Business Details
BrightSource Energy, Inc. designs, develops, and deploys solar thermal technology to produce high-value electricity and steam for power, petroleum, and industrial-process markets worldwide. At BrightSource Energy, respect for the environment informs our every thought and action, from the technology we develop to the stewardship we practice.
Our concentrating solar power (CSP) technology exists to produce clean energy, address climate change, improve air quality and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Equally imperative is the all-encompassing environmental approach we take to each one of our projects. BrightSource's solar thermal energy systems are designed specifically to minimize their impact on native ecosystems.
In recent weeks, another important step has been completed in the process of setting up a thermo-solar power station in Ashalim in Ramat Negev. A solar water heater weighing 2,200 tons on the top of the tower in the compound was raised to a final height of 250 meters.
Our concentrating solar power (CSP) technology exists to produce clean energy, address climate change, improve air quality and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Equally imperative is the all-encompassing environmental approach we take to each one of our projects. BrightSource's solar thermal energy systems are designed specifically to minimize their impact on native ecosystems.
In recent weeks, another important step has been completed in the process of setting up a thermo-solar power station in Ashalim in Ramat Negev. A solar water heater weighing 2,200 tons on the top of the tower in the compound was raised to a final height of 250 meters.
Services
Company
BrightSource Energy designs, develops and deploys concentrating solar thermal technology to produce high-value steam for electric power, petroleum and industrial-process markets worldwide. BrightSource combines breakthrough technology with world-class solar thermal plant design capabilities to generate clean energy reliably and responsibly.
How It Works
BrightSource's system uses proprietary software to control thousands of tracking mirrors, known as heliostats, to directly concentrate sunlight onto a boiler filled with water that sits atop a tower. When the sunlight hits the boiler, the water inside is heated and creates high temperature steam.
Energy Storage
Together with energy storage, BrightSource extends production, capacity - and the length of the day. Our solar plants, integrated with thermal energy storage, effectively extend electricity production into later parts of the day and after sundown, when it is valued most by utilities and other power producers.
Elements of a Breakthrough
Integrating a proprietary technology with conventional components to deliver highly reliable, renewable power. Software-controlled field of mirrors concentrate sunlight on a boiler mounted on a central tower. Optimization software and solar field integrated control system manage heliostat positioning to optimize concentrated sunlight on the boiler.
Markets/Applications
Solar steam - produced by concentrating solar thermal technology - continues to gain significant traction worldwide. Opportunities are expanding rapidly in markets including the Middle East/North Africa (MENA), China, Latin America, India and South Africa. Such opportunities are aided materially by policies designed to add far more renewable energy to meet the world's growing energy needs.
Power
BrightSource estimates worldwide market for solar thermal electricity generation to exceed $200 billion by 2020 as a result of the continued focus on clean energy worldwide. Yet reliability and cost are and will remain top priorities for utilities. Our technology responds dynamically to both. Renewable sources of energy - wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) - are unpredictable and not always aligned with peak energy demand.
Industrial
BrightSource technology can be applied to a variety of industrial processes such as mining, chemical processing and desalination. For these energy intensive industries, the use of solar in off-grid electricity generation and "solar steam" production for industrial processes reduces our customers' dependence on volatile, carbon-based and, at times, inaccessible fossil fuels.
Projects
BrightSource designs, develops and deploys concentrating solar thermal technology to produce high-value steam for electric power, petroleum and industrial-process markets worldwide. BrightSource combines breakthrough technology with world-class solar power plant design capabilities to generate clean energy reliably and responsibly.
Ashalim
BrightSource Energy is partnering with General Electric (GE) and NOY Infrastructure & Energy Investment Fund to build the 121 MW Ashalim Solar Thermal Power Station in Israel's Negev desert. GE is responsible for the engineering, the procurement and the construction (EPC) of the solar power station, with BrightSource providing the advanced solar field technology.
Ivanpah
BrightSource's solar thermal system is operating at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) in California's Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which began commercial operation in 2013, is delivering power to PG&E and Southern California Edison. The project is currently the largest solar thermal power plant in the world.