While one side of America is shivering in the cold snowstorms, the other side is making use of the abundant sunshine it is receiving. The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, the world's largest solar power plant, started operating Thursday, Feb. 13, in California's Mojave Desert.
Spanning across five square miles ( 12.95 square kilometers) on the barren arid federal-owned region, the plant has more than 30,000 computer-controlled mirrors, each 10 feet wide and 7 feet high. The mirrors focus sunlight on the 459-foot towers where water is turned into steam to activate turbines that generate electricity.
The plant, which is jointly owned by BrightSource Energy, NRG Energy and Google, produces "a gross total of 392 megawatts (MW) of solar power, enough electricity to provide 140,000 California homes with clean energy and avoid 400,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, equal to removing 72,000 vehicles off the road," according to the official press statement.
NRG Energy will be operating the plant. The project was commercialized by a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office. The project broke ground in October 2010 and has generated many jobs since then. The plant will probably give out $650 million in salaries over the next 30 years.
Ivanpah accounts for about 30 percent of all solar thermal energy produced in the country. It is the first project to use BrightSource's unique 'solar power tower' technology, which includes following the sun's trajectory to produce steam that powers turbines.
"We see Ivanpah changing the energy landscape by proving that utility-scale solar is not only possible, but incredibly beneficial to both the economy and in how we produce and consume energy. Whether it's partnering, developing or investing, NRG will continue to provide a diverse set of solutions and technologies to get the U.S. to the ultimate goal of providing affordable, reliable clean energy for everyone," Tom Doyle, president of NRG Solar said in the statement.
Check out photos of the plant, here.
The Flip Side
While California will definitely benefit from the Solar Plant, the project could have some adverse effects on the environment. The solar panels, each the size of a garage door, are apparently scorching birds. Government documents show that several dead birds have been found on the site, right from sparrows to hawks. Melted feathers were also found.
Legal Trouble
The environmental effects have led the Ivanpah project into legal trouble. The Western Watersheds Project has filed a lawsuit against the plant saying, "alternatives to the site were not considered and serious environmental impacts, including fragmenting the tortoise population, were ignored," reports Al Jazeera.
