How does LPT technology differ from the technology used in the original SEGS plants?
The solar fields for the SEGS plants built by Luz International utilize long rows of curved glass mirrors to heat synthetic oil, which is piped to a heat exchanger to produce steam at about 375° C. This steam is used to drive a steam turbine to produce electricity. By contrast, the LPT 550 technology uses thousands of small flat glass mirrors (known as heliostats) to focus sunlight on a solar boiler located on top of a tower. The sunlight heats steam directly to a temperature of about 550° C and the steam is used to drive a steam turbine to produce electricity.
