Mitch Smith wrote on May 18, 2009 11:10 PM: Southern California Edison is installing 250MW of Grid-Tied Photovoltaic in Los Angeles right now for about $3.50 an installed watt. These Solar-Thermal folks are looking at $5.80 a watt. PV has no water or maintenance requirements, and no system parasite equipment operation load when the clouds roll over. The existing "small" El Dorado solar-thermal plant south of Henderson goes from +70 MW to -10MW, making life somewhat difficult for the neighborhood. Pure Solar-thermal generation is an anachronism - there are better ways to convert radiant energy to electricity than a steam engine. And I've yet to see a thermal storage system that worked more than a few months. A way cooler energy storage system than a huge leaking reeking corroding vat of molten salt might be to acquire the useage rights to the abandoned 270 mile long, 18" diameter Laughlin Mohave Power Plant coal slurry pipeline for a compressed air storage vessel; it runs very near the proposed plant site. There are a lot of compressed air generation equipment suppliers out there. And if your compressed air line leaks, the groundwater probably won't suffer too much....

Oscar wrote on May 16, 2009 08:58 AM: This so-called solar energy generator is the least energy efficient method of generating electricity. If you must replenish 1 acre-feet of water to generate electricity for 2 homes per year, from the steam producing part of the plant, that is NOT efficient, it's wasteful use of important resources. Instead, use solar panels to produce DC electricity, to electrically separate the hydrogen and oxygen from ordinary water. Release the pure oxygen into the atmosphere, and liquify the Hydrogen to use as a fuel to power larger scale Electrical Generators instead of using oil or coal. Any surplus could be sold to Vehicle Fuel Stations for Hydrogen powered cars and trucks. This process is so simple, I remember we did a simple classroom experiment in Highschool Science class 40 years ago to demonstrate this principal, and it worked. The Energy companies do NOT want to cheaply produce energy. It is not in their profitable best interests. They are all about max profit, and getting big Government subsidies for New technology, and don't want efficiency anymore than the Cancer Research Institute wants to announce cures for cancer. Too many Research jobs and Profits would end. Then the scam companies kick-back huge bucks back to the Politicians that approve the subsidies. Lets circumvent this scam by big business, and build our own home generators, using the principals I mentioned, and put NV power OUT of Business. There is enough information still unblocked on the internet, to make your OWN home generator. Don't believe it? Check it out. You Creative Home Inventors, stop using your brains for watching TV, and embarrass the Energy Companies for the scammers that they are. Individual ingenuity is what made this country, where is it NOW?

Sat wrote on May 15, 2009 12:36 AM: We need these green projects to reduce global warming and to protect our National Security.

This is a great news for Arizona. Intsead of installing nuclear plants to generate power, why not use the biggest nuclear plant in the world which is already producing so much energy everyday. The SUN is supposed to be there for another 5 Billion years.

Steven Cardon wrote on May 13, 2009 08:19 PM: steven cardon the city of kingman and mohave county and other individuals and developers that have joined in the vision thank you mr. jim Rhodes and white hills group for more info on kingman go to www.scardon.com

Steven Cardon wrote on May 13, 2009 08:07 PM: for info on kingman arizona and the hoover-dam-bypass and mr.jim Rhodes go to www.scardon.com thank you. steven cardon

Steven Cardon wrote on May 13, 2009 06:51 PM: steven cardon thank the city of kingman arizona and mohave county and other developers and individuals that have joined in the vision of mohave county and i see las vegas and kingman as one construction is well underway with the hoover-dam-bypass and u.s 93 is part of canamex corridor)soler is good for kingman and we have the new hualapai mountain medical center additionally, we have growing industrial park at the kingman airport and a vast opportunity for expansion throughout the i-40 industrial corridor which extends from just south of kingman all the way to the california border u.s 93 and i-40 is part of (NAFTA) kingman is designated a north american free trade agreement route kingman has the best long-term development potential thank to the white hills group alternative energy options mr.Rhodes the mohave development and p&z. steven cardon

Hank Williams, Jr. wrote on May 12, 2009 01:53 PM: This is a good article. Something to note is that when the author states the following, it may also be good to mention that DARKNESS at night might also impact the amount of solar radiation the plant receives.

"Dong said some of the generated heat will be stored in molten salt that will allow the plant to generate power at night when cloud cover diminishes solar radiation"

Ken wrote on May 12, 2009 12:58 PM: "Jack Ehrhardt, the leading environmental activist in northwest Arizona..."

Is this a title? How do we know he is THE leading environmental activist in northwest Arizona? That's like writing that Al Gore invented the Internet.

C'mon, RJ, let's try to have some standards.

You people kill me... wrote on May 12, 2009 12:38 PM: So a coal plant is a no-go as is solar.

Im just curious as to how you people plan to power up your computers to launch your anti-corporate diatribes???

Dong wrote on May 12, 2009 11:09 AM: The steam is then condensed back out into water and recycled in the closed loop process. Only a small amount of makeup water will be needed to replenish the system.

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