How does the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System work?

How does the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System work?

The Ivanpah plant works primarily by having 352,000 mirrors focus heat from the sun onto three boilers mounted on towers, each taller than the length of a football field. Water in these boilers is turned into steam that then turns turbines to generate electricity.

Is ivanpah power plant still operating?

Ivanpah, which began commercial operation in 2013, is delivering power to PG&E and Southern California Edison. The project is currently the largest solar thermal power plant in the world. Ivanpah was constructed by Bechtel and is operated by NRG Energy, one of the project’s equity investors.

What are the 3 bright lights in Nevada desert?

Ivanpah consists of three 459-foot “power towers” on a 4,000 acre tract of land in the Mojave Desert. The receivers atop the towers become so bright they appear to glow—a remarkable and futuristic view for travelers on the freeway. Unfortunately, the solar farm has been riddled with problems from the get-go.

How much did ivanpah cost?

Ivanpah Solar Power Facility

Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System
Commission date	13 February 2014
Construction cost	$2.2 billion ($2.38 billion in 2019 dollars)
Owner(s)	NRG Energy BrightSource Energy Google
Employees	60

How long did it take to build ivanpah?

Stretching across 3,500 acres of the Mojave Desert, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is the largest concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in the world. Costing $2.2bn and taking more than three years to build, the facility is the best-known project in the growing CSP market.

What are two benefits of using ivanpah?

Ivanpah improves upon other solar thermal systems by using a dry-cooling technology that reduces water consumption by 95%. This means the entire facility will use roughly the same amount of water as needed for two holes at a nearby golf course.

How much did Ivanpah solar plant cost?

Ivanpah Solar Power Facility

Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System
Construction began	27 October 2010
Commission date	13 February 2014
Construction cost	$2.2 billion ($2.38 billion in 2019 dollars)
Owner(s)	NRG Energy BrightSource Energy Google

How efficient is ivanpah?

Water temperatures also will rise to above 1,100 degrees. In contrast to Ivanpah’s 18 percent efficiency, the efficiency of utility-scale crystalline silicon and thin-film plants is likely less than 12 percent. Solar-thermal plants with parabolic mirrors also have difficulties keeping up.

What does Ivanpah solar power facility power?

Located in the Mojave Desert of Southern California, the 377-megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is the world’s largest solar thermal facility. Created through the joint effort of NRG, Google, and BrightSource Energy, Ivanpah produces enough clean, renewable electricity to power 140,000 homes.