The world's largest solar energy plant......

[chicot60]

It has a over 240,000 mirrors.....

http://i.imgur.com/HLO9zE7.jpg

[The Cobra]

240,000 mirrors................and my ex wife wouldn`t be happy until she found the one that didn`t make her a$$ look big

http://media02.hongkiat.com/moment-of-reflection/Multiple-Personalities.jpg

[swanner]

is that not the solar field where birds were getting fried to a crisp simply by flying over it.....

[chicot60]

is that not the solar field where birds were getting fried to a crisp simply by flying over it.....


Bird deaths were known at the “power tower” project, which is located in San Bernardino County off Interstate 15 just southwest of the Nevada border. But how many was unclear. Even at the 3,504 estimate, the report considers the deaths a “minimal proportion of local, regional, or national populations” of birds.

Ivanpah, the world’s largest concentrated solar project, uses thousands of mirrors that direct sunlight at boilers on top of three 459-foot tall towers, heating a liquid to create steam used to run a turbine. Carlsbad-based NRG Energy operates the Ivanpah project, which it co-owns with Google and Oakland-based BrightSource Energy.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service previously called Ivanpah — the world’s largest concentrated solar project — a “mega-trap” for birds and insects, although the exact number of deaths has been a subject of fiery debate.

Those concerns have generated fierce opposition to a tower project proposed for the Riverside East Solar Zone east of the Coachella Valley. The Palen project would be built on a major migratory bird route — the Pacific Flyway — and would be visible from the southeastern part of Joshua Tree National Park.

“Our focus is reducing our environmental impact as much as possible. An integral part of that is monitoring,” said David B. Knox, a senior director for NRG. “We also are very transparent in our operations and this report is part of that transparency.”

“We were pleased that the report said our impact is minimal but the entire process, including this report, is about knowing your impact so you can reduce it further. We are working to reduce this impact.”
Knox pointed out a few measures that are being considered, including sonic and smell deterrence; mirror repositioning; changing to LED lights; and turning lights off at night.

Based on the actual number of dead birds found on parts of the Ivanpah solar site, Fresno-based H.T. Harvey & Associates in its report estimated the annual bird death total at 3,504 — 1,492 from known causes and 2,012 from unknown causes. The report also suggested that 83 different species of birds were found at the time.

[swanner]

wow, thanks for posting that picture, and thanks for posting that article, nice to put a visual to something you read...

[jazzman]

Wellll, do we want a few birds to die or our grand kids to die because of the climate control problem from burning coal and polluting our planet? My vote goes for my grand kids...I know, political but oh well....