CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: The Evolution of Ivanpah Solar
Ivanpah Solar in the Mojave Desert of California makes a compelling physical statement about our collective ability to shift from a society based on fossil fuels to one that embraces renewable energy production. I began the Ivanpah project in 2010 with a brief flight over its future site before construction commenced. Upon its completion in 2014, Ivanpah Solar became one of the world's largest concentrated solar thermal power plants. 173,500 heliostats (347,000 mirrors) focus the sun's energy toward three towers with the capacity to create 392 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 140,000 US homes.
Renewable energy projects such as Ivanpah Solar raise challenging land and resource use questions, exposing differing perspectives and contradictions within the environmental movement, local communities, the energy industry, and the general public. Ivanpah Solar is located in the American West, but the issues encountered during its planning and construction are global and relevant to future environmentally responsible energy projects.
The Evolution of Ivanpah Solar is a traveling exhibition and a book published by Steidl (2015).
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: Renewable Energy and the Shifting Human Landscape is my long-term project on global renewable energy development. To support my work, please click on SUPPORT CHANGING PERSPECTIVES in the menu. Thank you.