The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California, which is the world’s largest solar/thermal power plant, uses mirrors to focus solar energy on boilers at the top of three 460-foot towers to create steam which, in turn, drives turbines that produce electricity.
The entire system was carefully planned out, and the result has been a remarkable level of efficiency in the two years since it first opened.
Recently though, workers were exposed to what could happen if something goes slightly awry — a small fire was started when a few of the system’s mirrors became misaligned from their normal position. The result was the mirrors instead focusing sunbeams on a different level of the boiler tower they were assigned to; specifically, an area exposing the interior of the tower. As time passed, the redirected light caused numerous pipes to catch fire.
The sprawling facility on the California-Nevada border was forced to operate at only a third of its capacity, while firefighters had climbed nearly 300-feet up the tower to address the fire. Fortunately, by the time they arrived, plant personnel had the fire out.
Photos showed melted / scorched steam ducts and water pipes.
The timing of the fire was a bit unfortunate as one of the towers was shut down for maintenance. That is why when it occurred, the system was operating at only one-third efficiency.
When the plant is fully operating, it can produce enough power for 140,000 homes.
This incident marks the first time a fire occurred at the Mojave Desert-based plant, which is about 50 miles south of Las Vegas. It cost $2.2 billion to build, and has nearly 350,000 garage door-sized mirrors located there, all of which are controlled by a computer.
In total, it takes up 5 square miles of federal land.
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