World’s Largest Solar Thermal Plant Starts Operating In Drought-Stricken California

By Ari Phillips February 4, 2014.

Deep in the Mojave Desert northeast of Los Angeles the world’s largest solar thermal electric plant has starting operating three of its generating units. The Ivanpah solar energy project, developed by BrightSource Energy Co. and operated by NRG Solar, is targeted to produce 377 megawatts of power, enough to provide electricity to around 140,000 homes. Sprawled across 3,500-acres of federal land, the $2.2 billion power plant, $1.6 billion of which was provided in U.S. government-backed loans, took six years to construct. 347,000 sun-facing mirrors called heliostats are arrayed around three 500-foot towers supporting boilers. The mirrors focus sunshine on the towers, which heats water in the boilers that in turn produces steam to turn the electricity generating turbines. “It is like science fiction,” a traveler from Zurich, Switzerland, told a regional newspaper. “It is fascinating. I saw it being built a few years ago but didn’t know it would be so big.” Robert Weisenmiller, chairman of the California Energy Commission, said “When this project comes fully online, California will become home to the largest solar thermal electric project in the world, creating stable jobs in a rural community and helping us to meet our goal in curbing the effects of climate change with renewable electricity.” California wants to get a third of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. 
See rest of article