A waste of taxpayer dollars . Photovoltaic produces more output at a cheaper price point and it doesn't fry birds in mid flight. Ivanpah was a novel idea, but ultimately a failure. Glad to see it going out of business.
As Gavin Newsom takes a taxpayer funded vacation at Climate Week in New York City, the environmental catastrophe that is the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California is shutting down.
The 2 BILLION dollar blight built on 3,500 pristine acres of Mojave desert has been responsible for incinerating more than 60,000 birds, created TWICE the pollution of a typical power plant, created 86 jobs instead of the promised 2000, and will abandon 173,500 thermal collectors in the environment they were trying to save.
the real implementation of incompatible methods of generating electricity is a path, albeit a "thorny" one, to an integrated approach to energy supply (strategically important / safe), and therefore the development of our country globally. Thank you for your understanding and support.
What a stupid idea reflecting sunlight to boil water to create electricity definitely primitive by today's standards also massive grave site for birds and tortoises
This place just hasn’t been the same since the NCR took over. This guy who works there told me he had a “theoretical degree in Physics” and that’s how he got his job. If that’s all it takes, then a bunch of wannabe Romans could run the place. Still, this place is extremely interesting. The power production is one thing, but if we could apply what Tesla did and transmit the energy without wires…
Heating water to create steam to spin a turbine is the pinnacle of human achievement. If only there was another way to convert incident sunlight into electricity...
Clean Energy for California for 5x the price, Glad this is going out of business. But it will cost tax payers over 200 billion dollars, plus the clean up. Federal Government, just stay out of this industry, its not a good bet.
For once there was a bright surprise when it comes to clean energy on our US vacation. Keep it up with the innovation and take the lead into a sustainable future!
Heavens to Betsey it's a super alien like technology I did not know us humans were capable of!!! So amazing makes me think we are going to make it. Just barely...
Like my truck driver instructor said,
"I'm not impressed but you passed"!?
In desert vast, a mirror sea,
Reflects the sun's immensity.
Towers pierce the sky so blue,
Where molten heat creates anew.
A dance of light, a burst of steam,
A silent symphony, it seems.
A human touch, a clever mind,
From sun's embrace, new power we find.
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a fascinating project that utilizes concentrated solar thermal technology to generate clean energy. How it works:
* Heliostat Spectacle: The plant boasts over 173,000 mirrors, each individually controlled to track the sun's movement throughout the day. Imagine a vast field of mirrors constantly adjusting to reflect sunlight towards designated targets – an impressive feat of engineering!
* Towering Power: The reflected sunlight converges on boilers positioned atop three strategically placed towers, each standing at an impressive 459 feet. The concentrated solar energy heats water within the boilers, transforming it into high-temperature steam.
* Steam Power Generation: The superheated steam produced in the boilers travels through turbines, spinning them at high speeds. This rotation within the turbines is what generates electricity that's fed into the power grid.
Here are some more details about the specifics of the technology:
Heat Collection:
Ivanpah utilizes fields of large, flat mirrors called heliostats to focus sunlight onto central receiver towers.
There are nearly 175,000 computer-controlled heliostats total across the three plants.
The heliostats concentrate the sun's rays onto receivers sitting atop 459-foot tall towers.
Heat Transfer:
The receivers absorb the concentrated sunlight and heat up a synthetic heat transfer fluid (HTF) which circulates from the tower down into a power plant.
The HTF used is a high-temperature synthetic oil that can be heated up to around 740°F.
In the power plant, the hot HTF runs through a series of heat exchangers to produce superheated steam.
Power Generation:
The superheated steam then drives a conventional steam turbine which generates electricity.
Water is condensed and recycled/reused for cooling after passing through the turbine.
Thermal energy storage allows the facility to produce power for a few hours during cloudy periods or after sundown.
This concentrated solar power design is different from photovoltaic solar farms that directly convert sunlight to electricity using solar panels. The heliostat/tower system captures and converts the heat from sunlight first before producing electricity from steam turbines.
The beacon is almost blinding to look at even in broad daylight. Its right next to you if you are driving up on I15 North, after the Welcome to California sign. The beacon somewhat looks like a structure from lord of the rings!!!
Thousands of mirrors focusing on one point to generate electricity. A mesmerizing sight of human engineering! Love driving by here on the way to/from Vegas.
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