BrightSource

The world's emerging energy future is reflected in a massive scale solar enterprise  in the California desert. Scheduled to open in 2013, the Ivanpah Project developed by BrightSource Energy is actually three contiguous solar thermal systems. It consists of about 170,000 heliostats spread over 3,600 acres that concentrate the sun's energy on towers that convert the solar heat to steam that generates up to 392 megawatts, enough to power nearly 400,000 homes.




Ivanpah Soloar Project

BrightSource is the way of the future; a company that produces large scale quantities of energy renewably, without pollution.  Systems like this, spread across the American Southwest, could eventually meet a substantial portion of America's energy needs, while stimulating the economy and creating thousands of good paying jobs.

When a whole range of commercialized solar technologies are combined with the rapidly growing wind energy capacity across the U.S, as well as expanding use of geothermal energy,  hydro-electric, river current, and ocean wave energy capture,  we can meet all of America's energy needs using only non-polluting, renewable sources of energy.  A near complete transition to clean energy could happen by mid-century or before.

The chief impediment at this point to a clean energy transition is the entrenched fossil energy industry; the old guard, which seems determined to squeeze every dollar out of what remains of the world's  oil, coal, and natural gas resources. Energy policy in the United States is largely driven by the unmatched wealth and political influence of  big oil, coal, and natural gas.

We all have a stake in moving as quickly as possible away from our energy past and into our clean energy future. Right now, it is happening too slowly. Missing ingredient: a healthy dose of political integrity and the courage to push back against entrenched energy interests.

Here is a link to the BrightSource website...
http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/