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Solar Heating

Solar heating has been in use for a much longer period of time than photovoltaic power. It is still considered more efficient than solar electric conversions, which are commercially capped at 25-30% currently. In fact there are several operating solar plants that work not on the principles of photovoltaics, but rather on thermal properties.

Instead of utilizing solar energy to energize silicon cells and generate an electric current, solar heating utilizes the thermal potential in solar energy to heat a substance. It is one of the principles of architecture that can be used to keep heating bills down in cold climates. It is also the fundamental idea behind a greenhouse. If you allow light to enter an enclosed space with glass walls, the heat the light brings with it will remain behind, even if the light bounces back out.

Solar heating plants use that idea to heat a thermal liquid, usually a black, thick liquid with an extremely high boiling point. That liquid can then be piped to boil water, and the resulting steam can be used to spin a turbine and create electricity. As cumbersome as that process may sound; it is actually a more efficient use of solar power than the solar panels so commonly associated with it. The issue is that it does not scale down well to a household size, like solar panels do. A large scale application is all that direct solar heat to electricity transfer can currently support.

 

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