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Ivanpah Solar Power Facility

Coordinates: 35°34′N 115°28′W / 35.57°N 115.47°W / 35.57; -115.47
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Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System
Looking north towards Ivanpah Facility's eastern boiler tower from Interstate 15.
Map
CountryUnited States
Coordinates35°34′N 115°28′W / 35.57°N 115.47°W / 35.57; -115.47
StatusOpen[1][2]
Construction began2010
Commission date2014
Construction cost$2.2 billion
Owner(s)NRG Energy
BrightSource Energy
Google
Solar farm
Type
Collectors173500
Power generation
Nameplate capacity
  • 392.8 MW
External links
WebsiteIvanpah Solar
CommonsRelated media on Commons
[edit on Wikidata]

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a solar thermal power project in the California Mojave Desert, 64 km (40 miles) southwest of Las Vegas, with a planned gross capacity of 392 megawatts (MW).[5] It deploys 173,500 heliostats, each with two mirrors, focusing solar energy on boilers located on three centralized solar power towers.[5] Unit 1 of the project was connected to the grid in September 2013 in an initial sync testing.[6] The facility formally opened on February 13, 2014,[1] and the three units were expected to be operational before the end of 2014, making it the largest facility of its type in the world.[7]

The project was developed by BrightSource Energy and Bechtel.[8] It cost $2.2 billion; the largest investor in the project is NRG Energy, a generating company based in Princeton, New Jersey, that has contributed $300 million. Google has contributed $168 million.[9] The project received a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the United States Department of Energy.[10] The estimated construction costs for the project ($5,561.00 per KW) fall between the construction costs for coal and nuclear power plants, according to Synapse Energy Economics,[11][12] but this does not account for the less favorable capacity factor of solar power. The project attracted some controversy because of its location on a desert habitat considered by wildlife officials and environmentalists to be important for the threatened desert tortoise.[13]

Description

Aerial photograph of Ivanpah Solar Power Facility
Power tower #2 of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System under construction. The heliostat mirrors on the truck are awaiting installation.
View of Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System from Yates Well Road. The Clark Mountain Range can be seen in the distance.
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System with all three towers under load, Feb 2014. Taken from I-15

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System consists of three solar thermal power plants on a 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) tract of public land near the Mojave Desert and the California—Nevada border in the Southwestern United States.;[14] this is near Interstate 15 and north of Ivanpah, California.[15] The site is visible from adjacent Mojave National Preserve, Mesquite Wilderness, and Stateline Wilderness.[15]

The facility consists of fields of heliostat mirrors focusing sunlight on receivers located on centralized solar power towers. The receivers generate steam to drive specially adapted steam turbines. For the first plant, the largest ever fully solar-powered steam turbine-generator set was ordered, using a 123-megawatt (165,000 hp) Siemens SST-900 single-casing reheat turbine.[16] Besides steam-turbine generators Siemens supplied instrumentation and control systems.[17] Final approval was gained in October 2010.[18] On October 27, 2010, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and other dignitaries gathered in the Mojave Desert to officially break ground on the project.[5] The project generated controversy because of BrightSource's decision to build it on ecologically intact desert habitat.[19] Project construction was temporarily halted in the spring of 2011 due to the impacts on desert tortoises, although construction resumed.[20]

The project has received a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy.[21] The total cost of the project is about $2.18 billion.[22] BrightSource has contracts to sell about two-thirds of the power generated at Ivanpah to PG&E, and the rest to SCE.[23][24][25]

The largest investor in the project is NRG Energy, a generating company based in Princeton, N.J., that has put in $300 million.[9] The project has also received an investment of $168 million from Google,[26] but in November 2011, Google announced that they would no longer invest in CSP due to the rapid price decline of photovoltaics, and stopped its research on the project.[27][28][9]

In February 2012, Ivanpah was awarded the CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) Project of the Year by Solar Power Generation USA.[29]

Power towers

The facility's three towers.

The Ivanpah plants use BrightSource Energy's "Luz Power Tower 550 technology" (LPT 550):

The LPT 550 solar system produces electricity the same way as traditional power plants – by creating high temperature steam to turn a turbine. BrightSource uses thousands of mirrors called heliostats to reflect sunlight onto a receiver being developed by Riley Power Inc. filled with water that sits atop a tower. When the sunlight hits the receiver, the water inside is heated and creates high temperature steam. The steam is then piped to a conventional turbine which generates electricity.[25]

Additionally, "the power towers have 'receiver units' at their top on which the mirror fields focus their reflected light. During operation, these receiver units become extremely hot, such that they glow and appear brightly lit high above the ground, these glowing receiver units will be a visible distraction to persons at many of the Key Observation Points, including travelers utilizing I-15."[15]

According to the State of California Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission Opening Briefs regarding this project, "the project itself is visually imposing. It would cover roughly 4,000 acres (1,600 ha), most of which would be covered with mirror fields. The panoramic expanse of mirror arrays would present strong textural contrast with the intact, natural character of the desert floor [and] would rise to a height of roughly 459 feet [140 m]; an additional 10 to 15 feet [3–5 m] above that height would consist of lighting to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements."[15]

  • Ivanpah Solar Power Facility Online
    Ivanpah Solar Power Facility Online
  • Ivanpah's eastern tower online. Note the sunlight glare on either side of the boiler.
    Ivanpah's eastern tower online. Note the sunlight glare on either side of the boiler.
  • One of the three towers of the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility.
    One of the three towers of the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility.

