Opmmur
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Getting Reflective: Miles of Mirrors Power Thousands of Homes
By Jon Sweeney
The bright lights seen above are hundreds of thousands of computer controlled mirrors focusing Mojave Desert sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers. The focused solar energy heats up water to produce steam that powers turbines providing power to California homes.
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, sprawling across roughly 5 square miles near the Nevada-California border, formally opened last week after years of regulatory and legal tangles.
The $2.2 billion complex of three generating units, owned by NRG Energy Inc., Google Inc. and BrightSource Energy, can produce nearly 400 megawatts, enough power for 140,000 homes.
A solar receiver and boiler on top of a tower at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System on Feb. 20, in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nev.