Solar thermal energy (STE) is a form of energy and a technology for harnessing solar energy to generate thermal energy for use in industry, and in the residential and commercial sectors. Solar thermal collectors are classified by the United States Energy Information Administration as low-, medium-, or high. demonstrated a solar collector with a cooling engine making ice cream at the. The first installation of solar thermal energy equipment occurred in the approximately in 1910 by A collection of mature technologies called (STES) is capable of storing heat for months at a time, so solar heat collected primarily in Summer can be used for all-year heating. Solar-supplied STES technology has been advanced primarily in. These collectors could be used to produce approximately 50% and more of the hot water needed for residential and commercial use in the United States. In the United States, a typical system costs $4000–$6000 retail ($1400 to $2200 wholesale for the. Heat in a solar thermal system is guided by five basic principles: heat gain; ; ; ; and. Here, heat is the measure of the amount of thermal energy an object contains and is determined by the temperature, mass and Systems for utilizing low-temperature solar thermal energy include means for heat collection; usually heat storage, either short-term or interseasonal; and distribution within a structure or a district heating network. In some cases a single feature can do more. Where temperatures below about 95 °C (200 °F) are sufficient, as for space heating, flat-plate collectors of the nonconcentrating type are generally used. Because of the relatively high heat losses through the glazing, flat plate collectors will not reach. allows a solar thermal plant to produce electricity at night and on overcast days. This allows the use of solar power for generation as well as, with the potential of displacing both coal- and natural.
