From "Flower Power" to Solar Power, Calif. Leads the Way

This rendering of heliostats shows how solar-gathering mirrors for the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System will coexist with the Mojave Desert vegetation.
Source: Brightsource Energy Inc.

California leads the U.S. in production of solar energy. The Golden State also accounts for about a fourth of the estimated 100,000 U.S. solar jobs. This year, California approved legislation requiring all private and municipal electric utilities to source at least one-third of their power from nonfossil fuels by 2020. California aims to cut carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the end of the decade, with the objective of an 80 percent decrease by 2050.

The most advanced solar California project underway is the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System being built by Brightsource Energy Inc. in the Mojave Desert near the California-Nevada border. Solar energy concentrated by heliostats (solar mirrors) will produce steam to run turbines and generate enough electricity to power 140,000 homes during periods of maximum demand.

Under construction for a year, Ivanpah will be online by the end of 2013. ??"Sources: L.A. Times/ Brightsource Energy Inc.

Editor's note: File this under "precautionary tale." We know the Obama administration's admirable commitment to furthering the renewable energy industry, but read that the government's $528 million renewable-energy loan to Solyndra, a solar-energy company, has not resulted in renewable energy, but in bankruptcy for the company and 1,100 laid off workers. It's easy to second-guess such a loan decision, but does point to not rushing to fund projects without greater scrutiny of a company's financial stability and the wherewithal to delivery the goods.