| > | | | | This solar energy plant is located 20+ miles outside of |
| Nevada Solar One is Nevada's first solar power plant | | | | Las Vegas in the Eldorado Valley south of Boulder |
| and is located a few miles outside if Las Vegas. It is | | | | City, NV. If you are driving from Vegas, take Hwy 95 |
| designed on solar thermal principles as opposed to | | | | south, drive through Boulder City following the signs |
| photovoltaics. | | | | and just a stone throw outside of town take the exit |
| Solar energy can be produced in a number of ways. | | | | to "Searchlight." Within a mile or two you should see |
| There is the familiar solar panel - they are becoming | | | | the 350 acre solar energy plant on the right-hand side. |
| increasingly common as they become more and more | | | | As of writing this article (June of 2007), it is not |
| affordable. Solar panels produce solar energy through | | | | operational yet. It appears that there is still quite a bit |
| the process called photovoltaics: the rays of the Sun | | | | of construction is to be done. When complete, it will |
| hit the silicon crystals in the panel thus inducing a flow | | | | generate enough power through solar energy to |
| of electrons. Another way to extract energy form | | | | satisfy the needs of 60 thousand of homes. The |
| sunlight is the solar thermal process. | | | | drawback is that power generated this way is still |
| Solar thermal energy is gathered by the use of | | | | about three times more expensive than if a coal-fired |
| parabolic mirrors. The mirrors are positioned to face | | | | plant was used. |
| the Sun, and a clear tube is placed at the focal point | | | | A major advantage of generating solar energy this |
| where a liquid flowing through the tube is heated. Next, | | | | way as opposed to the use of solar panels is that it |
| the pipes are run through a boiler where the the steam | | | | is quite low-tech compared to photovoltaics. The silicon |
| generated spins the generators creating electricity. This | | | | crystals needed to generate a flow of electricity when |
| step is not unlike what one might see in a traditional | | | | it is hit by sunlight are formed by baking the compound |
| coal-fired plant. All in all, it is a fairly simple and low-tech | | | | in an oven then allowed to slowly cool to form the |
| process as far as the technical requirements for | | | | crystals. It requires specialty equipment, which is quite |
| designing and building such a plant is concerned. | | | | expensive. Even with larger production volumes, solar |
| There aren't too many of these plants around the | | | | energy through photovoltaics is quite a bit more |
| world. One was built at the end of the 70's in | | | | expensive than conventional power. Solar thermal |
| response of the oil shortage and it is located in the | | | | power faces the same problem. However |
| California desert only hours from Nevada Solar | | | | the technology requirements are low, economics of |
| One. | | | | scale should more easily close the gap. |