SEGS
A Pilgrimage to the Solar Electric Generating Stations
Out there, where lots of things are happening at the scale of the global economy, it’s just not that weird to have a 250 acres of mirrors making steam to turn a turbine. Or at least not much weirder than the Zappo’s warehouse run by quasi-autonomous robots near Vegas.
More Links about Luz, Seed of the Solar Thermal Industry
Everybody Loves Solar Energy, But… – The New York Times
“The remaining 10 percent Federal energy tax credit is due to expire on Dec. 31, but Congress is considering a bill that would extend it for five years. Many legislators, however, see the measure as an unnecessary tax break for Luz’s power-plant investors. ”I don’t know [...]
Crimes Against the Future: The Demise of Luz
In 1992, Newton Becker went before Congress to tell the story of his company’s demise. Many companies have gone bankrupt and many more will, but Becker’s company, Luz International, happened to be the largest solar company in the world.
“I am here much like a crime victim trying to change a law,” Becker said.
The crime here, [...]
A Few Links on Luz International, Once the World’s Largest Solar Company
Luz International was the world’s largest solar company for about a decade, installing over 300 megawatts of solar thermal electric power plants in the Mojave desert. The company’s demise came about in the early 90s, when low energy prices, unhelpful policy changes, and bad luck came together to destroy the company. More on this soon, [...]
Inventing Green by Alexis Madrigal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
