February 19, 2014 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

The world's largest concentrating solar power (CSP) plant, the Ivanpah Solar Energy Generating System, went online last week, bringing the U.S. closer to its goal of becoming a global leader in solar energy. As the first commercial deployment of innovative power tower CSP technology in the United States, the Ivanpah project was the recipient of a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the Department's Loan Programs Office (LPO).

Ivanpah Electric Generating Station. Credit: Wikipedia

Ivanpah is one of five CSP projects that received loan guarantees from the department, and when these projects are completed, they will provide a combined 1.26 gigawatts (GW) of electric capacity. These loan guarantees are also helping to finance the first solar thermal storage project and the first power tower with solar thermal storage in the U.S., as well as some of the world's largest parabolic trough CSP plants. In addition to construction, operations and maintenance jobs, these projects are creating jobs in a national supply chain that reaches 39 states.

Ivanpah has the capacity to generate 392 megawatts (MW) of clean electricity -- most of which will be sold under long-term power purchase agreements to Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison Company. The project is a joint effort by NRG, Google, and BrightSource Energy.

"This project speaks for its self. Just look at the 170,000 shining heliostat mirrors and the three towers that would dwarf the Statue of Liberty," Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a statement prior to Ivanpah's opening. "While the visuals are pretty stunning, you can't see one of the most remarkable features of this project. Ivanpah is utilizing dry-cooling technology that dramatically reduces water usage. In fact, this entire facility will use roughly the same amount of water as two holes at the nearby golf course."

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