.

The study shows that savings of upto 24% is possible during periods of high insolation for feed water heating to 241 0C (4).

Barriers Way ahead

Solar thermal power generation technology is coming back as commercially viable technology in many parts of the world. India needs to take fresh initiative to assess the latest technology and its feasibility in the Indian context. These projects can avail benefits like CDM and considering the solar radiation levels in India the se plants can be commercially viable in near future. The MNRE and SEC (Solar Energy Center) should take initiative to study these technologies and develop feasibility reports for suitable applications. Leading research institutes such as TERI can take up these studies.

Conclusion
The ultimate source of thermal energy available to mankind is the sun, the huge thermonuclear furnace that supplies the earth with the heat and light that are essential to life. The nuclear fusion in the sun increases the sun's thermal energy. Once the thermal energy leaves the sun (in the form of radiation) it is called heat. Heat is thermal energy in transfer. Thermal energy is part of the overall internal energy of a system. At a more basic level, thermal energy comes form the movement of atoms and molecules in matter. It is a form of kinetic energy produced from the random movements of those molecules. Thermal energy of a system can be increased or decreased. Fossil fuels - coal, oil, natural gas. Biomass (including wood and charcoal). Nuclear power. Solar power. Geothermal power(volcanosVolcanoes, hot springs and geysers are sources of geothermal energy - energy from the interior of the earth. The thermal energy from these events can produce hot water or steam, which can be then piped to a power plant at the surface. This can be used to run turbines which produce electrical energy. HRD (hot, dry rock) can be used as another technique to generate thermal energy. (Water is pumped into cracks in the earth's crust. It returns to the surface as steam, which can be used to generate electricity)

Solar thermal energy is a renewable natural resource, meaning it is naturally replenished. It is unlimited and replaced at the same rate that it is used. Solar energy comes specifically from the sun while thermal energy is produced from any source of heat. Solar thermal energy is, simply put, energy produced by the heat of the sun. Solar thermal energy is an abundant and free source of energy and it has many uses.

1. Current Uses
o

There are three main uses for solar thermal energy. The first is the direct use of sunlight to heat air and water. The second use is for lighting and controlling temperatures in homes and buildings. This is known as a passive method of use, as no mechanical instrumentation is used to exploit solar thermal energy. The third use, employed by utilities, is the concentration of solar thermal energy in order to heat a liquid or a gas. This, in turn, produces power that is stored for future uses, such as providing electricity.

Photovoltaics
o o

In the field of photovoltaics, solar energy is collected for future use by homes or businesses. Photovoltaics uses semiconductors to change the radiation from sunlight into electrical power. This field of study began when Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel, a French scientist, discovered that certain materials produced an electric spark when struck by sunlight. The original material, selenium, was replaced by silicon in the 1950s, as it was found to convert a higher percentage of sunlight to electricity. Since then, silicon photovoltaic cells have been responsible for powering satellites and spaceships. .

. While solar thermal energy has many advantages, especially environmental ones, it has drawbacks, too.

Pro:

Save for the pollution expended in the manufacturing of the solar thermal energy device itself,.

Pro: After its initial installation, Many solar thermal devices, especially those that heat
hot water, involve simpler technology than photovoltaic panels.

Con:

As of 2010, However, because solar thermal energy lacks a feedstock, in some situations it may be cheaper over time.

Con:

Unlike fossil fuels, we cannot easily store either sunlight or hot water. This contributes to its unreliability, as users are unable to produce large amounts of energy for later consumption or for emergencies. How Concentrated Solar Power Can Meet Indias Future Power Needs Solar energy is an enormous resource that is readily available in all countries throughout the world, and all the space above the earth. Long ago, scientists calculated that an hours worth of sunlight bathing the planet held far more energy than humans worldwide could consume in a year. I firmly believe that India should accelerate the use of all forms of renewable energy (photovoltaic, thermal solar, solar lamps, solar pumps, wind power, biomass, biogas, and hydro), and more proactively promote energy efficiency. However, in this article, I will only focus on the use of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology to meet Indias future energy needs. Concentrated solar power plants have been used in California since the 1980s. More recently, Pacific Gas & Electric has signed contracts to buy 500 megawatts of solar thermal power from two solar companies. First, NextEra Energy Resources will sell 250 megawatts of CSP generated power from the Genesis Solar Energy Project to be located in Riverside, Calif. Second, Abengoas Mojave Solar project will supply the remaining 250 megawatts from a plant located in San Bernardino County, Calif. Subject to California Public Utility Commission approval of the power purchase agreements, construction of these solar energy generating plants is expected to start in 2010 with operations planned to begin in 2013. Both these solar thermal power projects will contribute to meeting Californias aggressive Renewable Portfolio Standard, which calls for moving away from fossil fuels to solar and other renewable energy sources that avoid pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to California, the sunny state of Arizona has become home to the worlds largest Solar Plant. Solana (which means a sunny place in Spanish) solar power generating station is scheduled to begin operation in 2012, harnessing Arizonas most abundant renewable energy resource the sun. This plant (located 70 miles southwest of Phoenix) has a projected capacity of 280 megawatts, and will make use of Abengoa Solars CSP technology. Courtesy: Proposed Solana Generating Station Project (concentrating solar power project) in Arizona Courtesy Abengoa: A Utility-scale concentrated solar power (CSP) plant How the Technology Works But a large scale initiative (like Europes DDI) is needed to make it more cost effective. Moreover, the Rajasthan desert has the potential to produce solar power at a cost low

