Solar Thermal Power Day
Historical AnniversariesLast updated:
What Is Solar Thermal Power Day?
August 6th is "Solar Thermal Power Day" in Japan, commemorating the day in 1981 when one of the world's pioneering solar thermal power generation tests took place at the Electric Power Development Company's Nio Solar Thermal Test Power Station in Nio Town (now Mitoyo City), Kagawa Prefecture.
What Exactly Is Solar Thermal Power Generation?
Unlike solar photovoltaic power, which converts sunlight directly into electricity, solar thermal power generation uses the sun's heat energy to generate power.
- How it worked: on the site of former salt fields, two systems were built: a "tower" type, in which flat mirrors concentrated solar heat onto a collector atop a 60-meter tower, and a "curved-mirror" (trough) type
- The background: conducted as part of the "Sunshine Project," a national initiative to develop new energy sources following the 1970s oil crises
- Its challenges: the Nio area lacked sufficient sunlight, limiting each system's output to around 1,000 kilowatts without stable generation; judged impractical, the experiment was discontinued in 1985
What the Experiment Left Behind
While the Nio experiment can't be called a major success in terms of scale, the fact that it was one of the world's earliest demonstrations of solar thermal power generation became one of the foundations for later renewable energy research.
Tips for Marking This Day
- Learn about the difference between solar thermal and solar photovoltaic power generation
- Learn about the "Sunshine Project," Japan's energy policy following the oil crisis
- Learn about the development of renewable energy technology today
- Think about everyday products that harness sunlight or solar heat
A Challenge Toward Solar Energy, Spurred by the Oil Crisis
The 1980s pursuit of energy independent of oil may have been small in scale, but it marked an important step in Japan's energy policy. Let August 6th be a day to reflect on the history of this pioneering experiment to turn the sun's blessing into electricity.