conduction
Sunlight is turned into electricity at a solar power plant. These power plants use a large group of mirrors to focus sunlight on one place. This place is called a receiver Figure below . At the receiver, a liquid such as oil or water is heated to a high temperature. The liquid transfers its heat by conduction . In conduction, energy moves between two objects that are in contact. The higher temperature object transfers heat to the lower temperature object. For example, when you heat a pot of water on a stove top, energy moves from the pot to its metal handle by conduction. At a solar power plant, the energy conducted by the heated liquid is used to make electricity.