Work set to start on world's largest solar power plant

Construction is about to begin on the world’s largest solar power facility.

To be located in Blythe, California, near Palm Springs, the Blythe Solar Power Project is expected to generate up to 1,000 megawatts (MW) of clean energy when it’s completed. That’s enough power to meet the needs of 300,000 homes each year, and similar in scale to the largest coal and nuclear power plants.

Solar Trust of America, a joint venture between Solar Millennium AG and engineering/construction firm Ferrostaal Incorporated, plans to break ground on the project this Friday.

Rather than use photovoltaic panels, the solar thermal power plant will use Solar Millenium’s HelioTrough collector system to direct the sun’s heat from parabolic mirrors onto a focal line pipe filled with liquid. The heated liquid will be used to generate steam to drive a turbine in an electricity-producing generator.

The system will even be able to keep operating after sundown, as heat energy can be stored in molten salts that can be used to continue producing steam for power generation after dark.

The Blythe project received a conditional commitment for a $2.1 billion loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy in April 2011.