; usually heat storage, either short-term or interseasonal; and distribution within a structure or a district heating network. These collectors could be used to produce approximately 50% and more of the hot water needed for residential and commercial use in the United States. In the United States, a typical system costs $4000–$6000 retail ($1400 to $2200 wholesale for the materials) and 30% of the system. Where temperatures below about 95 °C (200 °F) are sufficient, as for space heating, flat-plate collectors of the nonconcentrating type are generally used.
