Google invests in a green future
View PDF | Print View
by: RachelWells | Total views: 98 | Word Count: 329
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a complex in the Mojave Desert that will become the largest solar power tower plant on the planet upon completion in 2013. Google has just invested $168 million in the facility, which is the first large-scale plant of its kind built in the US since the early 1990s. The site comprises three individual plants and is located across 3,600 acres of land. It will work by using 173,000 heliostats (computer-controlled mirrors) to focus the sun's rays onto a 450ft tower of solar receivers. It's expected that it will generate 392 megawatts of solar energy when it's finished.
Although solar towers are less sophisticated than the more prevalent trough systems, they may be more efficient and offer superior energy storage capabilities. Unlike parabolic trough systems, solar power tower systems focus a large area of sunlight onto a single receiver. This produces high pressure steam which drives an ordinary turbine and generator. Temperatures in the system will rise higher than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The ISEGS will also lower water consumption by 90% by using a dry-cooling system, and will reuse some water to clean the heliostats. Plant developers BrightSource Energy claim that the, once up and running, the ISEGS will increase the amount of commercial solar electricity produced in the US by almost 100%.
Rick Needham (Google's Director of Green Business Operations) says the company is keen to demonstrate its dedication to working towards a greener future. It's likely that this will set the tone for additional investments to be made by Google in the coming years.
Writing on Google's blog, Needham has stated "we need smart capital to transform our energy sector and build a clean energy future." He added "this is our largest investment to date, and we've now invested over $250 million in the clean energy sector." He has voiced his enthusiasm for the ISEGS project, and envisages that its success will both encourage comparable projects and make them less costly to execute.
About the Author
Get more information on home solar panels and opportunities to invest in solar.
Rating: Not yet rated
Login to vote
