We recently reported that SoCal energy start-up eSolar launched the world’s first solar-power plant. The company’s success is a testament to Southern-California innovation in the form of Idealab, as well as the leadership of Bill Gross. But there’s one other unsung hero: Software.

ZDNet reports that eSolar is relying on the power of software to reduce costs at the power plants. The power plants comprise many small mirrors that much be automatically programmed to follow the sun and harness as much light as possible:

In one 46-megawatt eSolar plant, there are 200,000 flat mirrors, each individually controlled by a microprocessor for the optimal angle. In an interview, Gross predicts that the “more software, less steel” trend will continue in solar, which will help get the cost of solar electricity down.

Its great to see that even in ground-breaking industries like clean energy, software continues to play such an integral role.