Big Solar, Small Footprint: The Role Innovative Technologies Play in our Energy Future

摘要

Meeting accelerating energy demands is always a challenge. Meeting those demands in the best way for the environment, and the economy is an even greater challenge.rnThe potential for solar energy, the most abundant renewable energy source in the world, in meeting all of these challenges is great, yet it has barely been tapped as an energy source. Why?rnFirst, a quick look at the solar landscape is required for perspective. Solar technology today can be broken into two primary buckets.rnOne is concentrating solar power (CSP) or concentrating solar thermal technology (CST). The technology, called by both names, involves using lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. The concentrated light is then used as a heat source for a conventional power plant.