ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
      • Culture & Society
      • Bizarre Stories
      • Lifestyle
      • Art and Music
      • Gaming
      • Books
      • Movies and Shows
    • Resources
      • How To
      • Science Careers
      • Metascience
      • Fringe Science
      • Science Experiments
      • School and Study
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

World’s biggest solar power plant might be built in Nevada — it’s supposed to power 1 million homes or as much as Hoover Dam

A huge concentrated solar power plant might open in Nevada, 2020 onward.

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
October 18, 2016
in News, Renewable Energy

sandstone energy x
Artist illustration of the upcoming Sandstone Energy X concentrated solar power plant. Credit: SolarReserve

Kevin Smith, the chief executive of SolarReserve, announced last week a bold plan to cover 25 square miles of Nevada's arid plains with thousands of solar concentrating mirrors. The proposed plant, only 225 miles northwest of Las Vegas, should generate between 1,500 and 2,000 megawatts of electricity or enough to power a million homes.

A huge beacon of light

That's equivalent to a nuclear power plant -- and it almost costs as much as one, too. In fact, the $5 billion initial investment tag is the only thing that keeps this project from going forward. Whether it will receive federal loans is not certain at this point.

concentrated solar power
Credit: SolarReserve

SolarReserve already operates a big concentrated thermal power plant in Nevada, the 110 megawatt (MW) Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Plant located near Tonopah. Here, a 1-mile circle of mirrors called heliostats concentrated solar energy on a 640-foot tall central tower to heat molten salt to more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The superheated salts then release their energy to boil water and ultimately drive a power turbine. There is no need for batteries because the salts can release their energy for up to ten hours or nearly 1.1 gigawatt-hours of energy storage, which means Crescent Dunes can keep delivering power even after nightfall.

The newly proposed project, dubbed Sandstone Energy X, would also be built somewhere near Tonopah. However, it will be much more massive -- ten towers, an array of 100,000 mirrors, and molten salt systems for energy storage for each tower.

“It’s a big project. It’s an ambitious project,” Smith told the Las Vegas Review Journal.

biggest solar plant
Credit: Solar Reserve

Right now, the company is prospecting a site that will fit its needs. They require some 6,500 hectares of available land and hope to pick a site in the next six to nine months, while the first mirror could be placed in 2020. But while Crescent Dunes cost $1 billion, Sandstone Energy X will be a lot more expensive.

Much of the nearly 2GW of power Sandstone would produce will be directed towards the Californian market which is already awash with cheap solar during the day, but requires renewable energy by night.

To make Crescent Dunes, SolarReserve accessed $737 million in federal loan guarantees and it will likely seek the same for this new massive installation. It remains to be seen if this is possible considering concentrated solar power subsidies have been under scrutiny as House Republicans review federal loans in response to the Ivanpah plant which caught on fire.

Nevertheless, it might take a couple of years before Sandstone Energy X is completed. Meanwhile, China might sweep them off as the nation plans to install 6 million panels over 4,607 hectares in the Ningxia region.

Tags: concentrated solar powerNevadasolar

ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2023 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
      • Culture & Society
      • Bizarre Stories
      • Lifestyle
      • Art and Music
      • Gaming
      • Books
      • Movies and Shows
    • Resources
      • How To
      • Science Careers
      • Metascience
      • Fringe Science
      • Science Experiments
      • School and Study
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2023 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don't you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can't be wrong. Don't worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW