27 February 2004 - Boron, California - Row after row of mirrored troughs reflect the sunlight at a solar-based steam-generating power plant at the KJC Solar Electric Generating System (SEGS) field. Each solar collector, measuring 25 feet high by 50 feet long, is a parabolic mirrored surface that focuses the sunlight onto a steel pipe running the length of the collector heating a synthetic oil in the pipe to a temperature of 750 F (400 C). The oil is continously pumped from the mirrors through...
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27 February 2004 - Boron, California - Row after row of mirrored troughs reflect the sunlight at a solar-based steam-generating power plant at the KJC Solar Electric Generating System (SEGS) field. Each solar collector, measuring 25 feet high by 50 feet long, is a parabolic mirrored surface that focuses the sunlight onto a steel pipe running the length of the collector heating a synthetic oil in the pipe to a temperature of 750 F (400 C). The oil is continously pumped from the mirrors through heat exchangers to produce superheated steam which powers turbine generators creating electricity. Five SEGS fields, which track the sun using sensors and microprossers, combine to produce a peak capacity of 200 megawatts. The KJC solar field, 120 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert provides its electricity to the market as a peaking plant, supplying power during peak demand periods. .(© 2004 Michael A. Mariant)
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