BrightSource's novel solar thermal power concept for California heats up

On the scorched floor of Israel's Negev Desert blooms a field of 1,640 robotic mirrors that behave like sunflowers.

Slightly larger than pingpong tables and guided by a computer, they turn imperceptibly to follow the sun and focus its rays on the pinnacle of a 200-foot tower, where a water boiler will soon start producing high-pressure steam.

This futuristic assembly is Arnold Goldman's scale model and testing ground for five larger solar fields his company plans to build in the Mojave Desert to supply up to 900 megawatts of clean energy to California in the next decade.

The Link

Very cool information. I herd about his technology in the past and it was largely ignored then. I am glad to see it resurface as an improved product with a 'bright' future.

Solar power is one of my favorites. I know it can not solve our energy woes alone, but I believe it can be a major player in our energy future.

Mod Edit: External Source Tags – Please Review This Link.


[edit on 13/6/2008 by Mirthful Me]