Describe two concentrated solar power systems, how they work, and their potential for providing ...

(Answer to question 1 )  The solar-trough collector system has collectors that are long, trough-shaped reflectors tilted toward the Sun. The curvature of the trough is such that all the sunlight hitting the collector is reflected onto a pipe running down the center of the system. Oil or some other heat-absorbing fluid circulating through the pipe is thus heated to very high temperatures. The heated fluid is passed through a heat exchanger to boil water and produce steam for driving a turbogenerator. The potential for the solar-trough system is quite good because the cost of producing a kilowatt-hour is barely more than the cost from coal-fired facilities. These facilities need to be located where there is plenty of sunlight.
Another system is the power tower. A power tower is an array of Sun-tracking mirrors that focuses the sunlight falling on several acres of land onto a receiver mounted on a tower in the center of the area. The receiver transfers the heat energy collected to a molten-salt liquid, which then flows either to a heat exchanger to drive a conventional turbogenerator or to a tank . . . to store the heat for later use.

(Answer to question 2 )  Answers will vary based on region. Biotic components of an area refer to the living components of the ecosystem, whereas the abiotic components refer to the nonliving, yet still important, factors in an ecosystem. Use Table 5-1 and Figure 5-10 as references for determining the biome type.

(Answer to question 3 )  At the end of 2011, there were 40 plants worldwide with capacities greater than 20 MW, with 31 more planned or under construction. . . . However, the most promising future for PV power is in the installation of PV panels on rooftops, where a huge amount of unused space is readily available. Utilities are encouraging PV power with incentives to those who use solar power.

(Answer to question 4 )  A microclimate describes the conditions found in a specific localized area . . . that result in variations of ecosystems within a biome. Three situations that might cause a microclimate include changes in elevation, soil type, and topography. Elevation effects the temperature of the microclimate, whereas soil type and topography contribute to the availability of moisture in the microclimate. Since biomes are delineated by temperature and precipitation, these factors can create exceptions to the typical biome properties within a particular area.

(Answer to question 5 )  A biome is a large geographic biotic community usually named after the dominant type of vegetation. Climatic factors such as temperature and precipitation determine which types of organisms are capable of surviving in a given area and also carve out the Earth's ecosystems into what are called biomes.

(Answer to question 6 )  A PV cell works by sunlight shining on the wafer. Each cell consists of two very thin layers of semiconductor material separated by a junction layer. The lower layer has atoms with single electrons in the outer orbital that are easily lost. The upper layer has atoms lacking electrons in their outer orbital; these atoms readily gain electrons. The kinetic energy of light photons striking the two-layer sandwich' dislodges electrons from the lower layer, creating an electrical potential between the layers. The potential provides the energy for an electrical current to flow through the rest of the circuit.
PV cells are common in pocket calculators, watches, and toys. PV cells are used to provide power for homes, irrigation pumps, traffic signals, radio transmitters, lighthouses, offshore oil-drilling platforms, and other locations that are distant from power lines. Future applications include home-sized systems on rooftops.
To accelerate the market share of solar power, the cost of solar cells needs to drop dramatically. This is expected to happen within the next decade or so.

(Answer to question 7 )  In most ecosystems, sunlight (or solar energy) is the initial source of energy absorbed by producers through the process of photosynthesis. In a typical terrestrial ecosystem, the producers, who are capable of such photosynthesis, are the only organisms capable of utilizing the Sun's energy and thus provide the basis for food to the entire ecosystem. For that reason, the greatest amount of biomass in the ecosystem must come from producers to be able to support higher organisms. When moving up to another trophic level, the higher levels have 1/10 of the biomass of the previous level of the pyramid.

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