Deep in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province, just south of the Kalahari Desert, dozens of solar mirror panels cast a glowing light.
The mirrors tilt at different angles throughout the day, tracking the sun’s rays and projecting them onto a tower.
The tower houses a receiver that absorbs the intense heat, boils water, and produces high-pressure steam.
This is then converted into 50 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 40,000 households for 24 hours.
The KHI Solar One project is one of many aimed at adding renewable energy to South Africa’s power grid, which relies heavily on coal-fired power plants.
