DENVER POST: MEGA SOLAR SITE TO BE BUILT IN NEW MEXICO

Title click to read article in the DENVER POST.

"The plant — to be called the Suntower — will be built on 450 acres in far southern New Mexico near El Paso, Texas."

From Democracy for New Mexico:

“This cutting-edge facility will turn New Mexico’s renewable energy potential into reality, and it will add a green boost to our economy,” said Gov. Richardson. “This keeps our state on the path toward efficiently utilizing our natural resources and moving us toward a clean energy economy. We are setting an example for the rest of the nation and sending a clear message that New Mexico will play a key role in developing the new energy economy.”

http://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/2009/06/new-mexico-suntower-gov-bill-richardson-announces-construction-of-states-first-solar-thermal-power-p.html

Pictures of other Sun Towers around the world.





Megawatt
The megawatt (symbol: MW) is equal to one million (106) watts.
Many things can sustain the transfer or consumption of energy on this scale; some of these events or entities include: lightning strikes, large electric motors, naval craft (such as aircraft carriers and submarines), engineering hardware, and some scientific research equipment (such as supercolliders and large lasers). A large residential or commercial building may consume several megawatts in electric power and heating energy.
The productive capacity of electrical generators operated by utility companies is often measured in MW. Modern high-powered diesel-electric railroad locomotives typically have a peak power output of 3 to 5 MW, whereas U.S. nuclear power plants have net summer capacities between about 500 and 1300 MW.[3] ORF SAYS: COMPARE TO THE SUNTOWER GENERATING 92 MW, LESS THAN 1/5 THE GENERATING POWER OF A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.
The earliest citing for "megawatt" in the Oxford English Dictionary is a reference in the 1900 Webster's International Dictionary of English Language. The OED also says "megawatt" appeared in a 28 November 1947, article in Science (506:2).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watt