Alternative_Energy_Know_How 2018

concrete and other building materials. Soon this technology
may be widespread and conventional, but for now you can
get a head start while saving electricity, reducing your
carbon footprint, and serving as a model for others.
16. CONCENTRATING SUNLIGHT FOR ENERGY
O
ne of the consistent problems with solar platforms
has been the inefficient conversion of sunlight to
electricity. New technology and strategies are dealing
with this issue.
Concentrate, Concentrate
Traditional power generating plants work by using a fuel,
often fossil, to heat a liquid until it expands or turns into a
gas. The pressure or gas than rotates a turbine, which
cranks up a generator and produces the massive amounts of
electricity we all take for granted. This is a time tested
method and is used in coal, nuclear, hydropower and most
major power sources. The concept is now being transferred
to solar platforms in an effort to get more bang for the buck
out of these clean energy platforms.
The problem with solar is sunlight is converted to energy at a
rate of 10 to 15 percent efficiency, a truly uninspiring
number. Put in sports terms, the best batter in baseball
would have a batting average of 150, a quarterback would
complete 1.5 of his attempted throws and Michael Jordan
would have missed 9 out of every 10 dunks. The numbers
simply aren‘t pretty.
A l t e r n a t i v e E n e r g y K n o w - H o w
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