California Energy Commission committee recommends 392-megawatt solar project

[jpak]

http://solar.coolerplanet.com/News/19920727-california-energy-commission-committee-recommends-392-megawatt-project.aspx

A utility-scale solar energy project planned for the California desert moved one step closer to reality this week.

A siting committee of the California Energy Commission recommended approval of the 392-megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. The project, a concentrating solar power system being developed by Oakland, California-based BrightSource Energy, would supply electricity to customers of Pacific Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison.

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With the siting committee's approval, the project will now undergo a month-long public comment period. Once that is completed, the project will go to a vote before the entire CEC.

There is, of course, no way of knowing how the commission will vote - but Ivanpah has multiple factors working in its favor. One is its use of a dry-cooling system; dry-cooling uses just 5 percent as much water as a conventional wet-cooled CSP array, and water is scarce in eastern California. The Ivanpah project would also be built on the land's natural contours, BrightSource said. Overall, it appears that the array's environmental impact would be relatively minimal.

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[txlibdem]

1. Building on the land's natural contours

That makes a lot of sense.

Dry cooling is also a very good idea. Water is scarce in the desert regions best suited to concentrating solar power.

This installation could serve as the template for a wave of CSP power plants across the southwest. Applause all around!