Solar Thermal Energy

by
Philip Bell Jim Slotta
KIE Developer

Pictures linked from the CREST Solstice web site.

It is possible to get energy from sunlight in several ways. First of all, sunlight can be used to warm your house directly -- especially if you paint it a dark color or use some fancy architectural tricks. There are also "solar panels" which convert sunlight directly into electricity, using some sophisticated scientific technology.

Finally, there is a method known as "solar thermal heating", where sunlight is reflected from many mirrors onto a central point. At this central point, the heat from sunlight is so intense that it can bring water to a boil, creating steam. This steam can be used to turn motors which generate electricity.

There is a place on the Web where solar thermal energy is described, including some examples of solar thermal power plants!

Before you get started...

To focus your attention:

This is a long, complicated web-site with many pages of information. You should look at just a few of the pages, and try to form some good questions about light and heat. Follow the links we provide below, and then follow one or two links from each of those pages. How can sunlight be used to heat up water? How do we get energy from light?

To challenge your thinking:

This Web site talks about "solar radiation" as if it is the same thing as "sunlight" Do you think they are the same? See if you can understand how sunlight warms up an object. If there isn't enough information on the page to help you understand completely, try to make your questions focus on what is missing, or what is not clear.

• History of Solar Thermal Energy

• About Sunlight...

• How it works...

• An example of a solar thermal electricity plant.