July 30, 2007—Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) recently announced it has entered into agreements with two developers of utility-scale photovoltaic solar power, Cleantech America and GreenVolts, to deliver up to seven megawatts (MW) of utility-scale renewable solar energy for PG&E’s customers throughout Northern and Central California.
Under the agreements, the projects will be completed in 2009. Both projects utilize photovoltaic technologies to collect sunlight and convert it directly to electricity. The solar power plants will be located in close proximity to PG&E’s infrastructure and customer base to reduce transmission costs.
Cleantech America’s CalRENEW-1 project, located near PG&E’s Mendota substation in Fresno County, will provide PG&E with five megawatts of energy and will represent one of the largest pure photovoltaic facilities in the US, claims PG&E. Covering approximately 40 acres, the CalRENEW-1 project will serve as a peak solar facility, providing reliable zero-emission energy during the hottest times of the day during the hottest months.
The GreenVolts GV1 solar plant, to be located on eight acres in Tracy, CA, will provide an additional two megawatts of renewable power. When completed, the GV1 project will be the largest concentrator photovoltaic project in the world, claims PG&E. The company’s patent-pending high concentration photovoltaic system reportedly requires only half the land area of conventional flat panel photovoltaic technologies. The company says its complete systems approach reduces both the initial infrastructure cost and the ongoing levelized cost of energy.
For more information visit the PG&E Web site.
