How do solar power plants work?

As the name suggests, solar power plants use sunlight for power production. There are two different technologies used for solar power production these days- using photovoltaic plants and solar thermal systems.

Photovoltaic cells, or PV cells, produce electric current when exposed to light. They are also called solar cells. They contain silicon, a naturally occurring element found in sand. When sunlight hit silicon, there happens a chemical reaction. As a result, electrons move, and electric current is produced. A group of PV or solar cells create a solar panel. A number of solar panels form a solar array, and they generate solar energy.

In solar thermal systems, sunlight is collected and concentrated to produce high temperature heat that is needed to generate electricity. All the systems have solar energy collectors with two components – a ‘reflector’ that captures and focus sunlight onto the ‘receiver’. In the system here, a heat transfer liquid is heated and circulated in the receiver. It is used to produce steam. The steam is then converted to mechanical energy in a turbine, which powers a generator to produce electricity.