BrightSource CEO John Woolard: We "understand what it takes" to build major CSP projects like Ivanpah - "We've got to build 50 gigawatts a year of carbon-free power ... and we're failing miserably at doing it."

Green energy superstar BrightSource Energy notched a big win this week when a California state regulator recommended approval of its 392-megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in the Mojave Desert.

The California Energy Commission will now hold a 30-day public comment period before voting on the final decision. Another regulatory approval, this one from the federal Bureau of Land Management, should come down in short order. The company plans to begin construction on the...