“Utilization ratios — the proportion of solar radiation reaching a collector’s surface that can be converted to usable process energy — of over 60% can be obtained by integrating solar thermal equipment in industrial systems. By comparison, photovoltaic systems typically have an efficiency of around 15%. ” –che.com
Solar energy can not only be transformed into electricity, but process heat in a chemical industry.
Read more on this : Producing Solar Process Heat with Fresnel Collectors in the CPI
Converting solar energy into heat is not new. Solar cooking is one such application.
The world’s largest solar cooking system, designed by Gadhia Solar Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd., is functioning at the Shirdi temple, where a solar cooked lunch is served to over 50,000 people per day.
It is not just India, but this technology is used worldwide.
Read more:
Most significant solar cooking projects
Edit (13/09/2013)
Nanoheaters really boggled my mind the most.
“Nanoheaters generate steam at a remarkably high efficiency,” Halas said. “More than 80 percent of the energy they absorb from sunlight goes into production of steam. In the conventional production of steam, you would have to heat the entire container of water until it boils, with the bubbles rising to the top to release steam. With nanoheaters, less than 20 percent of the energy heats the neighboring liquid.”
Read more: New Solar Device Kills Germs on Surgical Equipment (and Everything Else)
anujasawant.com 