Concentrating Solar Power Plant Opens in California Desert

A new type of concentrating solar power plant that uses less water has opened in a small town in the Mojave desert. The High Gain Solar (HGS) 1000 system plant will provide about 85% of the electricity needs in the town of Nipton, according to plant engineers.

Many experts believe that small-scale plants like this are the future of solar energy in the southwestern United States. They use concentrating solar photovoltaic technology, or "CPV", which is ideal for places with plenty of sun but little water, such as Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona.

The huge solar arrays being built get more attention, but many people think that small-scale solar and distributed generation networks offer far more benefits in the short and long run. In the Las Vegas/Southern Nevada area especially, small-scale solar is really catching on. As energy costs rise, individual families and companies are more and more interested in generating their own electricity and even selling excess power back to the grid.

Learn some mo': Remote California town blazes trail with solar plant that saves water