SOLAR POWER TOWER NEARING COMPLETION

Power in the Desert: Ivanpah on the Verge; Awesome or a blight on the desert? See Ivanpah, near completion in the Mojave, in all its glory.

Pete Danko, May 23, 2013 (Greentech Media)

“The giant Ivanpah solar thermal project in the Mojave Desert is now 92 percent complete…The 377-megawatt project consists of three 459-foot-tall towers encircled by arrays of garage-door-sized mirror sets. Those computer-controlled heliostats -- 153,990 out of 173,500 of which are now in place -- will reflect the sun onto the receiving towers, heating water to create steam that will drive turbines that produce electricity.”

click to enlarge

“The government-backed project has drawn criticism from some environmentalists, most notably for its impact on a fragile endangered desert tortoise habitat and, more recently, for dust problems linked to the development. But others view it as a remarkable step forward in the search for clean, sustainable energy…”

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