Posted 08.25.2009 at 11:15 am
3 Comments
Mirror Power: BrightSource Energy
The plant, built by BrightSource Energy, will use the steam power not to generate electricity for the oil pumps, but rather to heat the underground oil so that it flows more efficiently. Under normal circumstances, oil fields just use oil or other fossil fuels to provide raw fuel necessary for steam production. So this is rather interesting (not to mention refreshing), to see oil companies not just recognizing the usefulness of green power, but embracing it as well.
BrightSource plans to use their solar steam technology to provide 2,610-megawatts of power to various California-based utilities and plans to complete the Chevron plant by the end of 2010. [via BrightSource via NY Times Green Inc.]
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its about time
What would be oxymoronic about an oil company using solar? Almost no oil is used to generate electricity which is why wind and solar is not going to do much about the price of oil.
This is all nice and warm fuzzy talk, but the biggest word of the century is "cheap". Cheap solar technology is going to be the future. We keep seeing all this new tach and corporate uses but very little for the average consumer. We all talk about saving the planet, saving money, saving the air we breathe and yet there is little for the average homeowner to do. If we have all the new tech then lets get it to the consumer cheap so they can use it. Lets make a huge impact and get it out there to the millions of homes where it will count not out in the middle of some oil field where it will help to increase their profits.Here again we are manipulated by big profits corporate control and government stupidity.