Figure 2.38

Centralized solar energy. (A) Nellis Solar Power Plant in Clark County, Nevada, near Las Vegas, has a 14-megawatt capacity, enough to meet 25% of the power needs of the Nellis Air Force Base, for which it was built. Its 70,000 solar panels occupy 57 ha (140 acres). (B) This concentrated solar power project is located near Las Vegas, Nevada. Thousands of mirrors precisely track the Sun so that each reflects sunlight to heat a fluid (molten salt) within the three towers. The hot fluid is then used to boil water to create steam that drives a turbine to generate electricity.

(A. David Nunuk/Science Source; B. Jim West imageBROKER/Newscom)