In February, the Ivanpah Solar Electricity Generating System opened over a 3,500-acre stretch of the Mojave Desert. The solar thermal farm operates at 392 megawatts—just under 1 percent of California’s total energy production, or enough to power 140,000 homes.

The Ivanpah solar farm eliminates 450,000 tons of carbon emissions annually, the equivalent of taking 88,000 cars off the road.