ChemE Stewart <cheme...@gmail.com> wrote: Mirrors last a long time in the desert? With wind and sand blowing?
They last for a remarkably long time. Many of the SEGS parabolic mirror generators in the Mojave desert have been working since the late 1980s and they are still in good condition. The people who designed this know what they are doing. They have been building similar installations in the U.S., Spain and Israel for 40 years now. > 375,000 motors turning? Taxpayers paid $1.6B for this plant, Google is a > minority. The taxpayers will get their money back eventually. The power companies are not going to stop buying electricity from this installation. They may renegotiate the price, so the payback may take longer, but the taxpayer loans are first in line and they will be settled first. The operating cost of the facility is low. It is turning a profit on current operations. - Jed
