• 3 minutes e-car sales collapse
  • 6 minutes America Is Exceptional in Its Political Divide
  • 11 minutes Perovskites, a ‘dirt cheap’ alternative to silicon, just got a lot more efficient
  • 4 mins GREEN NEW DEAL = BLIZZARD OF LIES
  • 6 days If hydrogen is the answer, you're asking the wrong question
  • 3 hours How Far Have We Really Gotten With Alternative Energy
  • 10 days Biden's $2 trillion Plan for Insfrastructure and Jobs
Darrell Delamaide

Darrell Delamaide

Darrell Delamaide is a writer, editor and journalist with more than 30 years' experience. He is the author of three books and has written for…

More Info

Premium Content

U.S. Offers $1.37 Billion Loan Guarantee to California Solar Power Project

The U.S. Department of Energy is using funds from last year’s economic stimulus package to guarantee $1.37 billion in loans for a solar energy project in California’s Mojave Desert.

The project mounted by BrightSource Energy would be the world’s largest solar thermal power plant when built.

“We’re not going to sit on the sidelines while other countries capture the jobs of the future,” Energy Secretary Stephen Chu said in announcing the conditional loan commitment. “We’re committed to becoming the global leader in the clean energy economy.”

The Ivanpah Solar Complex will be located on federally owned land in southeastern California, near the Nevada border. The three combined plants in the complex will generate 400 megawatts of electricity and will supply power to 140,000 California homes. It will nearly double the existing generation capacity of solar thermal power in the U.S.

“The loan guarantee commitment…serves as a tremendous validation of our technology, the BrightSource team’s ability to execute, and the Ivanpah project’s role in meeting our nation’s large-scale renewable energy needs,” John Woolard, BrightSource chief executive, said.

Investors in BrightSource include energy giants Chevron and BP as well as well-heeled funds at Google, Morgan Stanley and other institutions.

BrightSource’s technology will use thousands of “heliostats” on three solar fields, DOE said in the announcement. Each heliostat has two mirrors that track the sun in two dimensions, allowing the capture of a greater percentage of solar energy than other solar thermal technologies.

The first plant is expected to begin construction in the second half of 2010 and come on line in 2012. Commercial operation for the second plant is slated for mid-2013 and the third later in 2013.

Electricity from the project will be sold under long-term power purchase agreements with Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison Company (SCE). The project will be connected to the electricity grid via an upgraded SCE transmission line.

Construction of the complex will employ approximately 1,000 people, and its operation will create 86 permanent jobs.

ADVERTISEMENT

The loan guarantee is conditioned on financial and environmental requirements, including local, state and federal regulatory approvals. The Bureau of Land Management will continue leading a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review with support from the Department of Energy.

By Darrell Delamaide


Download The Free Oilprice App Today

Back to homepage





Leave a comment
  • Anonymous on February 24 2010 said:
    Great news as I live close by. When I am not here in Iraq that is...What about an EMPLOYMENT opportunity?
  • Anonymous on February 27 2010 said:
    It’s great to see the Department of Energy putting stimulus funds to work: the $1.37B loan guarantees to BrightSource Energy will move forward some really promising solar and thermal projects. It was shame to see BrightSource forfeit their plans in the Eastern Mojave, but hopefully these funds will allow them to pursue new projects.

    Researching how to make your company, product, or next project more Green? Go to www.greencollareconomy.com for sustainability white papers and the largest b2b green directory on the web.

Leave a comment




EXXON Mobil -0.35
Open57.81 Trading Vol.6.96M Previous Vol.241.7B
BUY 57.15
Sell 57.00
Oilprice - The No. 1 Source for Oil & Energy News