Largest solar power plant in the world bursts into flames

americanthinker.com ^ | 5/21/2016 | Rick Moran

[rktman]

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System located near the California-Nevada border, burst into flames when some of the thousands of mirrors that focus sunlight on water towers became misalinged and started an electrical cable fire.

The plant was built with a $1.6 billion taxpayer guaranteed loan and is run by a consortium of companies that include BrightSource Energy, NRG Energy and Google.

Associated Press:

Firefighters had to climb some 300 feet up a boiler tower at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California after fire was reported on an upper level around 9:30 a.m., fire officials said.

The plant works by using mirrors to focus sunlight on boilers at the top of three 459-foot towers, creating steam that drive turbines to produce electricity.

[rktman]

DOH! Where was the AI and robots? On break or something? "No need to worry." they said. "It's perfectly safe." they said. "It will cost you less for your power." they said. "The desert tortoises will be just fine." they said.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’d like to introduce a Bill that says, ‘Any time the Government wants to spend Taxpayer Dollars on some boondoggle, they should just light a big old pile-o-cash on fire, instead, and just get it over with!’

[Ditter]

I have never heard of mirrors creating heat to create electricity! A well placed 22 bullet couldn’t have shattered these mirrors?

[rktman]

But, they’d have to stipulate the heat from the fire would be used to boil some water to provide steam to power some sort of generator.

[samtheman]

Q: What is wrong with this project?

A: Tax-payer “guaranteed”, aka subsidized.

If it had real economic value, it would fly on its own.

[teeman8r]

Those birds, plural, we’re getting cooked quickly...

Maia will not be happy

[Gaffer]

So....misaligned mirrors.....computer controlled? On the network? Gee.....anybody looking at Chinese porn sites there recently?

[rktman]

Or golf ball sized hail? (Ditter, you need to get out more. LOL!)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

LOL!

Yes, it IS that ridiculous, isn’t it?

[Travis McGee]

They also massacre birds that unwittingly fly into the superheated air between the mirrors and the collector. Fried birds line the ground around these devices, including majestic raptors that otherwise the Left would love and protect. Often they can be seen bursting into flames and plummeting to the ground on fire, but alive, for a while.

Nice.

[rktman]

EPA would require special permits due to the gasses some of the ink in the piles of cash “might” emit.

[Ditter]

Yeah, let’s just order up a hail storm when we need one! What are you a weather wizard?

[rktman]

At least the birds have a choice. Fried or chopped/sliced and diced by some huge fan blades.

[Captainpaintball]

Terrorists: Hey, look! We can just bend them over THAT way, and the whole mountain will catch fire! Praise alluh.

[rktman]

You didn’t hear? They’re busy adjusting the ocean temps in the Pacific. They’ll get back to us in about a week. :)

[Vince Ferrer]

I’d like to introduce a bill to force Google and the other investors in this thing to clean up this site and return it to a natural desert after it finally fails.

[Ditter]

I think they have given up redirecting the Gulf hurricanes once they decided they were Bush's fault.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Harry Reid’s son is involved in this taxpayer boondoggle.

[Awgie]

So advanced solar energy plants are nothing more then using a magnifying glass to heat water to create steam. Why dint the just burn coal or oil or gas to create steam...oh that's right, we must save the planet and stop drowning polar bears.

[rktman]

Save the bears. I heard that Antarctica is melting away like the wicked witch. /s