The four renewable projects, three utility-scale solar and one geothermal, will generate 585.5MW of renewable, clean electricity for Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E) customers in northern and central California.
Among the four new contracts, PG&E announced the Mojave Solar Park, a solar thermal project, with solar energy firm Solel. The facility will deliver 553MW of solar power. The 6,000 acre project will rely on 1.2 million mirrors and 317 miles of vacuum tubing to capture the desert sun’s heat.
PG&E also announced two utility-scale photovoltaic solar power projects with Cleantech America and GreenVolts. The projects will deliver up to 7MW of renewable energy and will be completed in 2009. The solar power plants will be located in close proximity to PG&E’s infrastructure and customer base to reduce transmission costs.
The fourth approved contract is with Western GeoPower for 25.5MW of geothermal energy from The Geysers geothermal field in northern California. Located 75 miles north of San Francisco the field is the largest producer of geothermal electricity in the world, according to PG&E.
