Editing Parabolic trough (section)

== Commercial plants ==

[[File:Andasol Solar Power Station 2.jpg|thumb|[[Andasol Solar Power Station]] in Spain.]]
[[File:Solar Array.jpg|thumb|Array of parabolic troughs.]]

{{Main|List of solar thermal power stations}}

Commercial plants using parabolic troughs may use thermal storage at night while some are hybrids and support [[natural gas]] as a secondary fuel source. In the United States  the amount of fossil fuel used in order for the plant to qualify as a renewable energy source is limited to a maximum 27% of electricity production.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} 
Because they include cooling stations, [[condenser (steam turbine)|condensers]], [[accumulator (energy)|accumulators]] and other things besides the actual solar collectors, the power generated per square meter of area varies enormously.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}

As of 2014, the [[List of solar thermal power stations|largest solar thermal power systems]] using parabolic trough technology include the 354&nbsp;MW [[Solar Energy Generating Systems|SEGS]] plants in California, the 280&nbsp;MW [[Solana Generating Station]] with [[molten salt heat storage]], the 250&nbsp;MW [[Genesis Solar Energy Project]], the Spanish 200&nbsp;MW Solaben Solar Power Station, and the [[Andasol Solar Power Station|Andasol 1 solar power station]].<ref name="nrel.gov"/><ref name="ReferenceA"/>