Editorial: Solar One

On April 12, 1982, the turbines started to roll at Solar One, the world's largest solar electric power plant. This pilot scale research and development project is a cooperative effort of government and private industry designed to demonstrate the technical feasibility and the economic potential of the solar central receiver concept. The project, which is formally known as the lO-MW Solar Thermal Central Receiver Pilot Plant, is located near Barstow, California, in the Mojave Desert. The facility has already achieved its design net output of 10 MW electric power from solar energy. Solar One is a joint project of the Department of Energy (DOE), Southern California Edison (SCE), the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), and the California Energy Commission (CEC).