ENERGY: SoCal Edison signs large solar-power deal

North County Times ^ | February 11, 2009 | CHRIS BAGLEY

[Willies Revenge]

What I find interesting about this so called “Green Energy” facility is what is the efficiency of the plant itself, I mean I don’t think moonlight is strong enough to boil water so, I assume this plant is shutdown at night. If the plant is down at night then where will the power come from?

It will be funny when the environmentalist start going at each other over these plants destroying some environmental habitat.

[hinckley buzzard]

Ironically the "Power Tower" concept is one of the most low-tech yet economically feasible solar designs. It has been around for at least thirty years to my direct knowledge, and could serve to provide a real contribution while all the hi-tech nano space age wet dreams of engineers languish in smallcap limbo.

If it works, use it. What the hell.

[hinckley buzzard]

Do they recover the steam back to water? If not, how do you get that water in the middle of desert?

It's a closed loop system. No significant loss to the outside atmosphere.

[Czar]

"These folks make me sick."

No wonder the Austrian needs higher taxes. Only way to honor family commitments...

[SierraWasp]

"A BrightSource spokesman said the company may add small gas-fired generators at the sites for use at night and during heavy cloud cover."

There's yer answer, Willie! Right there in the last line of the exposed artickle!! Wait till the EnvironMentalistas git aholt of THAT!!!

A non-renewable, non-sustainable resourse being built in as a "back-up!" Scandalous!! And think of the robbery of radiation from the wildlife and the watershed, to say nothing of the desacration of the viewshed from I-15!!!

[Carry_Okie]

Making money in a regulated energy business has NOTHING to do with providing a product efficiently, especially in the case of Southern California Edison. It's a long post, but it explains how we got into this mess.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

BrightSource calls its design the "Power Tower." The company's Web site describes it as a circular field of mirrors covering several acres, which would reflect sunlight onto a water tank mounted atop a tower.

That sounds similar to the Solar plant at Dagget..just east of Barstow and near the Marine facility.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Resource link:

Large Solar Energy Projects in California

Photos:

Stock Photo - Solar power plant using parabolic through mirrors, Daggett, California

Doesn't show the tower holding the mechanism which the mirrors focus on,.

[calcowgirl]

If Solar is so terrific, how come they closed the Dagget operation?

(I’d never heard of it before, but is the last one shown on your “solar projects” link)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

They closed it cause they ran out of subsidy money ....still need that of course.