The Crescent Dunes plant was too expensive and used outdated technology
Photo: Xataka
A little over ten years ago, one of the first and largest solar thermal power plants in the world was born. Solar thermal energy, or heliothermal energy, is the production of electricity from the concentrated heat of the Sun, different from photovoltaic solar energy, which converts sunlight directly into electricity.
The ambition and execution were massive, as was the goal of providing clean energy to over 100,000 people. Today, the project is no longer useful.
To tell this story, we have to go back to 2011, when the US government announced with great fanfare the development of a factory that, in theory, would serve as an example of energy innovation. Its headquarters: Tonopah, Nevada. Its cost: $1 billion. Its name: Crescent Dunes.
The case of Crescent Dunes is somewhat unusual. To begin with, it was put into operation thanks to the financial support of several companies, the US Department of Energy and even tycoons like Warren Buffett. Major investors include NV Energy, SolarReserve and Citigroup.
The objective was to create a facility capable of generating a total of 500,000 MWh per year for 25 years. As he remembers Review logthen-Nevada Senator Harry Reid granted building permits on public land in the middle of the desert and even Kevin Smith, CEO of SolarReserve, said it was a positive thing to “win the future.”
Generally speaking, Crescent Dunes consists of an installation with…
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