wiredinUSA July 2013

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wiredInUSA - July 2013 11
New Scientist has reported on a heliostat
mirror installation in the Mojave Desert.
The reflectors turn to track the sun’s
path, in a similar way to sunflowers, and
the installation at the Ivanpah solar
power project in California will consist
of hundreds of thousands of reflectors.
The mirrors will concentrate the sun's
rays onto boilers, heating the water
into steam to drive the turbines. The
site covers 14km2 and is expected to
produce at least 377MW of electricity,
enough to power 140,000 homes.
Photographer Jamey Stillings said: "It is
like watching the creation of a huge
piece of land art, a contemporary
Nazca Lines of sorts."
However, even renewable energy
projects will have environmental impact
and the Ivanpah project has caused
controversy, not least from Native
American groups objecting to impact
on burial grounds. The project was also
delayed while the threatened desert
tortoises were relocated away from the
site.
Reflecting on the desert