Solar power plant is a power plant which uses light and radiation coming from the sun to produce electrical energy for residential and industrial uses. It is environment-friendly and clean type of power plant that does't pollute the environment.
Types of Solar Power Plant
There are two main types of solar power plants on the basis of the operation which are listed below.
- Solar thermal power plant
- Solar photovoltaic power plant
Solar Thermal Power Plant
A solar thermal power plant concentrates the solar radiation to heat the fluid and raise its temperature until it is converted into steam. Steam is then fed into steam turbine so that thermal energy is converted mechanical energy which is then transferred to the alternator and alternator then convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Steam is then transferred to a condenser where it converted into liquid and process is repeated in a cycle.
Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant
A solar photovoltaic power plant uses solar panel consisting of photovoltaic solar cells made from silicon and other materials with photovoltaic properties. A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device made of mainly silicon alloy that is capable of light into electrical energy using photovoltaic effect.
A solar photovoltaic power plant generates dc power so a inverter is used to convert it into ac power and then transferred to the power grid.