Industrial solar energy company GlassPoint has entered into a strategic alliance with Searles Valley Minerals (SVM) to transform the energy supply of its plant in Trona, California. The project involves the installation of 750 MW of advanced solar thermal technology, designed to progressively replace coal- and gas-fired coal-fired and gas-fired boilers currently operating at SVM’s facilities.
Solar energy to transform the desert’s mining heartland
Searles Valleywith more than a century of production history, processes brine from Searles Lake to extract minerals such as boron, potassium, sodium and lithium. Its plant represents one of the last bastions of boron production. boron production production bastions in the United States. With this agreement, the company seeks to reduce its carbon footprint by up to 500 thousand tons of CO₂ per year and strengthen its role as a national supplier of strategic minerals.
GlassPoint will apply its closed trough technology, which uses mirrors inside greenhouse-like structures to concentrate sunlight on a pipe with liquid salts. This system will enable steam generation for industrial processes and overnight thermal storage through its Unify platform, which guarantees continuous supply even in the absence of sunlight.
Cost reduction and job protection
Dennis Cruise, CEO of SVM, indicated that the high costs of coal and the need for a stable and affordable source of energy motivated the partnership.
GlassPoint offered the solution we were looking for: immediate savings and long-term stability without compromising local employment.
He stated.
The new system will gradually replace two fossil fuel-fired power plants, thus modernizing the company’s energy model without interrupting production.
A commitment to sovereignty and industry
The global industrial process heat market exceeds US$440 billion, and GlassPoint already leads with more than 60% of installed solar capacity in this area. This project not only positions the company as a dominant player, it also strengthens the U.S. mining supply chain, which is key for sectors such as glass, fertilizers and detergents.
With this new facility, GlassPoint brings its global portfolio to more than 2.2 GW thermal under development, consolidating its expansion beyond the Middle East, where it already collaborates with players such as Ma’aden in Saudi Arabia.
Trona becomes an example of how public-private partnerships can accelerate energy transition energy transitionThe GlassPoint and SVM model could be replicated in other states with active mining infrastructure. The GlassPoint and SVM model could be replicated in other states with active mining infrastructure.
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Source and photo: GlassPoint