Economic impact

BrightSource estimated that the Ivanpah facility would involve some 1,000 jobs at the peak of construction, 86 permanent jobs, and total economic benefits of $3 billion.[23][25]

Elected San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, who represents most of the California Mojave Desert' stated that the "project would create jobs for mostly Las Vegas and electricity for mostly San Francisco."[30]

Performance

The steam plant is designed for 28.72% gross efficiency.[3]

The local irradiance near this area is about 7.4 kW·h/m2/day[31][32] (annual average) for a total solar energy flow in the visible spectrum of 2,717 kW·h/m2 yearly or 2.717 MW·h/m2 yearly.

A claimed capacity factor of 31.4%[32] implies that the plant will operate for 365 days * 24 hours * 31.4% = 2751 hours/year. At 377 MW (net nameplate capacity) constant power, this means a generation of 377 MW * 2751 hours/year = 1,037,127 MW·h/year rounding up to 1.04 TW·h/year.

One heliostat mirror is a 75.6 square feet (7.02 m2) reflecting surface,[33] for a total of 151.2 square feet (14.05 m2) per heliostat. Total plant heliostat reflecting surface results in 173,500 heliostats * 14.05 m2/heliostat = 2,437,144 m2. Based on irradiance, the intercepted solar energy flow is 2.717 MW·h/m2/year * 2,437,144 m2 = 6,621,720 MW·h yearly. Thermal yield, after taking into consideration reflection, transmission, radiation and absorption losses, is about 55%, resulting in a thermal power input to the steam turbines of 6,621,720 MW·h * 55% = 3,641,946 MW·hth. Resulting expected energy output is 3,641,946 MW·hth * 28.72% efficiency = 1,045,967 MW·h/year, rounding up to 1.05 TW·h/year. Lack of published performance data is causing speculation that the plant is not meeting expectations, but it's probably too early to tell.[34]

Environmental impacts

The Ivanpah installation was estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 400,000 tons annually. It was designed to minimize impacts on the natural environment through land-use efficiency and a low impact heliostat layout which allows the solar field to follow the natural land contours and avoid key vegetation areas.[29]

The Ivanpah Solar power project disturbedover 5.5 square miles of public land in the northeastern Mojave Desert. In 2012 the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) issued a report on the project, citing water concerns, damage to visual resources, and impacts on important desert species. In order to conserve scarce desert water, LPT 550 uses air-cooling to convert the steam back into water. Compared to conventional wet-cooling, this results in a 90 percent reduction in water usage. The water is then returned to the boiler in a closed process.[25] Many desert tortoises found on the site were relocated to other parts of the Mojave Desert; however, environmentalists raised concerns that relocated tortoises were more likely to die due to the stresses involved.[35][36] BrightSource also installed fencing to keep wildlife out of the area.[37] In 2010, the project was scaled back from the original 440-megawatt (590,050 hp) design, to avoid building on the habitat of the desert tortoise.[38]

