The federal government yesterday approved the construction of the Genesis Solar Project, one of the most ambitious clean energy projects in US history. The enterprise will create over 1,000 jobs in California and could potentially power up to187,500 homes with clean energy.

The scope of the project is vast, with just about 2,000 acres of public land allocated for its facilities in Riverside County, California. The plant will utilize parabolic trough solar thermal technology to produce the clean energy. Parabolic mirrors will focus solar energy on collector tubes, which will in turn carry heated oil to a boiler that will send steam to a steam turbine generator, creating electricity.

Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, praised California for its commitment to clean energy, asserting the project will "create more than a thousand new jobs." Salazar also lauded the facility's role in meeting President Obama's goal of "developing domestic energy sources, reducing carbon emissions, promoting energy independence."

This is the seventh large-scale solar energy project approved by the administration in less than 4 weeks. Combined, these ventures are expected to produce enough energy to potentially power almost 2.1 million homes while creating 3,700 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs.