solar power plants solar power plants supply power electricity grid solar radiation best available united_states significant population centers located area plants generally built years solar plants built entirely readily available materials given solar power plants built 1980s commercial solar plant plants combined capacity largest solar power installation world finished solar thermal plant generating capacity located near nevada power plant nevada facility consists separate solar thermal power plants interstate highway nevada california border plans build large solar plants overview southwestern united_states world best areas receives twice sunlight received regions country abundance solar energy makes solar power plants cleaner alternative traditional power plants burn fossil oil coal solar power stations provide environmentally source energy produce virtually emissions consume fuel sunlight groups encouraging distributed generation rooftop solar solar electricity cost competitive bulk power provide electricity power limited expensive strategic contribution solar electricity risk fuel price improves grid reliability costs decreased solar electricity increasingly competitive costs fossil known pollution related health problems environmental degradation impact national security relying foreign energy sources indirect difficult traditionally external system referred mechanism carbon tax lead energy solar thermal power cheaper consumer fossil fuel based energy solar thermal power plants generally built years solar plants built entirely readily available materials contrast types conventional power projects especially coal nuclear plants require long lead times solar plants solar solar solar power towers use thousands individual sun tracking mirrors called reflect solar energy central receiver located tall tower receiver collects sun heat heat transfer fluid flows receiver consortium utilities industry built large scale demonstration solar power towers desert near california solar operated successfully proving solar power towers work efficiently produce utility scale power sunlight solar plant water steam heat transfer fluid receiver presented problems terms storage continuous turbine operation address problems solar upgraded solar operated systems power capacity unique feature solar use salt capture store sun heat hot salt stored needed produce steam drive turbine generator produces electricity system operated smoothly intermittent clouds continued generating electricity long night solar decommissioned converted air measuring gamma rays hitting atmosphere trough systems today commercial solar power plants separate trough power plants called built 1980s near israeli company plants combined capacity says solar plants power homes day peak power displace tons pollution year produced electricity provided fossil oil trough systems convert heat sun electricity shape trough collectors focus sun times normal intensity receiver pipe located focal line trough synthetic oil pipe captures heat reaching temperatures hot oil pumped generating station routed heat produce steam finally electricity produced conventional steam turbine plants operate natural gas cloudy days dark natural gas provides total output desert sunlight solar farm power station approximately miles north california uses approximately million thin film manufacturer solar fall installed capacity region making tied second largest completed solar plants installed capacity generating capacity located nevada built uses thermal solar heating tubes liquid act solar receivers solar receivers specially coated tubes glass steel meter long tubes plant uses technology collects extra heat putting phase changing enable energy drawn night thermal energy storage systems solar thermal operating periods extended meet needs solar thermal power plants designed solar generation matched summer noon peak loads prosperous areas significant cooling demands south western united_states cost nevada solar range million power produced slightly expensive wind power power expensive proposed projects converted projects solar power plant nevada began construction plant january facility began generating electricity december construction peak workers installing solar panels acre site power adjacent sold separate year contracts utilities required obtain percent energy supply energy sources end increasing percent december announced completion solar system nevada occupying acres land leased air_force western edge base ground mounted system employs advanced sun tracking system designed deployed south set solar panels central bar track sun east west system generates million hours electricity year thousand hours day supply approximately percent total power base largest solar systems north_america located miles southwest las_vegas world largest solar thermal power plant project fully operational february received billion loan guarantee build project mirrors focusing solar energy boilers located centralized solar power towers february awarded concentrating solar power project year solar thermal power facility california miles northwest surrounding hamlet adjacent viii solar plant concentrating solar power plant estimated cost billion total commissioned december developer secured billion loan guarantee project nominal solar electric generating facility generates steam solar steam generators expand steam turbine generator produce electrical power twin independently solar fields feeding power island plant generate power annually power households prevent year agreed year power purchase agreement valley solar ranch valley solar ranch solar project owned area western desert september project received million loan guarantee construction estimated generate construction jobs permanent jobs features innovative utility scale deployment voltage regulation monitoring technologies enable project provide stable continuous power electricity project sold year contract land use issues study concluded average large plant united_states occupied acres permanently disturbed area acres total site area hour year average concentrated solar power plant occupied acres disturbed area acres total area life cycle analysis land use sources electricity concluded concentrating solar power land use trough power tower concentrating solar smaller coal power larger sources studied including ground natural gas wind power considering land use impacts associated exploration extraction transportation conversion fossil electrical power utility scale solar power compares land efficient energy resources available federal government dedicated nearly times oil gas solar development approved large scale solar projects total generating capacity representing approximately acres contrast processed applications gas oil issued total million acres currently million acres onshore public lands additional million acres offshore exploration gulf_of_mexico lease oil gas development exploration production land eastern desert preserved solar industry mainly interested areas western desert sun burns easier access transmission lines said view shared industry executives water use issues concentrating solar plants brought issues water use concentrating solar power plants wet cooling systems high water consumption compared types electric power plants fossil fuel plants carbon capture storage higher water study comparing sources electricity found median water consumption operations concentrating solar power plants wet cooling power tower plants gal trough plants higher operational water consumption cooling towers nuclear gal coal gal natural gas study came similar conclusions power plants cooling towers water consumption operations gal trough gal tower gal coal gal nuclear gal natural gas noted trough plant gal congress directed report ways reduce water consumption subsequent report noted dry cooling technology available expensive build operate reduce water consumption percent bringing consumption conventional power plants hybrid wet dry cooling system reduce water consumption percent report noted operating power plants wet cooling systems existing plants dry cooled systems power plants near california california projects construction development march planned use wet systems including wet system reclaimed planned dry systems hybrid unspecified birds concentrated solar power plants power tower designs come scrutiny bird mortality birds flying close focal point mirrors observed flame mid air plant employees called burning birds rate bird deaths plants matter contention birds deaths drew critical media attention hired biologist estimate bird mortality plant called estimate limited data available arrived bird deaths year caused
Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert