Concentrated Solar Power (or"CSP") refers to the type of solar energy which is created by concentrating sunlight onto a small area, thus creating intense light and heat, which in turn generates power and electricity. Concentrated Solar Power is one of several alternative energy technologies which have been developed in order to harness the energy emitted by the sun and turn it into useable electricity.

The main difference between concentrated solar power (CSP) energy systems and other solar power systems (such as photovoltaics and solar heating), is that concentrated solar power uses mirrors and reflectors in order to focus concentrated sunlight on a specific location.

How Concentrated Solar Power Systems Work

A simple but accurate comparison to Concentrated Solar Power is the use of a magnifying lens to focus sunlight on a specific area. But the target of a CSP system is to heat fluids, not ants or other luckless insects.

The fluids heated by this concentrated solar energy are then turned into steam. The steam is in turn forced through a fan, and is used to drive a regular steam turbine, which uses its turning motion to generate electricity through electromagnetic means.

One advantage of concentrated solar power is that it is completely compatible with the contemporary power generators which are used in conventional power plants. But in the case of CSP solar energy, the "fuel" used to generate steam is sunlight, not fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

You may be surprised to learn that in the USA, several CSP power plants are already up and running - and that they have performed reliably for the past fifteen years.

At the time of this writing, the least expensive method of using solar power to produce electricity is the to use concentrated solar power systems.

Research and development projects are underway, with the aim of reducing costs even further, so that the cost of producing electricity with solar power can eventually compete with the costs of energy production in modern conventional power plants.

Concentrated Solar Power is one of several methods of generating solar power and alternative energy on a broad scale. Another example of broad scale solar power production is the use of solar power towers. These towers use an assortment of moving mirrors (called heliostats) to continuously reflect sunlight toward a central area at the top of the tower. These heliostats are set up so that they follow the movement of the sun, thus maintaining the strongest reflecting power possible.

Here are some basic facts about solar energy for the home.

A home solar power system has several standard components they are as follows:

PV Modules or solar panels (to turn solar energy into electricity)

A charge controller (this is an electrical device that prevents batteries from overcharging and from power running from the batteries into the solar panels).

Batteries, to store the electricity for night time usage.

An inverter (an device which changes the electricity created by the solar panels into electricity ready for use in your regular household wall sockets). Solar panels create Direct Current DC and a household runs on A/C Alternating Current.

In the case of a hybrid home solar system, an automatic switch to get current from the electrical grid, or some other power source such as a generator would be included as well. The advantage of using a hybrid system is that you will not be dependent upon solar energy alone.

A 1-kilowatt home solar system is sufficient for most households. A 1-kilowatt home solar system will provide roughly 1,600 kilowatts per year in a sunny climate (receiving 5.5 hrs of sunlight each day) and about 750 kilowatt hours per year in cloudy climates (receiving 2.5 hours of sunlight each day). A 1-kilowatt home solar system is uses about 10-12 solar panels, and requires about 100 square feet of installation area (which could be the roof of your home or a section of land on your property). A 1-kilowatt home solar system reduces waste and pollution by about 170 lbs. of coal from being burned, 300 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere and 105 gallons of water from being consumed each month! A big step toward protecting our environment, in other words. With battery back up, a solar energy system can provide electricity day and night, no matter what the weather conditions. Other options, which include back-up generators and grid-tie systems, provide total security. On average a 1-kilowatt home solar system takes about 1-2 days to install and costs around US$10,000 (though prices are coming down), but can vary greatly and does not take into account any tax incentives offered by the government for reducing carbon emissions. Most systems come with a 5-year warranty, although the solar panels are warranted for 20, and as technology advances some are even coming out with a 30 year warranty.

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