What's the Eye of Sauron, Israel's ominous desert tower?

They call it 'The Eye of Sauron', after the evil gaze that overlooks the wastelands of Mordor in 'The Lord of the Rings'. This tower, with a light so blinding it is recommended not to look directly at it, seems to be out of a fantasy novel. However, its use is no less brilliant.

The so-called Eye of Sauron is no other than the Ashalim Power Station, one of the most important thermal solar plants in the world.

The thermal solar plant is located in the Negev desert, in southern Israel. Specifically, near the Ashalim kibbutz. The desert here is so dry and inhospitable that it has been used by astronauts to practice living in a Mars-like environment.

Surrounding the tower, there are about 55,000 mirrors, known as heliostats. They reflect the sunbeams straight into the 'Eye of Sauron', absorbing the heat and turning it into electric power.

According to The New York Times, the Ashalim Power Station used to be the tallest solar plant in the world standing at 240 meters (about 790 feet). However, it was surpassed by Dubai's Noor Energy 1, with a height of 260 meters (circa 850 ft).

Tens of thousands of homes get electricity thanks to the 'Eye of Sauron', according to The New York Times. However, not everything is good and environmentally friendly about this power plant.

Local residents told The New York Times that birds that fly near the solar tower get roasted and fall dead.

Another controversy surrounding this plant is about costs. Generating electricity in this power plant is too expensive, compared to other types of solar plants. Though experts claim that these issues can be solved with technological upgrades.

What is true is that projects like the Ashalim Power Station herald a new, more sustainable future. One where the sunlight gets “collected” by mirrors and all that concentrated heat, which reaches up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit (over 500 °C) spins turbines and generates electricity in high quantity.

The brightness of the 'Eye of Sauron' can be seen from afar in the middle of the Negev desert like a second sun.

However, the Ashalim Power Station is not the biggest of its kind in the world. That honor goes to Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in the United States, pictured here.

Located in California's Mojave Desert, Ivanpah is an impressive power plant, made up of three thermal solar towers.

The people in Israel have for a long time used technology to get the most out of the arid zones of their countries.

Here you can see vineyards growing in the Negev Desert, sharing the landscape with 'Eye of Sauron'.

Thermal solar energy seems like a good alternative to generating power that doesn't create waste or CO2 emissions. However, like many other renewable energy sources, it faces a major unsolved issue: storage.

Image: Laura Ockel / Unsplash

There are batteries to store the energy generated by renewable sources, but a lot has to be done to create a way to efficiently contain all the raw power that is produced. So far this is a pending issue and a lot of solar and wind power goes to waste.

Image: Nuno Marques / Unsplash

What is true is that landscapes like this thermal solar plant in China are becoming more common around the world. According to Statista, China, and the US are the countries that generate (and consume) this type of energy. However, they are growing in popularity in Germany, Turkey, Spain, and many other places.

Israel's Eye of Sauron, instead of being a fabled evil to fear, is actually a lighthouse of hope for green energy and sustainability and how a better, more ecological way is possible.