Palo Verde Energy Educational Center in Buckeye, Arizona

Palo Verde Energy Educational Center in Buckeye, Arizona

Built in the mid-1970s, Palo Verde Generating Station isn’t your typical nuclear power plant. Almost all thermal power plants — those that produce steam to spin turbines and generate electricity — are situated near large bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans.  But a desert? Many laughed at the thought, but engineers designed an innovative solution that pipes reclaimed wastewater from Phoenix’s 91st Avenue Sewage Treatment Plant over 35 miles…