GigaOM // Sept 24, 2013

Ivanpah, Brightsource Energy’s much-anticipated and enormous solar thermal plant in the California desert delivered its first electricity to the grid this week. The three-year, $2.2 billion project has been approaching the finish line for months, and this week’s test indicates that the array is nearly ready to go online full time. Once it is, the project will send 377 megawatts of power to the grid. In the meantime, seeing the tower lit up in the desert like the lighthouse of Alexandria is a reminder of just how powerful the system is going to be.