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Large-scale ‘solar farm’ technology
BrightSource Energy is the first solar developer to break ground on a utility-scale solar project in California. Here’s a look at the Ivanpah site and its potential impact on desert species that live there:
Artist’s conception of Ivanpah project
Bright beacons in the desert
Impact on desert ecosystem
Solar projects in the desert
Artist’s conception of Ivanpah project
The first phase of its six-square-mile Ivanpah facility began in the Mojave Desert near the Nevada border in October 2010. It is expected to be completed in 2012.
Bright beacons in the desert
BrightSource Energy’s three concentrating solar towers could create extreme glare, affecting motorists, pilots and birds — among the concerns about the project under construction near Primm, Nev. A closer look:
Impact on desert ecosystem
The massive solar facility will alter thousands of acres of Mojave Desert habitat. The land may look barren, but it’s a fragile landscape teeming with life:
Solar projects in the desert
Multiple large-scale solar energy projects have been proposed in California’s desert, mostly on federal land. Here is a look at those projects, which are in various stages of approval by the California Energy Commission, and the potential output in megawatts for each.
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1. Solar Millennium Ridgecrest |
5. Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System |
8. Victorville 2 Hybrid Power |
12. Solar Millennium Palen |
17. Imperial Valley Solar |
