Technologies Solar energy technologies harness the sun's energy for practical ends. These technologies date from the time of the early Greeks, Native Americans and Chinese, who warmed their buildings by orienting them toward the sun. ReSun Energy’s Commitment to Solar Energy Great Potential The solar energy that Earth receives in ten days equals the energy content of all the fossil fuel reserves (gas, coal and oil). The solar energy intercepted by the earth in one day is forty times higher than the world annual energy consumption. Mature and ready commercially-ready technologies. Today, solar technologies are mature and offer a clean and reliable source of energy. They have a long history of successful commercial operation and vast potential to satisfy future energy needs. Inexhaustible and Clean Energy all over the World. Solar resources are distributed worldwide, from the most arid to the most fertile regions. Soon, Solar energy technologies will compete with fossil fuels. Past investments by institutions and companies in the development of solar technologies have been driven by the price of oil. Future investments can be expected to grow rapidly as fossil fuel prices continue to increase due to: Reductions in fossil fuel reserves. Penalties for CO2 emission. In contrast to the increasing cost of fossil fuels, the cost of solar energy will decrease as the technology improves and level of deployment increases. The graph below shows that the present cost of solar energy for electric power production is higher than conventional sources, but future costs could be lower as CSP and PV costs are reduced. Solar thermal heat technologies are already competitive with electricity and oil as a source of heat and are becoming more competitive with natural gas every day. There are three main areas of solar technology: Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Technology: Solar energy is concentrated and used to produce thermal energy. This thermal energy is then converted to electricity using conventional thermodynamic cycles. Solar Heat Technologies: Parabolic trough technology is used to produce heat to replace conventional energy used to heat water and air, to generate steam and to produce air-conditioning. Photovoltaic (PV) Technology: Through the use of semiconductor materials and the photoelectric effect, electricity can be produced directly from solar radiation. Concentrated Solar Power Concentrated Solar Power: CSP can be easily integrated into conventional steam or combined cycle plants at low additional cost conventional steam thermal plants Electricity from a solar resource is generated using the same thermodynamic cycle as conventional plants. The only difference is the substitution of the boiler for a solar field and the use of solar energy instead of fossil fuels. Concentrated Solar Power: Optimum energy to cover peak electricity demands Energy delivery from a CSP plant coincides well with electricity demand. Peak electricity demand tends to occur when the sun is most intense. Even in colder climates, summer peaks are significantly greater than winter demand because air-conditioning loads are increasing. Concentrated Solar Power: Reliable energy delivery using storage and fossil fuel hybridization Solar energy plants can deliver power at any time of the day or night when they are combined with thermal energy storage or are hybridized with a backup fossil fuel source. Solar Heat Technologies The general principle is to transfer the heat to a substance which can hold the heat with a high energy density. Heat storage allows a solar thermal plant to produce energy at night or overcast days. The advantage is that the power generation becomes reliable and the utility can sell this higher quality product for higher prices. Also, the utilization of the generator is higher which reduces cost. Photovoltaic Photovoltaic is best known as a method for generating solar power by using solar cells packaged in photovoltaic modules, often electrically connected in multiples as solar photovoltaic arrays to convert energy from the sun into electricity. To explain the photovoltaic solar panel more simply, photons from sunlight knock electrons into a higher state of energy, creating electricity. Photovoltaic: Grid-connected and remote installations PV plants can be built as: Grid-connected installations ranging in size from large, utility-scale plants to small residential systems Off-grid, distributed installations supplying power to remote locations. Photovoltaic: Easy integration with buildings PV modules are often mounted on building roofs, utilizing space that would otherwise go unused. With the use of thin film technologies, PV can be integrated into building structure as part of the roof, windows or facade. We intend to use all of the above technologies in the power plants we are currently building.