PG&E to Buy 500 Megawatts of Clean Solar Power From NextEra and Abengoa Solar
27 October 2009 - 2:33AM
PR Newswire (US)
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pacific Gas and
Electric Company (PG&E) today announced that it has contracted
with subsidiaries of NextEra Energy Resources and Abengoa Solar for
delivery of a total of 500 megawatts (MW) of clean solar power. The
agreements are among several solar deals recently signed by the
utility with independent developers for a total of 830 MW.
NextEra's proposed Genesis Solar Energy Project consists of two 125
MW units to be located on a site managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management in Riverside County, Calif. The project is scheduled to
come online in two phases, the first 125 MW in 2013 and the second
125 MW in 2014. It is expected to deliver about 560 gigawatt-hours
(GWh) of energy per year, as much as the annual consumption of more
than 80,000 average homes. Abengoa Solar's proposed 250 MW Mojave
Solar project is to be located at Harper Lake in San Bernardino
County. The project will deliver more than 600 gigawatt-hours of
energy per year, enough to serve the needs of about 90,000 average
homes. The project is scheduled to become fully operational by late
2013. Both projects will use proven solar thermal technology to
generate renewable energy for PG&E's electric customers. Curved
mirrors in the shape of troughs will focus solar energy onto
fluid-filled tubes extending the length of each trough. The heated
fluid will then be used to create steam for generating electricity.
"These projects will serve the critical energy needs of our
customers without creating heat-trapping gases that harm our
environment," said Fong Wan, senior vice president for energy
procurement at PG&E. "Projects like these are reinforcing the
demonstrated leadership of PG&E and California in clean solar
technology." Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of
PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is one of the largest combined
natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in
San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of
the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit
http://www.pge.com/about/. DATASOURCE: Pacific Gas and Electric
Company CONTACT: Media Relations of PG&E, +1-415-973-5930 Web
Site: http://www.pge.com/about
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