The 392-MW solar farm in Ivanpah developed by the Israel-based firm BrightSource energy finally broke ground in October this year. Being built beside the Ivanpah Dry Lake, in San Bernardino County, California, the plant is now officially under construction. Scheduled to be active by 2013, it will be the first to use BrightSource’s solar thermal concentrating technology to provide power for 140,000 homes. While most people welcome the plant, some critics claimed that the developers are building on sacred land and displacing various animal and plant species.
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
