this is the Technology Report.The world's largest solar thermal plantis set to begin producing powerin the United States by the end of the year.Wind and energy from the sunare generally considered clean,unlike energy from coal-burning power stations.However, environmentalists now worrythat to much solar power developmentcould harm the local environment.A California company -- BrightSource Energyis building a huge solar power plantin the Mojave desert,about 60 kilometers southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada.The plant is known as the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System.Joe Desmond works for the company."This is actually one of the highest concentrationsof sunlight in the world,out here in Ivanpah," explained Desmond.BrightSource Energy will deploy 170,000 specially designed mirrorsto direct solar energy towards boilers on top of three power towers.The steam produced in the boilerswill drive turbines to make electricity.Joe Desmond says the steam can reach temperaturesof more than 260 degrees Celsius."We can store the sun's thermal energyin the form of molten salt,so we can produce electricity even when the sun goes down.There is a lot of interest in concentrating solar poweraround the globe in environments where you have lots of sun,such as China, South Africa, the Middle East,North Africa," explained Desmond.Environmentalists generally support the idea of solar power,however, many are concerned about the effect of power plantson sensitive environment.Lisa Belenky is a lawyer with the Center for Biological Diversity,a private group.She says environmentalists are specifically worriedabout the effect of the Ivanpah Solar Projecton the sensitive plant and animal life in that part of Mojave desert."Even though the desert seems big,when you start cutting it up,it can really affect how the species and the animalsand the plants are able to survive in the long run," said Lisa Belenky.BrightSource Energy has already spent more than $50 millionto move endangered desert tortoises away from the power plant,but Lisa Belenky says this is not the answer."We should be reusing areas that have already been disturbed, old mining sites, for example...either on homes, on businesses, parking lots," said Belenky.There have also been reports of birds dyingat the Ivanpah Plant and others like it.Some birds die after colliding with solar equipmentwhich the animals mistake for water.Other birds were killed or suffered burnsafter flying through the intense heat at the solar thermal plant.As solar projects increase, environmentalists and developersare considering what to do to reduce bird death.And that is the Technology Report from VOA Learning English.For more news about science and technology,visit our website at 51voa.com.We are also on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedInand Twitter at VOA Learning English.更多听力请访问51voa.com