During the trial of the plant in September 2013, 34 dead birds were found at the plant, 15 of which had heavily burned feathers, which staff at the plant referred to as "streamers" because they were burned in flight by the intense radiation from the heliostat mirrors.[39] In 2014, the number of kills rose exponentially, with estimates ranging between 1,000 and 28,000.[40] The wide variance in estimates may be because some of the deaths were insects lured to the light source. According to a report by the Associated Press, "Ivanpah might act as a “mega-trap” for wildlife, with the bright light of the plant attracting insects, which in turn attract insect-eating birds that fly to their death in the intensely focused light rays."[41] Possible bird kill mitigation strategies are being considered, and regulators are attempting to determine how many bird deaths would be considered "excessive" enough to order a temporary shutdown of the plant.[39][42]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Michael R. Blood and Brian Skolof, "Huge thermal plant opens as solar industry grows", Associated Press, February 13, 2014.
  2. ^ "Update from Ivanpah – May 2013". May 22, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Ivanpah Project Is More Than 92 Percent Complete
  3. ^ a b "Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System". National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  4. ^ http://www.nrel.gov/csp/solarpaces/project_detail.cfm/projectID=62
  5. ^ a b c "Brightsource Ivanpah".
  6. ^ Business Wire: Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System Reaches ‘First Sync’ Milestone
  7. ^ World largest solar thermal plant syncs to the grid
  8. ^ "Solar energy plant in California gets new partner in NRG". Power Engineering International. PennWell Corporation. 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
  9. ^ a b c Matthew Wald (November 28, 2011). "Google Pulls the Plug on a Renewable Energy Effort". New York Times.
  10. ^ "DOE Finalizes $1.6 Billion Loan Guarantee for BrightSource Energy". U.S. Department of Energy Loans Program Office. U.S. Department of Energy. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 28 Mar 2014.
  11. ^ Schlissel, David; Allison Smith; Rachel Wilson (July 2008). Coal-Fired Power Plant Construction Costs (PDF) (Technical report). Synapse Energy Economics, Inc. p. 8.
  12. ^ Schlissel, David; Bruce Biewald (July 2008). Nuclear Power Plant Construction Costs (PDF) (Technical report). Synapse Energy Economics, Inc. p. 9.
  13. ^ http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/concentrating-solar/brightsource-seeks-changes-in-ivanpah-tortoise-plan.html
  14. ^ Walsh, Bryan (24 June 2013). "Tower of Power". Time (magazine) (paper). pp. Business 1–4.
  15. ^ a b c d "Docket No. 07-AFC-5: Energy Commission Staff's Opening Brief" (PDF). California Energy Commission. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 15 April. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  16. ^ Siemens press release Siemens to supply 123 MW steam turbine-generator set for solar thermal power plant in California
  17. ^ Energy efficiency. Rethinking the energy system here in the U.S.
  18. ^ BrightSource secures final approval for Ivanpah solar project, BusinessGreen.com staff, BusinessGreen, 08 Oct 2010
  19. ^ Lewis, Judith (4 May 2009). "As the climate warms, environmentalists square off over Big Solar's claim to the Mojave Desert". High Country News. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  20. ^ "Ivanpah Temporary Suspension Notice". Federal Government. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  21. ^ Electric Power Daily (12 April 2011). "DOE finalizes $1.6 billion Ivanpah solar loan". Platts. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  22. ^ Wesoff, Eric (April 25, 2011). "BrightSource Files for $250M IPO: A Closer Look". Greentech Media. Retrieved 2011-04-25. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  23. ^ a b Mufson, Steven (February 23, 2010). "Solar power project in Mojave Desert gets $1.4 billion boost from stimulus funds". Washington Post. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
  24. ^ Gupta, Poornima; Ayesha Rascoe (February 22, 2010). "California solar project gets $1.4 bln US guarantee". Reuters. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  25. ^ a b c d BrightSource & Bechtel Partner on 440-MW Ivanpah CSP Project Renewable Energy World, September 10, 2009.
  26. ^ Sadanand, Tejal (April 12, 2011). "Google goes green, invests $168 million in Ivanpah Solar power". International Business Times. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
  27. ^ Google cans concentrated solar power project Reve, 24 Nov 2011. Accessed: 25 Nov 2011.
  28. ^ Google Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal (RE<C), Google. Accessed: 30 November 2011.
  29. ^ a b "The Ivanpah solar energy project named Concentrating Solar Power project of the year". REVE. February 22, 2012.
  30. ^ Zook, David (November 16, 2009). "County Supervisor, Concerned by BrightSource Mega Solar Project Impacts, Calls for Full Review". Best Syndication News. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
  31. ^ "U.S. Solar Radiation Resource Maps". NREL. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  32. ^ a b "Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station (ISEGS) Case Study". CleanEnergy ACTION PROJECT. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  33. ^ "Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System". Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  34. ^ "Ivanpah Solar Project Quietly Goes Online -- Or Does It?". KCET. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  35. ^ Danelski, David (8 October 2011). "MOJAVE DESERT: First displaced tortoise released". Press-Enterprise. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  36. ^ Basin and Range Watch. "Desert Tortoise Recovery: Science and Politics Clash". Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  37. ^ California Energy Commission. "Final Staff Assessment of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System". CEC Documents Page. CEC. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  38. ^ Woody, Todd (February 11, 2010). "BrightSource Alters Solar Plant Plan to Address Concerns Over Desert Tortoise". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  39. ^ a b Kaufmann, K. (2013-11-13). "Palen project raises concerns across Coachella Valley". mydesert.com. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  40. ^ "Emerging Solar Plants Scorch Birds in Mid-Air". ABCnews. August 19, 2014.
  41. ^ Knickmeyer, Ellen (18 August 2014). "Emerging solar plants in Mojave Desert scorch birds in mid-air". The Sun. San Bernardino County Sun. The Associated Press.
  42. ^ Birds going up in smoke at Ivanpah solar project
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