Depending upon the position of the Sun, the solar power stations in
California's Mohave Desert can reflect solar energy from their large,
mirror-like surfaces directly toward one of the Multi-angle Imaging
SpectroRadiometer (MISR) cameras, and appear dramatically brighter at some
observation angles than at others. The solar power fields are readily
discernible in this set of natural-color images as the Sun's rays are
reflected differently from the solar power fields at different observation
angles.
These four images were acquired on 8 April 2003, when the MISR camera
closest to the specular reflection angle (the angle at which a perfect
mirror reflects light) was the 26 forward-pointing camera. The solar fields
can be readily identified by comparing the 26 forward camera view (top
right-hand panel) with the other camera views, and also by using the
animation, which covers the same geographic area but uses data acquired on
24 October 2000, when both the 60 and 46 forward cameras pointed close to
the specular reflection angle. Since MISR's forward-viewing cameras point
toward the Sun in the northern hemisphere, and because these parabolic
reflectors move to track the Sun, only the forward-pointing cameras
sometimes observe these solar fields near the specular reflection angle.
The two Solar Electric Generating Systems (SEGS) that appear alternately
dim and very bright are the 150 megawatt array at Kramer Junction (slightly
above image center) and the 160 megawatt array at Harper Lake (upper
right-hand corner). The Mohave Desert SEGS are the largest collection of
solar fields in the world. Together they cover an area of about 2000 acres
and have a combined electrical capacity of 354 megawatts. The types of
solar-concentrator systems used in the Mohave track the Sun with parabolic
reflectors and use either oil-filled tubes or tall receiving towers to
convert solar energy into heat. The plants were built during the 1980s and
are still in commercial operation.
The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth
continuously and every 9 days views the entire globe between 82 degrees
north and 82 degrees south latitude. These data products were generated
from a portion of the imagery acquired during Terra orbit 17583, and the
animation comes from orbit 4535. The images cover an area of about 93
kilometers x 100 kilometers and utilize data from blocks 62 to 63 within
World Reference System-2 path 41.
MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra
satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.
JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.