Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat (solar thermal energy), which drives a heat engine, either Stirling engine or a steam turbine as in fossil thermal power stations, via an electrical power generator, or powers a. Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat (solar thermal energy), which drives a heat engine, either Stirling engine or a steam turbine as in fossil thermal power stations, via an electrical power generator, or powers a. A solar power tower at Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project concentrating light via 10,000 mirrored heliostats, occupying an area of 13 million sq ft (1. Concentrated solar power (CSP), also called concentrating solar power or concentrated solar thermal, involves systems that collect solar. Solar energy is made by converting sunlight into electricity, either by using semiconductor materials that generate electric current when light hits them or by using mirrors to concentrate sunlight into heat that drives a turbine. The first method, called photovoltaic (PV) technology, powers the. Concentrated solar power (CSP) uses mirrors to focus sunlight into intense heat, which then drives a steam turbine to produce electricity. Some PV cells can convert artificial light into electricity. Sunlight is composed of photons, or particles of solar energy.