enough Conclusion

to

be

competitive

with

fossil

and

nuclear

power.

CSP plants in the 30 MW to 200 MW range are now operating successfully in locations from California to Europe. Nearly every day now, new CSP plants are being planned for construction. Todays CSP plants supply the heat needed to generate electricity at a cost equivalent to $50 $60 per barrel of oil. This cost is expected to be slashed by 50% to below $25 $30 per barrel in the next 10 years. It has often been said that it is not a question of if, but when solar power becomes costcompetitive with traditional electricity sources.

India needs a plan with the same spirit, boldness and the imagination of the Apollo Program that put astronauts on the Moon. The technology is well established and available. I expect that the new US Administration will strongly prioritize the use of solar thermal energy as a solution to the climate and energy crisis. This should create additional incentive for countries such as India, who have optimal conditions for CSP plants, to take similar actions. The U.S.-India Energy Dialogue, which facilitates discussions on renewable energy and energy efficiency, can be a very useful tool to spark investments in solar energy. This can lay the foundation for an energy independent future one in which

One of the most common arguments against large-scale use of renewable energy is that it cannot produce a steady, reliable stream of energy, day and night. Ausra Inc. does not agree. They believe that solar thermal technology can supply over 90% of grid power, while reducing carbon emissions.
The U.S. could nearly eliminate our dependence on coal, oil and gas for electricity and transportation, drastically slashing global warming pollution without increasing costs for energy, said David Mills, chief scientific officer and founder of Ausra.

You may be wondering, how will we have electricity at night or during cloudy weather? Will we use large banks of batteries or burn candles? The ability to utilize solar thermal technology after the sun sets is made possible by a storage system that is up to 93% efficient, according to Ausras executive vice president John ODonnell. High efficiency is achieved because solar thermal plants do not need to convert energy to another form in order to store it and do not rely on battery technology. Flat moving recflectors or parabolic mirrors focus solar energy to generate heat. This heat generates steam that turns turbines, thus generating an electric current. If you want to generate electricity-at, say, 3 am-heat from the sun can be stored for later use. This gives solar thermal technology the ability to not just produce peak power, but also generate base load electricity . Peak Power: The First Wave of Solar Thermal Plants The maximum amount of electricity demand on the power grid occurs during weekday afternoons and evenings in the summer months in most regions of the United States. This is largely caused by air conditioning loads, which gobble up electricity. Because the electric grid needs to be able to handle these peak loads, capacity is built to specifically handle these loads. Natural gas and oil typically comes to the rescue to produce this electricity. Although these plants are expensive to operate, they are cheaper to construct than most of the alternatives. They are fast to start, producing power in 30 minutes or less. Additional power plants are constructed just to generate electricity for the times when it is needed most. This causes peak electricity to be more expensive. A kilowatt hour of electricity at 3 pm and 3 am does not come with the same price tag to the utility company. Adding solar plants that reliably generate until 10 pm displaces the highest cost alternative power, said John ODonnell. That is the first wave of solar thermal plants. The daily and seasonal variation in grid load in the United States matches solar availability. Base Load: Replacing Coal Power Base load is the minimum amount of electricity demand placed on the power grid over a 24 hour period. Coal and nuclear plants commonly supply this energy. These plants can take hours or even days to heat up to operating temperatures and are run more continuously than peak power plants. Due largely to the lower cost of fuel, these plants can produce electricity at a lower cost. If a carbon tax is implemented in the future, this will increase the cost of electricity generated from coal. Generating electricity around the clock with solar thermal technology relies on storage systems that run turbines long after the sun sets. Ausra has a very active energy storage R & D group and we will be prototyping a couple of systems this year here in the US, said John ODonnell. Solar Energy Storage This is not a new technology, having been used for plastic manufacturing and petroleum production for a long time. Solar thermal plants have a cost advantage compared to photovoltaic technology because energy can be stored as heat without being converted to another form or relying on batteries. My favorite example in comparing energy storage options is on your desktop, said John ODonnell. If you have a laptop computer and a thermos of coffee on your desk, the battery in your laptop and the thermos store about the same amount of energy. One of them costs about $150 and the other one costs maybe $3 to $5. On the

