500MW Solar Plant Coming to California
Pacific Gas and Electric has announced plans to work with BrightSource Energy to three four or more huge solar thermal electric generators in the Mojave desert. The first plant will be operational by 2011 and will produce almost 250 megawatt hours of renewable electricity per year. Brightsource Energy’s president John Woolard claims it is “the biggest commitment ever in the history of solar”. PG&E is motivated by a California law which requires them to produce 20% of its power via renewable sources by 2010.
BrightSource’s goal is to substantially lower the cost and increase the use of solar energy throughout the Western United States. “PG&E is making this goal possible by committing to power purchase agreements that will bring the benefit of carbon-free power to their customers,” noted John Woolard, president and CEO of BrightSource in making this announcement. “PG&E is demonstrating true leadership in bringing large scale solar power to California.”
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May 6th, 2008
PG&E had a terrible environmental and public relations record. For decades it was one thing after another. Now they are becoming the industry leader. I wish them well with their new evolution.
May 13th, 2008
“and will produce almost 250 megawatts of electricity per year”
I hope this a typo as this would be less than a megawatt per day. Not a very good ROI. I assume they meant per hour.
-John
May 13th, 2008
From BrightSource’s web site…
“The first of these solar power plants, sized at 100 MW in Ivanpah, California, could be operating as early as 2011 and is expected to produce 246,000 megawatt hours of renewable electricity per year.”
I live in an area served by PG&E. They’ve been doing an excellent job of getting CFLs into peoples hands. One can commonly buy a new CFL for $0.75 here and on Earth Day they had a bulb exchange. Bring in an incandescent, working or not, and get a new CFL in return.