R
Robert H.
Guest
The Worlds Largest Solar Plant Just Torched Itself
Misaligned mirrors are being blamed for a fire that broke out
yesterday at the worlds largest solar power plant, leaving the
high-tech facility crippled for the time being. It sounds like
the plants workers suffered through a real hellscape, too.
A small fire was reported yesterday morning at the Ivanpah Solar
Electric Generating System (ISEGS) in California, forcing a
temporary shutdown of the facility. Its now running at a third
of its capacity (a second tower is down due to scheduled
maintenance), and its not immediately clear when the damaged
tower will restart. Its also unclear how the incident will
impact Californias electricity supply.
Putting out the blaze was not easy task, either. Firefighters
were forced to climb 300 feet up a boiler tower to get to the
scene. Officials said the fire was located about two-thirds up
the tower. Workers at the plant actually managed to subdue the
flames by the time firefighters reached the spot, and it was
officially extinguished about 20 minutes after it started.
Located on 4,000 acres of public land in the Mojave Desert, the
sprawling concentrated solar thermal plant is equipped with
173,500 heliostatseach with two mirrorsthat focus sunlight on
boilers located on top of three 459-foot towers. The tremendous
heat created by the concentrated solar power produces steam that
drives turbines to produce electricity. The plant, the largest
of its kind in the world, features a gross capacity of 392
megawatts, enough to power 140,000 homes. Each of the computer-
controlled solar-reflecting mirrors is about the size of a
garage door.
A spokesperson for the plant said its too early to comment on
the cause, but it appears that misaligned mirrors are to blame.
The Associated Press quoted Mike McClintock, the San Bernardino
County fire captain, who said that some mirrors delivered
sunlight to a different level on the third unit, causing
electrical cables to catch fire.
Inevitably, the incident reveals the inherent dangers of
concentrated solar power as well as the need to ensure that the
mirrors are always on target. Concentrated solar power plants,
in addition to being a menace to themselves, can also pose a
hazard to local wildlife. Last year, a plant in Nevada torched
over a hundred birds when they flew through the plants flux
field.
Its yet another setback for the Ivanpah facility. For the past
few months, the plant has been unable to meet the output levels
stipulated in its power purchase agreement, and it was given an
extension until July 31, 2016 to improve performance. This fire
obviously isnt going to help.
[AP]
http://gizmodo.com/the-world-s-largest-solar-plant-just-torched-
itself-1777767880?utm_source=taboola
Misaligned mirrors are being blamed for a fire that broke out
yesterday at the worlds largest solar power plant, leaving the
high-tech facility crippled for the time being. It sounds like
the plants workers suffered through a real hellscape, too.
A small fire was reported yesterday morning at the Ivanpah Solar
Electric Generating System (ISEGS) in California, forcing a
temporary shutdown of the facility. Its now running at a third
of its capacity (a second tower is down due to scheduled
maintenance), and its not immediately clear when the damaged
tower will restart. Its also unclear how the incident will
impact Californias electricity supply.
Putting out the blaze was not easy task, either. Firefighters
were forced to climb 300 feet up a boiler tower to get to the
scene. Officials said the fire was located about two-thirds up
the tower. Workers at the plant actually managed to subdue the
flames by the time firefighters reached the spot, and it was
officially extinguished about 20 minutes after it started.
Located on 4,000 acres of public land in the Mojave Desert, the
sprawling concentrated solar thermal plant is equipped with
173,500 heliostatseach with two mirrorsthat focus sunlight on
boilers located on top of three 459-foot towers. The tremendous
heat created by the concentrated solar power produces steam that
drives turbines to produce electricity. The plant, the largest
of its kind in the world, features a gross capacity of 392
megawatts, enough to power 140,000 homes. Each of the computer-
controlled solar-reflecting mirrors is about the size of a
garage door.
A spokesperson for the plant said its too early to comment on
the cause, but it appears that misaligned mirrors are to blame.
The Associated Press quoted Mike McClintock, the San Bernardino
County fire captain, who said that some mirrors delivered
sunlight to a different level on the third unit, causing
electrical cables to catch fire.
Inevitably, the incident reveals the inherent dangers of
concentrated solar power as well as the need to ensure that the
mirrors are always on target. Concentrated solar power plants,
in addition to being a menace to themselves, can also pose a
hazard to local wildlife. Last year, a plant in Nevada torched
over a hundred birds when they flew through the plants flux
field.
Its yet another setback for the Ivanpah facility. For the past
few months, the plant has been unable to meet the output levels
stipulated in its power purchase agreement, and it was given an
extension until July 31, 2016 to improve performance. This fire
obviously isnt going to help.
[AP]
http://gizmodo.com/the-world-s-largest-solar-plant-just-torched-
itself-1777767880?utm_source=taboola