# Concentrated solar power

Mirrors focus sunlight to make heat that drives a steam turbine, often with molten-salt storage.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_csp/

Capture · Solar · No. 22

- Capture
- Output: Electricity
 Capture · Solar · Foundation · Energy

Mirror fields heat salt to about 565 C, store it in tanks, and keep making electricity long after sunset.

Chart: Illustration: Concentrated solar power

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Mirrors focus direct sunlight onto a receiver, heating oil to about 390 C in troughs or salt to about 565 C in towers, which raises steam for a turbine.

##### Three things to know

1. An estimated 3,500 birds were killed in the first year at the Ivanpah tower plant, burned by concentrated light.
2. Wet-cooled trough plants use a median 906 gallons of water per MWh, more than a coal plant's 687.
3. CSP plants need about 2 hectares of land per megawatt.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Direct sunlight**Only clear desert beams can be focused
2. 2 **Mirrors**Thousands track the Sun across the sky
3. 3 **Receiver**Molten salt heated to about 565 C
4. 4 **Storage**Hot salt tanks hold 12-15 hours
5. 5 **Steam turbine**Stored heat raises steam on demand
6. 6 **Electricity**Serves the evening peak after sunset
 Covered in [Making electricity: thermal, nuclear, hydro, wind and solarEnergy](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/energy/making-electricity/)[Power density: why land and space matterEnergy](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/energy/power-density/)[Storing energy: from fuel stocks to batteriesEnergy](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/energy/storing-energy/)

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_csp/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_csp/correlation/index.md)
- [Efficiency](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_csp/efficiency/index.md)
- [Techniques](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_csp/techniques/index.md)
- [Resources and labour](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_csp/resources/index.md)
- [Impact on the biosphere](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_csp/biosphere/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_csp/links/index.md)