: :  Renewable Energy   : :  Solar Electricity

Solar Electricity

In addition to directly generating electricity from sunlight, as in photovoltaic cells, solar radiation can be used to indirectly generate electricity by harnessing the Sun’s heat to produce steam which then, in turn, drives a generator to make electricity.  An example of such a power station is Solar One, located in California.  At this station, many mirrors are arranged to focus the Sun’s radiation directly towards the central tower.  These mirrors have the ability to move so as to track the Sun’s movement across the sky.  Inside the tower, oil is heated up to 3,000 °C and used to generate steam.  This steam then powers a turbine connected to a generator providing up to 10kW of electricity.