| |
Solar Power
Capturing the sun’s energy for clean, renewable power.
The sun’s energy, which is actually the key to wind power,
is an extremely valuable power resource itself. While solar
power is currently used in small-scale applications such as
providing heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation or
small-scale electrical power to a single building, there is
much greater potential for this powerful form of energy.
For example, increased awareness of global warming has
generated interest in concentrated solar power (CSP), which
has the capability to produce abundant pollution-free
electricity. CSP concentrates the sun’s rays on a fluid,
causing it to boil and releasing steam to power an
electrical generator. Heat energy is easier, cheaper and
more efficient to store than electricity, making CSP a
viable option to power plants burning fossil fuels.
While our nation’s energy needs continue to rise,
legislation capping carbon dioxide emissions, which will
push the cost of fossil fuel-generated power ever higher, is
possible as soon as 2009. As new cost-competitive technology
emerges into the market, solar energy projects are expected
to expand rapidly in the next few years.
EcoEnergy’s engineers can incorporate concentrated solar
power into new energy projects or design it into an existing
facilities, allowing us to tap into the sun’s energy, help
preserve our Earth’s atmosphere, promote local economic
development and provide a brighter future for the next
generation.
Why solar power?
Concentrated solar power (CSP) makes use of the Earth’s most
abundant and free fuel – sunlight – to generate the
electricity we all need. The sun’s power can now be stored,
using CSP to power generators, and heat energy storage is
more economical than storing electrical power.
For more information on CSP, visit the U.S. Department of
Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s
Solar Energy Technologies Program site.
|
|