wholesale level, storing electric power is at least 100 times more expensive than storing heat. The future certainly looks bright for solar thermal technology as concern over climate change increases. Global demand for electricity is growing rapidly, requiring clean solutions.
Source: Clean Technica (http://s.tt/12tyY)

New regulations announced by the Indian government reward the renewable energy producers not only for the generating power but also for preventing emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The new rules would allow the renewable energy power plants to increase their scope of revenue generation and thus reduce the payback period significantly. The renewable energy power plants can now either sell power to preferential tariff rates or sell the electricity generation and environmental benefits of the project separately. The renewable energy power producers would earn renewable energy certificates for every megawatt hour of electricity generated. A central authority would be established which would be responsible for distribution of these certificates. Any entity which has the obligation to purchase power generated from renewable energy sources can buy renewable energy certificates from these power producers to meet their targets. A Bloomberg UTVi news report explains the proposed policy. Last year the Indian government made it mandatory for all the state electricity boards to increase purchase of renewable energy-based power by one percent every year. These new regulations would help the state electricity boards to meet their targets with almost no immediate pressures of expanding power evacuation infrastructure for the renewable energy power plants. Renewable energy would play a crucial role in Indias energy basket in the long-term given the rapidly rising demand and the need to provide power to rural areas. With the target of reducing carbon intensity and increasing pressure to cap the growth of its carbon emissions India could find it difficult to rely on coal and gas as energy sources, especially due to unsustainable supply scenario. India would have develop renewable energy infrastructure not to sustain its economic growth but also to ensure energy security. Therefore, the government needs to put in concentrated efforts to provide financial and technological assistance to renewable energy power producers to attract more investments and ensure sustainable growth in the sector.
Source: Clean Technica (http://s.tt/12uD8)

, a top government official said on Thursday, stepping up the country's focus to develop clean energy sources. India's greenhouse gas emissions grew more than half between 1994 and 2007, helped up by a largely coal-reliant power sector that nearly doubled its share in emissions, making the country one of the top five carbon pollutors of the world. The country is one of the world's top producers of wind energy, and generates solar energy as well as power from biomass and biogas, such as capturing methane from animal waste. India will need an investment of 1.5 trillion rupees ($33.6 billion) to add the extra capacity in the 12th Five-Year Plan, renewable energy secretary Deepak Gupta said.

He said the country has currently 20 gigawatt of renewable power generation capacity, constituting 11 percent of installed capacity. India offers cheap loans to companies building alternative energy power plants and provides tax breaks and tariff subsidies to encourage development of the renewables industry. Gupta said the private sector would contribute most of the projected investment, but did not provide details. ($1 = 44.6 Indian rupees)

The laws of thermodynamics explain that energy in the form of heat can be exchanged from one physical object to another. For instance, putting fire under a pot of water will cause the water to heat up as a result of the increased molecular movement. In that way, the heat, or thermal energy, of the fire, is partially transmitted to the water. Understanding the principles of thermodynamics has allowed human beings to harness natural sources of heat to create thermal energy out of a variety of sources.. As humans attempt to turn to sustainable forms of alternative energy instead as fossil fuel resources become depleted, much attention has been focused on improving methods of harnessing thermal energy to power human activity. The Earth is constructed around a molten core of incredible heat that lessens considerably as it reaches the surface or crust level. Yet by harnessing some of the heat generated below the surface of the planet, humans can extract enormous amounts of energy. The simplest way to do this is through geothermal energy sources such as geysers, or at the boundaries of tectonic plates. Geothermal wells pump out energy in the form of hot water or steam that can be converted into usable energy, or simply used directly. . Thanks to the power of heat, hot baths, boiled water, and thermally-powered cities are all possible.