The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) will become the largest solar power tower plant on the planet upon completion in 2013, thanks in part to $168 million of investment from Google.
Whilst solar towers are less advanced than the more common trough systems, supporters say they are more efficient, and they have better energy storage capacity. Solar power tower systems focus a large area of sunlight onto a single receiver, which is different to the way parabolic trough systems work. The sunlight is used to produce high pressure steam, driving a regular turbine and generator, with temperatures in the system rising above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Solar towers are in some respects less sophisticated than the more common trough systems, but they offer better efficiency and superior energy storage capacity. Unlike parabolic trough systems, they work by focusing a large area of sunlight onto a single receiver. High pressure steam is produced, and this drives a conventional turbine and generator. Thanks to its dry-cooling system, the ISEGS will also use 90% less water than trough systems, and some of the water it does use will be recycled to clean the vast array of mirrors.
Rick Needham is Google’s Director of Green Business Operations. He says the company wants to demonstrate its commitment to pursuing a green future. It seems this will set the tone for further investments to be made by Google in the coming years.
Needham has written on Google’s blog that “we need smart capital to transform our energy sector and build a clean energy future. This is our largest investment to date, and we’ve now invested over $250 million in the clean energy sector.” He has expressed his excitement about the ISEGS project, and predicts that its success will both encourage similar projects and make them cheaper to implement.
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