Mirror, Mirror…..
Sustainability as a Homeland Security Strategy
The Mojave desert is a barren place, the only two things that are available in abundance in the desert are sunshine and open space. These also happen to be the key ingredients to producing megawatts of solar power. In the Ivanpah valley on the southern border between California and Nevada sits a new solar power generating facility. The facility is housed on approximately 3500 acres of land and consists of more than 300,000 mirrors strategically positioned around three 459 foot tall solar receiver towers. The facility produces enough power to serve 140,000 homes. The price tag for this facility was more than $2.2 billion.
The power is provided from a 100% renewable source, the sun. The sun shines down on from the desert sky onto the array of mirrors that are computer controlled to reflect the suns rays onto a collector at the top of the tower. The collector is filled with water that boils from the intense heat created by the suns reflection. The boiling water produces steam that in turn powers generators that produce electricity. The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) is an intriguing collaboration between the Federal government’s Department of Energy, private power provider NRG Energy, Bechtel, and Google.
The power is all distributed back through PG&E and Southern California Edison back to California residents. The State of California has adopted a renewable energy strategy that seeks to take advantage of sustainable energy sources like wind, geothermal, and solar. The goal is to have 33% of all electricity in the state come from renewable sources by the year 2020. California views renewable energy as an industry that helps to power the state’s economy, reduces reliance on imported energy sources, and decreases air pollution. I would argue that these are things that bring security to the homeland.
The Department of Homeland Security does not include sustainability as a mission area in homeland security, but maybe it should. It does have an internal sustainability program with objectives that define that value of sustainability in national security and resilience. In its Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan the DHS states that incorporating sustainable practices conserves energy and natural resources, reduces pollution and contamination releases, enhances the workplace through less exposure to hazardous materials and chemicals, and strengthens national security by encouraging energy independence.
Energy independence as a component of national security is not a new concept. President Richard Nixon first introduced the idea back in 1973 when oil embargoes and lines that wrapped around the block at gas stations where realities. The strong hold that oil producing nations have over teh U.S. remain a threat today. The volatility that exists in the oil producing regions of the world create a great deal of instability and complicates the relationships that the United States maintains in the area. The instability is a threat to the security of the our nation because we remain uncomfortably reliant on imported fossil fuel.
If we are to build a secure and resilient nation, we must wean ourselves off of foreign oil. Energy independence is essential to homeland security and projects like the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System are important components of a security strategy. This type of facility does not come without challenges. The intense heat produced by the reflected sunlight can fry a bird in flight and several have been found burned to death on the site. The steam generation concept is incapable of storing energy, electricity can only be produced when the sun is shining. The boiler towers recapture about 95% of the water used to produce the steam making it highly water efficient; however, the mirrors must be cleaned regularly using precious water resources. The footprint of the facility is enormous and there is an environmental impact that must be considered as well. These are challenges that are inherent in this particular design, but it is good to see progress in alternate energy generation. I am confident that the obstacles can be overcome to make the process more environmentally friendly and the storage issue must be addressed. But the outlook for solar power is as bright as the reflected sun. The mirror on the wall says that facilities like this one that inch us closer to energy independence will help to keep America the fairest of them all.
