Pilots complain that glare from the world's biggest solar power plant is blinding them
Airplane pilots reported that they were blinded by the intense sunlight reflecting off some of the 340,000 mirrors at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System on the California-Nevada border. Yet six months elapsed before their reports reached the regulator that oversees the plant, which is located near the Las Vegas airport.
The mirrors, called heliostats, focus the sun on 459-foot-high (140 meter) towers that contain water-filled boilers. The concentrated sunlight boils the water to create steam, driving turbines that generate 377 megawatts of carbon-free electricity. The heat is so blistering that it has melted the feathers of b irds in mid-flight .
Planes fly far too high to be affected by the heat—but by not the light. “From the pilot’s seat of my aircraft the brightness was like looking into the sun,” reported one pilot as his small plane climbed from 6,000 to 12,000 feet after taking off from the Boulder City, Nevada, airport. In a report he filed with the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), the pilot wrote that, “In my opinion the reflection from these mirrors was a hazard to flight because for a brief time I could not scan the sky in that direction to look for other aircraft.”
KYOCERA Solar Modules Successfully Pass TÜV Rheinland's Salt Mist Corrosion Test
IEC61701:2011 Edition 2, Severity Level 6 is highest testing level in the industry
Technologies, products and solutions lighting the way to China's solar-powered future
From March 25–27 in Beijing, the Intersolar China Conference looks into the reasons behind this rapid expansion as well as the conditions that will characterize the future Chinese market.
KANSAS TO PLANT FIRST COMMUNITY-OWNED SOLAR FARM
Midwest Energy and Clean Energy Collective bringing new approach to make locally-produced renewable energy available to its member-owners.
Government heeds call to retain local authority renewable energy powers for new homes
DCLG preserves renewables policies in Housing Standards Review
REA welcomes multimillion pound City Deal investment in Stoke geothermal heat project
Government support for geothermal heating welcome
Rackam & TÜV Rheinland PTL Develop Platform to Test High-Temperature Solar Thermal Collectors
Testing performance and efficiency of solar thermal collectors
GOVERNMENT IS ‘BURYING ITS HEAD IN THE SAND', SAYS RENEWABLE ENERGY CHIEF
One of the UK's leading renewable energy companies has accused the Government of ‘sitting on its hands' in the face of Britain's looming energy crisis.
Geothermal Industry Endorses Salton Sea Initiative
The GEA Board resolution notes that "the Salton Sea Known Geothermal Resource Area (SSKGRA) is one of the greatest opportunities for new geothermal energy development in the United States."
Cape Wind Wins Major Legal Victories
Cape Wind has consistently won a series of legal challenges brought by project opponents
SEIA, SHC Alliance Support Efforts to Expand Renewable Thermal Technologies
Renewable thermal technologies are a win-win, helping our environment and saving money for consumers.
SCANDINAVIA'S LARGEST SOLAR PARK INSTALLED WITH SOLAREDGE INVERTERS AND POWER OPTIMIZERS
A new record for the largest solar park on trackers in Scandinavia
Mauritius to go Green with photovoltaic solar energy
SETL meeco Ltd. to provide clean energy access on the whole island
Plug Power Exhibits GenKey Solution at MODEX 2014 Tradeshow
'GenKey' is Plug Power's First All-Inclusive Offering and Incorporates Fuel Cells, Hydrogen Infrastructure, Maintenance Service
Ohio Environmental Groups Back Icebreaker Offshore Wind Project
Support from the environmental community is crucial for Icebreaker to secure the permits it needs to begin construction.
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