ENERGY
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Mirror frames follow the sun across the sky as part of the power-generating process at the Martin Next
Generation Solar Energy Center in Indiantown. At left, an aerial view of the center.
Solar power is now being generated
on a huge scale in Indiantown
at the Martin Next Generation
Solar Energy Center, the largest
of three solar fields operated by Florida
Power & Light.
With 500 sprawling acres that provide
space for 192,000 rotating mirrors, the
solar plant creates steam for turbines at
a natural gas plant, generating power
whenever the sun is shining. The hybrid
solar thermal facility is the world’s
first tied to an existing natural gas plant.
“The project continues to progress
ahead of schedule,” said Greg Brostowicz,
lead media relations specialist for
FPL, on a recent slow drive around the
solar field. “The facility is producing
electricity for our customers with free fuel
from the sun, directly reducing fossil fuel
usage, and right now we are fine-tuning
the systems to optimize performance.”
Aside from the wind, the massive
array of glass, steel and aluminum is eerily
silent except for a “tink, tink, tink”
every few minutes as the frames follow
the sun across the sky.
The mirrors were manufactured in
Spain at the only kiln large enough to
handle the job. The German-made pipes
carry 700-degree fluid to heat water,
LIVING GREEN