XPost: alt.atheism, sci.electronics.basics, soc.men   
   XPost: sac.politics   
   From: roberth8@outlook.com   
      
   The World’s Largest Solar Plant Just Torched Itself   
      
   Misaligned mirrors are being blamed for a fire that broke out   
   yesterday at the world’s largest solar power plant, leaving the   
   high-tech facility crippled for the time being. It sounds like   
   the plant’s workers suffered through a real hellscape, too.   
      
   A small fire was reported yesterday morning at the Ivanpah Solar   
   Electric Generating System (ISEGS) in California, forcing a   
   temporary shutdown of the facility. It’s now running at a third   
   of its capacity (a second tower is down due to scheduled   
   maintenance), and it’s not immediately clear when the damaged   
   tower will restart. It’s also unclear how the incident will   
   impact California’s electricity supply.   
      
   Putting out the blaze was not easy task, either. Firefighters   
   were forced to climb 300 feet up a boiler tower to get to the   
   scene. Officials said the fire was located about two-thirds up   
   the tower. Workers at the plant actually managed to subdue the   
   flames by the time firefighters reached the spot, and it was   
   officially extinguished about 20 minutes after it started.   
      
   Located on 4,000 acres of public land in the Mojave Desert, the   
   sprawling concentrated solar thermal plant is equipped with   
   173,500 heliostats—each with two mirrors—that focus sunlight on   
   boilers located on top of three 459-foot towers. The tremendous   
   heat created by the concentrated solar power produces steam that   
   drives turbines to produce electricity. The plant, the largest   
   of its kind in the world, features a gross capacity of 392   
   megawatts, enough to power 140,000 homes. Each of the computer-   
   controlled solar-reflecting mirrors is about the size of a   
   garage door.   
      
   A spokesperson for the plant said it’s too early to comment on   
   the cause, but it appears that misaligned mirrors are to blame.   
   The Associated Press quoted Mike McClintock, the San Bernardino   
   County fire captain, who said that some mirrors delivered   
   sunlight to a different level on the third unit, causing   
   electrical cables to catch fire.   
      
   Inevitably, the incident reveals the inherent dangers of   
   concentrated solar power as well as the need to ensure that the   
   mirrors are always on target. Concentrated solar power plants,   
   in addition to being a menace to themselves, can also pose a   
   hazard to local wildlife. Last year, a plant in Nevada torched   
   over a hundred birds when they flew through the plant’s “flux   
   field.”   
      
   It’s yet another setback for the Ivanpah facility. For the past   
   few months, the plant has been unable to meet the output levels   
   stipulated in its power purchase agreement, and it was given an   
   extension until July 31, 2016 to improve performance. This fire   
   obviously isn’t going to help.   
      
   [AP]   
      
   http://gizmodo.com/the-world-s-largest-solar-plant-just-torched-   
   itself-1777767880?utm_source=taboola   
       
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)