A Review Article of Solar and Thermal Power Plants

Solar thermal energy is a ground-breaking technology for harnessing solar energy to produce heat energy. Solar thermal collectors can be classified as low or high-temperature collectors. Low-temperature collectors are flat plates typically used to warm swimming pools, heating water or heating air for residential. However, the cost of electricity from contemporary solar thermal power plants remains high, despite several decades of development, and a step-change in technology is needed to drive down costs. Solar gas-turbine power plants are a promising new alternative, allowing increased conversion efficiencies and a significant reduction in water consumption. Hybrid operation is a further attractive feature of solar gas-turbine technology, facilitating control and ensuring the power plant is available to meet demand whenever it occurs. The objective of this research is to develop a new type of hybrid concentrated Photovoltaic/Thermal (CPV/T) solar collector system that could partially fulfill a typical four people familys heat and electricity demands in many parts of the world and industrial use.