It’s the cutting-edge of green technology: Acres of mirrors in the Mojave Desert use the sun to heat a tank of water suspended on a tower above the desert floor and the steam is used to generate electricity. But the rays are so strong that birds flying through the area catch fire and plummet to the earth. The number of birds caught in the death rays varies depending on whom you ask. The energy company estimates 1,000 avian deaths a year, while an environmental group estimates it’s more like 28,000. The Associated Press reports, “Federal wildlife investigators who visited the BrightSource Energy plant last year and watched as birds burned and fell, reporting an average of one ‘streamer’ every two minutes, are urging California officials to halt the operator’s application to build a still-bigger version.” How ironic: An effort to create an environmentally friendly source of energy may create a silent spring. More…