What’s the difference between Thermal Power Plants and Solar Power Plants?

 

The growing relevance of renewable energy resources has invoked the interest of everyone from consumers to corporates. Thermal power plants are still the most commonly used source of energy but everyone is starting to take notice of the solar power plants alternative.

To understand these energy sources, let’s take a look at the differences between Thermal Power Plants and Solar Power Plants.

Thermal Power Plants

This solution is used to generate electricity with the help of heat — achieved by using a non-renewable energy source like coal or fossil fuels. Burning these resources emits heat energy that is converted into electrical energy. Although it is the most commonly use the form of electricity generation while also being extremely efficient, thermal power plants are not an environmentally friendly solution. This is because it uses scarce resources while also emitting air pollutants in the process.

The process goes as follows:

• The heat obtained from burning fuel is used to convert water into steam.
• The steam, at high heat and pressure then rotates turbine blades.
• These blades are part of the shaft which is connected to the generator.
• The generator converts the energy obtained from the movement of the turbine into electric energy.

Solar Power Plants

This solution is the perfect green alternative for electricity generation. The conversion of readily available sunlight into consumable electricity is an excellent renewable energy source. Solar power is also a financially viable alternative with an easy installation process. While it may not be as efficient in terms of electricity generation due to the dependency on weather and environmental conditions, rapid innovation is working to counter this setback.

The process goes as follows:

1. The individual solar cells that make up an entire solar panel absorb the light from the sun.
2. These cells convert the sunlight into Direct Current (DC) electricity through a process called the Photovoltaic Effect.
3. The DC electricity then flows into an inverter that converts it into Alternating Current (AC) electrical power.
4. AC electricity is the energy consumed by electronic devices and appliances that are connected to the solar energy system.

Originally published at http://realestateandepc.wordpress.com on August 16, 2022.