The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a joint venture of Solar Partners (BrightSource Energy, NRG Energy, and Google). NRG Solar is the division of the energy generation and management giant that collaborated with Bechtel and will manage the finished project. Google ponied up $168 million of the projected $2.2 billion cost (which was underwritten by a $1.375 billion loan guarantee from the United States Department of Energy in the same funding scheme that underwrote the failed solar panel maker Solyndra). BrightSource Energy developed the LPT (‘luz power tower’) solar thermal technology, which uses the solar generation to fuel steam driven turbines. Bechtel was contracted for engineering, procurement and construction. It was announced last week that the first of three units was synced to the grid. The second and third units will go online by the end of 2013. The Bureau of Land Management signed off on the project in 2010, but there have been environmental concerns about the power plant’s effect on local water sources and its’ disruption of the habitat of the endangered desert tortoise, both of which caused delays in construction. The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System will have a 30-year production lifespan, operating at 377 megawatts capacity, providing energy to Pacific Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison, and will create employment totaling $650 million in wages. Here are some visualizations and photos of the project from Designboom.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 08:05:44 +0000
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