Hinkley, CA

Alpha Mojave Solar Powerplant

Our process piping expertise helped expand the electricity generating capacity for a world-leading solar power facility.

View looking down a row of solar panels at the Alpha Mojave Solar Powerplant

Value Delivered

University Mechanical & Engineering Contractors of California provided process piping to help our customer expand their electricity generating system. We were able to fast track this project despite the size of the project field—approximately one and a half square miles—to allow the client maximum operating time and maximum capacity.

Client Objectives

At this plant, Mojave Solar uses heat transfer fluids (HTF) as part of their electricity generating solar fields. They needed a process piping solution in order to heat the HTF for electricity production.  The hot HTF will generate steam in solar steam generators, which will expand through a steam turbine generator to produce electrical power from twin independently operable solar fields. 

Solutions

For this project we: 

  • Installed approximately 84,000 feet of carbon steel field header piping, ranging from three-inch pipe to 20-inch pipe
  • Installed over one mile of header pipe
  • Installed 17 miles of overall piping

Client Background

Mojave Solar, LLC is a private research venture of the Eddy Company, and is one of the world’s largest parabolic trough-concentrating solar power plants.