Like conventional power plants, solar thermal power plants or solar power plants, can also produce electricity on large scale basis fulfilling the needs of thousands of families. In thermal power plants coal or other fossil fuels are used as the fuel to boil water and generate steam from it. These fuels are depleting at the fast rate, are expensive and create lots of air-pollution. The solar thermal power plants use solar energy to generate steam from water. The steam passes through conventional turbines and generates electricity in the alternators. Solar energy, a form of renewable energy, is available abundantly and freely and it creates no pollution at all.
At present the solar thermal power plants are still more of in the experimentation stages, though a few commercial solar thermal power plants have also been installed. In future there are greater chances of erecting solar power plants of around 10MW capacities that can fulfill the needs of the smaller city or some parts of the city. The countries where solar energy is available abundantly, these small thermal power plants can be erected in various cities fulfilling the requirements of the city as well the nearby villages.
The solar power plants hold a great promise for our future power requirements. A number of small solar thermal power plants installed in various parts of the country are a definite possibility in the near future. These can be installed by the government or private agencies or in partnership between the two.
