The commercial-scale Crescent Dunes facility utilizes advanced solar thermal technology.
The power project is jointly owned by SolarReserve, ACS Cobra, and Santander.
ACS Cobra’s Nevada-based affiliate Cobra Thermosolar Plants is the general contractor for the project and is utilizing Nevada and regional subcontractors to perform the work.
Construction of the Crescent Dunes project started in September of 2011, and the facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2013.
Under a 25-year power purchase agreement, the facility will provide clean power to about 75,000 homes when complete.
The project is being constructed on federal land operated by the Bureau of Land Management.
SolarReserve CEO Kevin Smith said the US-developed technology has the ability to store energy for 10-15 hours and solves the issue of intermittent power generation to the grid.
"We can deliver electricity ‘on demand’ the same way a coal, natural gas or nuclear fueled plant does – but without emitting any harmful pollution or hazardous materials – providing a genuine alternative to conventional power generation," Smith said.
