The Future of Energy from the Mojave
By: Gena Vazquez
Tags: Technology, Green Energy, Environment, Energy Efficiency, California

About a half dozen years ago I woke up from a dead sleep in my Los Angeles home. Something said to me, “go to Vegas. You got nothing of utmost importance scheduled this week.”

At about 4:00 AM I jumped on I-10 and headed east into the desert. As I descended the Mountain Pass on the Mojave Freeway, I noticed what looked like a futuristic space station. A few illuminated towers arose from the desert floor of the Primm Valley. Thousands of mirrors were reflecting the first glimmers of the morning sun.

Intrigued by what I saw, I pulled off of the freeway to take a closer look. As the sun began to rise higher in the desert sky, the mirrors sent a blinding light across the Valley.

It was difficult to make my way back onto the freeway as the light grew more intense.

Finally, I arrived at Buffalo Bill’s which was just a few miles away from the phenomenal site. I sat down for coffee and started my research.

What did I see?

After entering a medley of crazy phrases and descriptions of my location and the elements I saw, Google revealed the mystery site: Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System.

Stretched over 4,000 acres of the desert floor, an illuminating beacon gleaming brightly in the naked and dry Mojave Desert, about 40 miles southwest of Sin City, is the world’s largest concentrating solar power (CSP) plant: The Ivanpah Solar Energy Facility. It generates enough energy to power approximately 140,000 homes.

Photo By BrightSource

The scene of thousands of mirrors surrounding three high-towering, glowing beacons is quite a sight. Each year it intrigues and attracts tourists who want to get a closer look at the mysterious site.

The construction of the facility was made possible by funding from the Department of Energy. Thanks to the enormous scale of facilities like Ivanpah, solar energy has become considerably cheaper and contributed to the efforts of replacing fossil fuels with clean and reliable renewable energy sources.

Photo by Author

The technology used by CSP systems generates solar power by using mirrors and lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight onto a smaller, focused area. Specifically, Ivanpah leverages “power tower” solar thermal technology to generate energy. More than 170,000 devices, known as heliostats, direct solar energy onto boilers fitted within the three power towers. Each heliostat consists of two mirrors, which concentrate sunlight onto the water-filled boilers to create high-temperature steam. The steam is then pumped to conventional steam turbines to generate electricity, which is then carried by transmission lines to power homes and businesses. Ivanpah also demonstrates more efficient use of land than its solar technology competitors, such as photovoltaic and trough solar.

What are the sustainable advantages?

High Air Quality— Ivanpah reduces the emissions of CO2 by millions of metric tons.

Desert Plant Preservation — Many similar technologies require the entire site to be graded. Ivanpah preserves the site’s natural landscape and contours, which means vegetation can coexist with the facility.

Water-Saving Technology— The solar tower technology used at Ivanpah uses up to 95% less water than wet cooled solar thermal plants by using air instead of water to condense the steam. All water consumed during the steam production cycle is recycled back into the system.

Next time you are leaving Las Vegas via car or plane and see this gem of a site in the desert, you’ll be well-informed.