Ivanpah Solar Concentration Thermal Power Station Facility Not Aliens

After being twice mesmerized by what was obviously an alien colony I'd driven by on my way to and from Las Vegas, I decided to research what could maybe be a solar farm and get some peace of mind.

Sadly, there are no aliens colonizing outside of sin city.  The Ivanpah Solar Power facility is the world's largest solar thermal power station.  It cost $2.2 billion to build, with the majority of financing coming from a New Jersey power company, the U.S. government, and...Google.  It has been operating for two years and provides about 86 local jobs, and a helluva lotta power for San Francisco, over 500 miles away.

How did the aliens make this crazy thing!  There are thousands of mirrors reflecting the sun onto tanks of water atop power towers, and the water creates steam which then enters a turbine that generates electricity.

One of the side-effects of feeding our power-hungry civilization is creating airspace that is 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.  Approximately 1000 birds are burned alive every year while flying into the radiated area.  Pretend phoenixes, unwitting self-immolating avians rising in flames and falling for our delights.

I took these pictures riding shotgun on the 15 freeway.  Look for the towers in each image!