In addition to the SEGS, many other parabolic trough solar power projects operate in the United States and around the world.

In combination, the seven currently operating SEGS III–IX plants have a total net summer electric generation capacity of about 356 MW, making them one of the largest solar thermal electric power facilities in the world. SEGS VIII and IX (8 and 9), each with a net summer electric generation capacity of 88 MW, began operation in 19, respectively. SEGS III–VII (3–7), each with summer generation capacities of 36 megawatts (MW), came online in 1986, 1987, and 1988. The first plant in the system, SEGS I, operated from 1984 to 2015, and the second, SEGS II, operated from 1985 to 2015. The facility, with nine separate plants, is located in the Mojave Desert in California. Parabolic trough linear concentrating systems are used in the longest operating solar thermal power facility in the world, the Solar Energy Generating System (SEGS). The collector tilts with the sun to keep sunlight focused on the receiver as the sun moves from east to west during the day.īecause of its parabolic shape, a trough can focus the sunlight from 30 times to 100 times its normal intensity (concentration ratio) on the receiver pipe, located along the focal line of the trough, achieving operating temperatures higher than 750☏. Parabolic troughsĪ parabolic trough collector has a long parabolic-shaped reflector that focuses the sun's rays on a receiver pipe located at the focus of the parabola. This configuration enables the mirrors to track the sun from east to west during the day and concentrate sunlight continuously onto the receiver tubes. There are two major types of linear concentrator systems: parabolic trough systems, where receiver tubes are positioned along the focal line of each parabolic mirror, and linear Fresnel reflector systems, where one receiver tube is positioned above several mirrors to allow the mirrors greater mobility in tracking the sun.Ī linear concentrating collector power plant has a large number, or field, of collectors in parallel rows that are typically aligned in a north-south orientation to maximize solar energy collection. The fluid is sent to a heat exchanger to boil water in a conventional steam-turbine generator to produce electricity. The concentrated sunlight heats a fluid flowing through the tubes. The mirrors focus sunlight onto receivers (tubes) that run the length of the mirrors. Linear concentrating systems collect the sun's energy using long, rectangular, curved (U-shaped) mirrors. Linear concentrating systems, which include parabolic troughs and linear Fresnel reflectors.There are three main types of concentrating solar thermal power systems: Types of concentrating solar thermal power plants Solar thermal power plants may also be hybrid systems that use other fuels (usually natural gas) to supplement energy from the sun during periods of low solar radiation. Solar thermal power systems may also have a thermal energy storage system component that allows the solar collector system to heat an energy storage system during the day, and the heat from the storage system is used to produce electricity in the evening or during cloudy weather. Several solar thermal power facilities in the United States have two or more solar power plants with separate arrays and generators. Solar thermal power plants usually have a large field or array of collectors that supply heat to a turbine and generator. Solar thermal power systems have tracking systems that keep sunlight focused onto the receiver throughout the day as the sun changes position in the sky.

The steam is converted into mechanical energy in a turbine, which powers a generator to produce electricity. In most types of systems, a heat-transfer fluid is heated and circulated in the receiver and used to produce steam. All solar thermal power systems have solar energy collectors with two main components: reflectors (mirrors) that capture and focus sunlight onto a receiver. Solar thermal power/electric generation systems collect and concentrate sunlight to produce the high temperature heat needed to generate electricity. Solar thermal power systems use concentrated solar energy

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