The evolution of Ivanpah Solar

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In this new monograph, Jamey Stillings merges his environmental interests with a fascination for the interplay between nature and human activity. Beginning in October 2010, he undertook a three-and-a-half year aerial exploration of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California's Mojave Desert, the world's largest concentrated solar power plant. Documenting the transformation from the stark pre-construction landscape to the completed facility generating 392 megawatts over 14 square kilometers, Stillings captures the dynamic interactions between organic forms of nature and the precise geometric lines of the solar plant. His striking black and white images, taken from a helicopter during dawn and dusk, present tight abstractions, oblique views of geological and geometric forms, and expansive vistas of the desert basin. However, projects like Ivanpah also raise complex questions about land and resource use. Throughout his work, Stillings noted varying perspectives and contradictions within the environmental movement, local communities, and the energy industry. While Ivanpah is situated in the American Southwest, the challenges and promises of renewable energy resonate globally. Stillings’ larger project, Changing Perspectives, will further investigate the state of renewable energy development, contributing to the contemporary discourse on environment and climate change through impactful imagery.