The concentrating solar thermal (CSP) power plant, which is being developed by Solar Trust of America, includes two units comprising a combined 484MW generating capacity, an eight-mile transmission line and associated infrastructure.
The power project will use an air-cooled condenser unit, which will decrease water use by nearly 90% compared with a water-cooled CSP facility.
Units 1 and 2 will include HelioTroughT collectors, which feature a simplified design, making them less expensive to build and install, and more efficient than earlier trough technology.
Upon completion, the power project is expected to generate 1,000MW of solar power using parabolic trough technology.
The solar project is estimated to avoid over 710,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from over 123,000 vehicles.
The project will sell all of its electricity output to Southern California Edison and will deliver power into the California Independent System Operator power grid.
