The Saguaro Solar Generating Station, the first solar thermal parabolic trough power plant solely intended to produce electricity to be built in the United States since 1988, was dedicated April 22. The 1 MW thermal solar plant, 30 miles north of Tucson, Arizona, was built by Solargenix, a unit of ACCIONA Energy of Spain. Saguaro uses 100,000 square feet of parabolic mirrors to concentrate solar radiation onto SCHOTT PTR 70 solar receivers. Solar radiation heats thermo-oil heat transfer fluid in the receivers to 550 F. This converts water into steam to drive a turbine. Photo courtesy of APS.

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