Solar Thermal Energy

Solar thermal energy is a technology for harnessing sunlight to generate heat, rather than electricity, for use in industry and in homes and businesses. A solar thermal system typically uses mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver, which heats a reservoir of water that can be used immediately or stored for later use, avoiding the need for a separate energy storage system. Systems are grouped by temperature: low temperature systems heat swimming pools and ventilation air, medium temperature systems heat residential and commercial water and can supply roughly half of a building own annual hot water needs, and high temperature systems supply industrial process heat or generate electricity through concentrated solar power. Because its heated water can be stored, a solar thermal plant can keep operating around the clock, unlike a photovoltaic system that depends on sunlight arriving in real time. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/