A 20 year purchase agreement between Southern California Edison and Stirling Energy Systems (SES) will culminate in a 4,500 acre solar power system with an over 20,000 dish array.  The new plant will generate an amazing 500 MW—more electricity than all other present U.S. solar projects combined.


How it Works: Each dish unit consists of 82 mirrors formed in a dish shape to focus sunlight to an intense beam. This solar dish system creates electricity by beaming the sun’s rays onto a receiver that relays the heat energy to the new Stirling Cycle Engine. The engine is a sealed system filled with hydrogen. Changes in gas pressure within the engine drive pistons that in turn drive a generator that makes electricity.

SES is a project management and systems integration firm specializing in huge utility-scale renewable energy power plants and distributed electric generating systems, known as ‘gensets’.  The innovation making this latest undertaking possible is the company’s Stirling Cycle Engine Technology for solar applications.  SES has teamed with Boeing, NASA-Glenn Labs, and U.S. Dept. of Energy for solar power plants.  The firm has projects in the works for other alternative energy sources including biogas and hydrogen fuel technologies.