{"id":5535,"date":"2011-10-13T07:11:48","date_gmt":"2011-10-13T11:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/?p=5535"},"modified":"2017-09-05T17:46:36","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T21:46:36","slug":"solar-thermal-more-efficient-less-talked-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/solar-thermal-more-efficient-less-talked-about\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Thermal: More Efficient, Less Talked About"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Photo: International Rivers\/Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>In most countries solar power is often perceived as synonymous with solar photovoltaic (PV), the classic rooftop panels that convert sunlight to electricity through solar cells. But that could be a misconception, says Environmental Protection, since solar thermal, which gets less attention than PV, actually is more efficient.
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Solar thermal is cheaper and more efficient, EP points out. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153PV converts 12 per cent of energy into usable electricity at a cost of 25 to 35 cents per kilowatt hour. Solar thermal, which includes solar air and solar water … offers 55 per cent efficiency at 12 to 15 cents per kilowatt hour, and solar air delivers 80 percent at 3 to 9 cents per kilowatt hour\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. <\/p>\n

If that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the case, why does PV get more airplay than thermal? Enerconcept Technologies president Christian Vachon says it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because PV gets most subsidies. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Governments should stop thinking that solar is expensive and needs to be heavily subsidized in order to be sustainable. With PV, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re putting all our eggs in the longest possible payback basket. Our leaders should instead focus on an energy policy that promotes the lowest-cost energy technology\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, he told EP.<\/p>\n

Solar thermal electricity can be produced on a large scale as well. Spain recently became home to the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first 24\/7 solar thermal plant<\/a> near Seville in the south of the country and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s expected to produce 110 GW\/h per year.<\/p>\n

The full article can be read here<\/a>. What do you think? Should we rebalance the focus given to solar thermal and solar PV?<\/p>\n

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