Introduction
Solar thermal energy is more rarely seen than photovoltaic energy. Rather than converting the Sun's photons into electricity solar thermal uses its heat to create an electric current. To do this large solar reflectors are aimed a tower in the center of the reflectors/mirrors or at a pipe, placed on top of each mirror. The tower or pipe is filled with oil and water. The oil absorbs enough heat from the reflectors to make the water boil, the boiling water then becomes steam which runs to turbines and generates an electric current. Although solar thermal can produce electricity, fossil fuels are far more energy efficient that solar thermal.
Generating Electricity With Solar Thermal
Solar thermal energy stations are not used in homes because of the hazards of the solar reflectors. If you placed your hand right in the center of the beam of the reflectors, you would suffer third degree burns. Instead they are placed in hot deserts near unpopulated areas. Solar thermal is not economical when compared to the massive power outputs of fossil fuels; the largest solar thermal plant is only eleven megawatts, a typical coal plant is around 1200 megawatts.
Aside from the low amounts of power it produces, solar thermal energy also consumes surplus amounts of water. The amount of water the plant consumes would consume large amounts of electricity too causing a smaller energy output. Many people who purchase solar energy rather than fossil fuel energy have a significantly higher electric bill shown in the graph below:
Although you may look at this chart and think $0.45/kilowatt hour (KWH) that seems cheap. Well let's multiply it out to see how much your electric bill would cost if powered 100% by solar thermal energy. The average home uses about 36 KWH's per day; there are 30 days in a month. If multiplied out the product is 930 KWH's per month. Now multiply that by $0.45, it will come out to be $418.50 per month for your electric bill.
