What’s the difference between a solar-tower power station and a parabolic trough solar field?
A solar tower power station uses a circular field of heliostats (mirrors) to concentrate light and heat onto a central tower, like a lighthouse. This heats a thermal transfer fluid that is then pumped through a heat exchanger where its heat is used to make steam for a steam turbine. A parabolic trough solar field contains many long straight parabolic shaped collectors that heat a thermal fluid like water or mineral oil. The many lines of hot fluid are then aggregated to create steam which is piped to turbines. The turbines generate the electricity in either case.
