About Sierra SunTower
Sierra SunTower supplies 5 MW of clean, renewable energy to the grid. The full-scale power plant,
the only commercial CSP tower in the United States, supplies electricity to Southern California Edison
(SCE) and will power up to 4,000 homes.
Quick Facts
- 2 modules
- 20 acres
- 2 towers
- 2 65-ton natural recirculation thermal receivers
- 1 refurbished 1947 GE steam turbine generator
- Steam temperature 440° C
- Steam pressure 60 bar
- 24,000 mirrors reflecting the power of 20,000 suns
- 5 MW of clean, renewable energy supplied to 4,000 Southern California Edison households through a power purchase agreement
- Only operating solar thermal power tower plant in the US
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Download the Sierra SunTower Fact Sheet
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Benefits
- Southern California Homes – Sierra SunTower will produce 5 MW of electricity powering up to 4,000 homes.
- Job Creation – The project created over 250 construction jobs and 6 permanent jobs.
- Local Community – Sierra SunTower provides a new local tax base, as well as direct and indirect economic benefits during development, construction and operation.
- Greenhouse Gases – 5 MW of clean solar power generation will offset more than 7,000 tons of CO2 each year.
- Clean and Reliable – Efficient and clean solar power is reliably available during peak demand.
Environmental Facts
The 5 MW output of Sierra SunTower will reduce CO2 emissions by 7,000 tons
per year. For perspective, Sierra SunTower's annual impact is equivalent to:
- Planting 5,265 acres of trees
- Removing 1,368 automobiles from the road
- Saving 650,000 gallons of gasoline
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