L. P. Daniel Engineers and Contractors, Inc.
News
2605 Alpine Blvd. Suite 1
Phone: 619-445-0065
Phone: 619-445-0065Alpine, CA 91901 Fax: 619-445-0067
Fax: 619-445-0067
BUILDING THE FUTURE
L. P. Daniel Engineers and Contractors, Inc.
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A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy (EERE).
The EERE Network News is also available on the Web at: www.eere.energy.gov/news/enn.cfm
Large-Scale U.S. Solar Power Facilities Becoming Commonplace
A spate of announced plans to build large solar power facilities throughout the United States seems to indicate that relatively large-scale systems are becoming commonplace. The trend is most apparent in concentrating solar power (CSP), with a number of facilities in the planning stages with capacities greater than 100 megawatts (MW). One recent example is a plan to build a 106.8-MW CSP plant near Coalinga, California, about 60 miles southwest of Fresno. Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) signed a power purchase contract for th e facility with a subsidiary of Martifer Renewables Electricity LLC in June. Slated to start operation in 2011, the facility will produce power from biomass fuels when the sun is not available, allowing for constant power production. In addition, the four largest utilities in New Mexico, including PNM, issued a request for proposals (RFP) in late June to build a CSP plant in the state on the scale of about 100 MW. Bids are due by September 26, and a contract should be issued by January 2009, with the goal of commercial operation by 2012. Both the California and New Mexico facilities will use parabolic trough-shaped mirrors to concentrate the sun's heat. See the PG&E press release and the PNM press release and RFP.
