Reviewing the technologies of power generation by solar energy and the statistical comparison of the world's largest solar power plant

The increasing growth of energy demand and the fossil fuels exhaustion from one hand، and the increasing of the environmental pollutants from the other hand، have provided an incentive for the researchers and investors in energy sector to be attracted towards controlling and supplying the energy by the renewable resources. Among these resources، the solar energy has more attractiveness، considering the high potential of radiation in vast areas of our country. In a simple classification، the technologies of electricity production of the sun are divided into three groups: photovoltaic، solar heat concentrator، and innovative technologies including updraft tower. Photovoltaic technology which functions on the base of changing sun light to electricity has the greatest growth among these groups، and many countries utilize it in the form of power plant and otherwise. Between the other two technologies، the solar heat especially the method of linear parabolic is developed more. Also، the statistical analysis of the largest built power plants with photovoltaic and solar heat technologies is an indication of the absolute superiority of photovoltaic one from the point of view of construction cost، surface area occupied، and also installation flexibility among the types of solar technologies.