GC: n
CT: Many people associate solar electricity generation directly with photovoltaics and not with solar thermal power. Yet large, commercial, concentrating solar thermal power plants have been generating electricity at reasonable costs for more than 15 years.
S: http://www.volker-quaschning.de/articles/fundamentals2/index_e.php (last access: 25 February 2015)
N: 1. solar (adj): mid-15c., “pertaining to the sun,” from Latin solaris “of the sun,” from sol “sun”. Meaning “living room on an upper story” is from Old English, from Latin solarium. Old English had sunlic “solar.” Astrological sense from 1620s. Meaning “operated by means of the sun” is from 1740; solar power is attested from 1915, solar cell from 1955, solar panel from 1964. Solar system is attested from c.1704; solar wind is from 1958. Solar plexus (1771) “complex of nerves in the pit of the stomach,” apparently so called from its central position in the body.
thermal (adj): 1756, “having to do with hot springs,” from French thermal (Buffon), from Greek therme “heat, feverish heat,” from PIE gwher- “to heat, warm”; sense of “having to do with heat” is first recorded 1837; the noun meaning “rising current of relatively warm air” is recorded from 1933).
power (n): c.1300, “ability; ability to act or do; strength, vigor, might,” especially in battle; “efficacy; control, mastery, lordship, dominion; legal power or authority; authorization; military force, an army,” from Anglo-French pouair, Old French povoir, noun use of the infinitive, “to be able,” earlier podir (9c.), from Vulgar Latin potere, from Latin potis “powerful”. Sense of “electrical supply” is from 1896.
station (n): late 13c., “place which one normally occupies,” from Old French stacion, estacion “site, location; station of the Cross; stop, standstill,” from Latin stationem (nominative statio) “a standing, standing firm; a post, job, position; military post; a watch, guard, sentinel; anchorage, port” (related to stare “to stand”), from PIE ste-ti-, suffixed form of root sta- “to stand”. The meaning “place where people are stationed for some special purpose” (as in polling station) is first recorded 1823.
2. An installation designed to transfer solar energy to a heat-transfer medium and to convert the heat energy thus collected into electrical energy.
3. A solar tower power station is a type of solar power station that incorporates a tower to collect and convert to electricity direct solar radiation reflected on to it by mirrors orientated by heliostats.
S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=solar&searchmode=none; http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=thermal&allowed_in_frame=0; http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=power+station&searchmode=none (last access: 25 February 2015). 2 & 3. GDT.
SYN:
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CR: solar energy
