| Solar Power PlantSolar Trough SystemTrough systems predominate among today’s commercial solar power plants. Trough systems convert the heat from the sun into electricity. Because of their parabolic shape, troughs can focus the sun at 30 to 60 times its normal intensity on a receiver pipe located along the focal line of the trough. Synthetic oil captures this heat as the oil circulates through the pipe, reaching temperatures as high as 390°C (735ºF). The hot oil is pumped to a generating station and routed through a heat exchanger to produce steam. Finally, electricity is produced in a conventional steam turbine.Composition of the reflectorsThe reflectors are composed of individual concentrator modules that are a consist of a steel support structure with a mirror mounted on it. Development efforts are aimed at reducing the thickness of the mirror, improving the reliability of the glass to metal seal, surface coatings on the mirrors to improve their performance and development of a composite concentrator modules with lightweight, front-surface mirrors instead of heavy (4 mm) glass mirrors that were used on the original SEGS plantsHow does it work?The fluid going through the receiver pipe is routed through a thermal storage system which permits the plant to keep operating for several hours after sunset while the electrical demand is still relatively high. The thermal storage system (to be used in Spain) is a two tank system in which the HTF flows through the solar field and then through a heat exchanger where it gives up a portion of its heat to heat a nitrate salt solution that is stored in a hot salt tank. The slightly cooled HTF continues on to the power generation system. At night the hot salt solution flows through the same heat exchanger heating up the HTF for generating power. The cooler oil flows from the heat exchanger to the cold storage tank where it stays until daytime when it is reheated and returned to the hot storage tank.