A solar farm uses sunlight to produce electricity through photovoltaic cells or concentrated solar thermal energy. They are usually located in flat areas with clear skies and strong sunlight, often in desert areas. Solar energy is considered better for the environment, but construction can have an environmental impact.
A solar farm, also known as a solar power plant, is a large-scale installation that uses sunlight to produce electricity. The “farm” part of the name comes from the idea of ”harvesting” sunlight, as well as the similarity of some power plants to fields full of crops. The typical solar farm will use one of two different methods to produce energy: photovoltaic cells or concentrated solar thermal energy.
Photovoltaic (PV) solar farms use the photoelectric effect to convert light into electricity. They usually consist of a vast number of photovoltaic solar cells collected in arrays. Since the amount of energy that can be produced depends on the amount of sunlight that can be harvested, a solar PV farm can have tens or hundreds of thousands of solar panels spread over large tracts of land. The arrays are usually mounted individually and are programmed to tilt to follow the sun as its angle changes. This movement allows the panels to capture the maximum intensity of sunlight throughout the day.
Solar thermal parks harness the power of the sun in a different way. In a solar thermal farm, sunlight is focused using lenses or reflectors at one or more locations and is used to raise the temperature of a liquid, usually an oil. That liquid will be used to run a more traditional generator, often boiling water to drive a steam turbine. There is more variation in design in solar thermal parks than there are in PV parks: some have individual reflectors that each heat their own small area, while others have many mirrors all focused on a single point, often a tower or other location. elevated.
Solar farms are usually located in flat areas, as building on level ground eliminates efficiency-reducing shadows. The best locations will also have clear skies and strong sunlight, although excessive heat can reduce efficiency. Because they take up so much space, many solar farms are built in desert areas to avoid consuming arable land. Also, the intensity of sunlight varies depending on where on Earth the farm is built; locations near the equator will have stronger light than those nearer the north or south poles, and thus produce more energy.
Unlike fossil fuel-powered power plants, a solar farm uses a renewable resource to produce electricity. Solar energy is therefore generally considered to be better for the environment. In some cases, however, there has been concern about the environmental impact of constructing the plants, as their installation requires significant resources.
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