How does Ivanpah power a solar power plant?

As the world’s largest CSP facility upon completion, Ivanpah nearly doubled the amount of solar thermal energy produced in the United States in previous years. Ivanpah uses power tower solar thermal technology to generate power by creating high-temperature steam to drive a conventional steam turbine.

What is Ivanpah solar?

The important distinction here, which may be missed in the headlines, is that Ivanpah Solar facility is not solar photovoltaics, but rather a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, an entirely different technology with different costs for construction, operations and maintenance.

Why did the Ivanpah solar power facility shut down?

Its closure has raised concerns about the efficiency of government-backed renewable mandates and the impact of large-scale concentrated solar power projects on energy reliability. The Ivanpah Solar Power Facility is set to shut down in 2026 after failing to meet its energy targets.

How does Ivanpah generate electricity?

Ivanpah uses power tower solar thermal technology to generate power by creating high-temperature steam to drive a conventional steam turbine. Mirrors are used to concentrate sunlight and create steam, which is then converted to electricity.

Will PG&E stop buying power from Ivanpah solar plant?

In January, PG&E announced a deal with the owners of the Ivanpah solar plant — which covers five miles of federal land in the Mojave Desert near the California-Nevada border — to stop buying power from the facility.

How does the Ivanpah plant work?

The Ivanpah plant uses a technology known as solar-thermal, or concentrated solar, in which nearly 350,000 computer-controlled mirrors roughly the size of a garage door reflect sunlight to boilers atop 459-foot towers. The sun’s power is used to heat water in the boilers’ tubes and make steam, which drives turbines to create electricity.