Solar Thermal Field
BrightSource describes how the project will work:

"The solar field is a scaled cross-section of a typical commercial plant and includes more than 1,600 full-sized glass mirrors (heliostats) and a 60 meter tall tower topped by a solar boiler. The power tower and surrounding heliostats concentrate the sun’s energy onto the boiler, heating the water inside to 550°C."

In a commercial plant this steam generated from the boiler would power a turbine to generate electricity. In the case of BrightSource’s plant, air-cooling is used to turn the steam back into water, which is returned to the boiler in a closed-loop system. The 12,000 square meter test site will generate 1.5 MW of electricity. BrightSource claims its system is more efficient than older solar thermal technologies, and costs less to build but provides no financial details on the project.

Clean tech bound for California
The results of this research will be employed in building a 100 MW plant in California’s Mojave Desert, a move which will help PG&E comply with California’s requirement that 20% of its electricity be generated from renewable sources by 2010, and 33% by 2030.

Currently the state generates slightly over 10% of its power from wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and small-scale hydroelectric.

via :: ENN

Solar Thermal Power
BrightSource to Build 500 Megawatts of Solar-Thermal Power in Mojave Desert
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