A solar thermal power plant in principle works no differently than a conventional steam power plant. However, there is one important difference. No harm is done to the environment by burning coal, oil, natural gas or by splitting uranium to produce steam. It is produced solely by the energy that comes from the sun.
In order to achieve the high temperatures required, solar radiation must be concentrated. Parabolic trough collectors represent the most advanced technology for use in doing this. These troughs are more than 1,300 feet (400 meters) in length and are made up of parabolic-ally shaped mirror segments. The troughs track the sun over the course of the day and focus the resulting radiation along the caustic line of the mirrors onto specially coated, evacuated absorb er tube receivers.
