LA Times: Reporting from Bakersfield — Just up the road, past pump jacks bobbing in California’s storied oil patch, look sharp and you’ll catch a glimpse of the state’s energy future. Rows of gigantic mirrors covering an area bigger than two football fields have sprouted alongside almond groves near California 99. This is a power plant that uses the sun’s heat to produce electricity for thousands of homes. Owned by Palo Alto-based Ausra Inc., it’s the first so-called solar thermal …