Ivanpah concentrated solar power project comes online, offering 392MW of capacity
Arising out of the Californian desert, the world's largest concentrated solar power plant has become fully operational, developer NRG Solar confirmed late last week.
The 392MW Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System achieved the milestone on 31 December, three months after producing first power, NRG confirmed for the first time. The project is the largest of its kind in the world, delivering power for up to 140,000 homes.
The system works by directing sunlight from hundreds of mirrors onto a central tower, which produces steam to drive a turbine that then generates electricity.
The project uses BrightSource Energy technology and is backed by a series of investors, including $168m from Google and a $1.6bn loan guarantee from the US government.
"Cleantech innovations such as Ivanpah are critical to establishing America's leadership in large-scale, clean-energy technology that will keep our economy globally competitive over the next several decades," said Tom Doyle, president of NRG Solar in a statement.
"We see Ivanpah changing the energy landscape by proving that utility-scale solar is not only possible, but incredibly beneficial to both the economy and in how we produce and consume energy."
