A solar power plant is an engineering structure that transforms solar energy into electricity and meets all human needs. There arethe following main types of solar power plants:
- autonomous solar power plants;
- network power plants (battery and non-battery);
- hybrid solar power plants;
- combined solar power plants
However, according to the way solar energy is concentrated, SPPs are divided into:
- tower type;
- of the plate type;
- parabolas are cylindrical;
- combined.
Components of a solar power plant:
In order for a solar power plant to produce enough electricity, it needs to be equipped with high-quality and reliable equipment. First of all, we are talking about solar panels and inverters. It should be borne in mind that SPPs can be of different types, and their equipment will differ. For example, it can be batteries and charge-discharge controllers. Equally important components of the engineering structure are the supporting structure, cables, metering unit, built-in special meters, monitoring systems, etc. However, the main parts of a solar power plant are:
Photovoltaic or solar panels.
They consist of elements that are most often made of silicon, i.e. semiconductor materials. Such materials can be:
- single-crystal cells (they are characterized by a fairly high temperature coefficient and a long service life. But the longer they are in operation, the more their performance begins to decline over time);
- polycrystalline elements (they are characterized by lower cost);
- elements made on the basis of amorphous silicon (characterized by a high temperature coefficient; they can be placed on uneven surfaces). However, they have the lowest efficiency).
Інвертор. Він перетворює постійний струм у змінний. Всі інвертори можуть бути різної потужності, тому їх тип обирається залежно від призначення. Для СЕС найчастіше використовують автономні інвертори, оскільки їх застосовують для ізольованих систем електропостачання.
Batteries for solar panels.
They are most commonly used for off-grid and hybrid solar power plants. In this way, electricity consumers get uninterrupted access to electricity supply, as batteries accumulate energy during the day and provide people with it at night and during emergency or planned outages from the central grid.
Charge controllers.
They are connected between the solar panel and the battery. This way, the charging process is regulated and protected against overcharging. Functionally, they are divided into:
- the simplest controllers;
- PWM controller;
- MPPT controller;
Supportive panel construction.
This part of the engineering structure ensures the correct angle of inclination of the solar panels and the necessary rigidity.
How does a solar power plant work?
SPPs are based on the photoelectric effect, which converts solar energy into electricity. Most often, solar panels made of silicon alloys are used to optimize this process. Thus, when photons of sunlight hit a solar panel made of a semiconductor material, free electrons are generated, which generate a direct electric current. Once the DC electric current is generated, the inverter converts it into an alternating current. The electric current is transformed into a form that is suitable for use by household consumers, as well as for transmission to the country’s power grid.
Are solar power plants durable or not?
Researchers and developers of solar power plants have conducted a number of studies that have proven that the lifetime of these engineering structures exceeds 30 years. Some of these solar power plants were built in the 80s of the last century in Europe and the United States. After the 25th year of operation, they began to show a 10% decrease in electricity generation efficiency. However, the rest of them have not been degraded. Solar panels produced today are even more stable, efficient and reliable than those measured in the studies. On average, we can confidently say that polycrystalline panels have a service life of 20 years, and monocrystalline panels – 30 years. Thus, solar power plants are of great importance in the development of green energy in Ukraine and the world.