Sun trap
The Ivanpah Solar Electric
Generating Station, the world’s
largest solar power plant, glistens
in the Mojave Desert. Occupying
eight square kilometres of sandy
scrubland 64km (40 miles) south of
Las Vegas, the $2.2 billion facility
comprises 350,000 mirrors, each
twice as big as a king size bed.
The mirrors reflect the Sun’s
light onto three 140m-high towers,
heating the water inside to more
than 500°C. This turns into steam,
which in turn drives turbines
capable of creating enough
electricity to power 140,000 homes.
It started delivering energy to
customers in February after being
in development for four years.
The scale of the project has its
detractors but its designers are
bullish. “We see Ivanpah proving
that utility-scale solar power is
not only possible, but incredibly
beneficial,” says Tom Doyle,
president of NRG Solar, who
collaborated on the project with
Google and BrightSource Energy.PHOTO: BRIGHTSOURCE ENERGY