Can a circular mirror store electricity

Why are electric utility companies using mirrors?

Electric utility companies are using mirrors to concentrate heat from the sun to produce environmentally friendly electricity for cities, especially in the southwestern United States. The southwestern United States is focus-ing on concentrating solar energy because it's one of the world's best areas for sun-light.

Why is a circular mirror symmetrical?

In addition, a circular mirror is symmetrical with respect to rotations about its center. This means that if the sun’s rays (assumed to be parallel for this discussion) are not normal to the mirror’s aperture as in Figure 8.9 a, the pattern of reflected rays looks the same but is rotated (see Figures 8.9 b and 8.9 c).

How do solar mirrors work?

These solar mirrors reflect beams of sunlight onto a single, concentrated point on a receiver to generate enormous amounts of heat, much like using a magnifying glass to burn paper. The receiver sits at the top of a tower to increase optical efficiency and reduce shadowing.

What type of mirror is used in a solar concentrator?

Mirrors used in solar concentrators are frequently back-surface or second surface mirrors (i.e., the reflector surface is behind a protective sheet of glass or plastic). When light passes through a material, part of the light energy is absorbed.

How do parabolic mirrors work?

(Supplied: Vast Solar) Parabolic mirrors, known as heliostats, track the Sun to ensure the beam of reflected light remains aimed at the receiver tower. The heat is first stored in liquid sodium metal at 565 degrees Celsius, then in molten salt at 550C, and finally as steam to drive a turbine.

What is the difference between a spherical mirror and a parabolic mirror?

Characteristics of spherical optics (C = center of circle). A parabolic mirror, on the other hand, is not symmetrical to rotations about its focal point. As shown in Figure 8.10, if the incident beam of parallel rays is even slightly off normal to the mirror aperture, beam dispersion occurs, resulting in spreading of the image at the focal point.