Solar Thermal technology units capture the sun’s heat energy and utilize it for heating and to produce electricity. They are thus dissimilar to photovoltaic Solar devices which directly make electricity from the sun’s radiation.

A Solar thermal system can be described as active or passive. Active systems need moving parts such as pumps or fans to circulate fluids that carry heat. Passive systems lack mechanical parts and only use design features to collect heat, for example, greenhouses. Solar thermal technology is also categorized by temperature – high, medium, or low.

Advantages of a Solar Thermal System

These systems have many advantages. They are fueled by solar energy which is renewable and free, so the units can be operated cost-effectively and can be used to replace conventional fuel. Second, solar thermal does not produce any emissions. Third, a solar thermal system is easy to maintain because it utilizes simple technologies and passive units without any moving parts. Finally, concentrating solar thermal technologies can be leveraged to produce large-scale electricity.

Challenges of Solar Thermal Systems

Sunlight is abundant, but can still create issues in using solar thermal units. For one, sunlight is not a concentrated source of energy, therefore a vast area is required to generate a reasonable energy amount, which can cause land-use issues. Further, the availability of sunlight depends on location and it can be intermittent.

Concentrated solar thermal technologies are typically located in far-off desert areas and transmitting electricity over long distances is costly and can result in losses during distribution. Other main challenges are awareness of solar technologies in some nations and huge upfront capital expenses.

HMX from ATE offers a range of solar thermal technologies and applications that can be utilized in industries and sectors such as educational, religious, hospitality, retail, engineering, automotive, chemical process, food processing, pulp and paper, textiles, and more. Contact us today to install a suitable solar thermal unit in your facility and reap the advantages of cheap, abundant, and eco-friendly electricity.