CSP World

Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, the world's largest Concentrated Solar Power plant, has produced its first output of energy. The unit 1 -the plant comprises three units- has been synced to the power grid for the first time. Another milestone reached by this astounding piece of engineering.

“Given the magnitude and complexity of Ivanpah, it was very important that we successfully complete this milestone showing all systems were on track,” said Tom Doyle, President of NRG Solar. “We couldn’t be more excited about achieving ‘first sync,’ and we share this success with our project partners, BrightSource and Google, as well as Bechtel, which is responsible for engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning on the project.”

The plant has signed power purchase agreements with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Power from units 1 and 3 will be delivered to PG&E while the unit 2 is linked to SCE. In this case, the first juice has been fed to PG&E, as it's been Unit 1 the first to be tested. Proof-of-concept testing will also be conducted at Unit 2 and 3 in the coming months.

“This is yet another major milestone that we have successfully achieved as Ivanpah approaches completion,” said David Ramm, Executive Chairman of BrightSource Energy, Inc. “Ivanpah is the showcase project for BrightSource’s power tower technology and technical expertise. Validation at this scale demonstrates the viability of our technology as BrightSource increases focus on international markets and applications for concentrating solar power.”

“The achievement of this major milestone was possible through the tireless efforts of the entire project team – from the craft to the field engineers and technical experts,” said Toby Seay, President of Bechtel’s power global business unit. “With the cooperation of Ivanpah’s owners, we have been able to bring to life a world-class solar project that will help California meet its renewable energy goals safely and effectively.”

“At Google we invest in renewable energy projects that have the potential to transform the energy landscape. Ivanpah is one of those projects,” said Rick Needham, Director of Energy and Sustainability at Google. “We’re excited about the project achieving this first sync – a landmark event along the path to completion. Congratulations to the many people who have worked so hard to get this far.”

Located in California’s Mojave Desert, Ivanpah is the largest solar thermal plant in the world, spanning 3,500 acres of public land. Once fully operational, -more info is available in our csp world map here, csp-world.com/cspworldmap -, the 377 megawatt net (392 megawatt gross) plant will generate enough electricity to power 140,000 homes annually. Ivanpah’s three power tower units will also nearly double the amount of commercial solar thermal energy capacity now operating in the United States.

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is owned by NRG Solar, BrightSource Energy and Google. NRG Solar will operate the plant built with technology developed by BrightSource. EPC was awarded to Bechtel
.