What Is Concentrated Solar Power?

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, concentrated solar power (CSP) focuses sunlight using mirrors to concentrate solar energy to be used as a high temperature heat source. CSP is a renewable energy source that has little damaging impact on the environment.

Linear

• The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reports that one type of CSP technology is the linear concentrator, which uses rectangular, curved mirrors to focus the energy of the sun. In this process fluid held in long tubes is heated by the sun's energy to its boiling point to power steam-generated turbines.

Dish/Engine

• The dish/engine CSP system uses a mirrored dish to collect and focus sunlight onto a thermal receiver, according to the NREL. A fluid is heated by the sunlight captured in the mirrors, which when heated is passed through an engine to create mechanical power.

Tower

• The NREL explains that the tower system uses a number of mirrors at ground level that are focused on a receiver situated at the top of the tower. Fluid is heated in the receiver at the top of the tower and turned into steam, which in turn powers a generator to create electricity.