SDG&E Adds More Imperial Valley Renewable Energy to Portfolio (130 MW, Calif.)

[jpak]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sdge-adds-more-imperial-valley-renewable-energy-to-portfolio-2010-11-11?reflink=MW_news_stmp

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today announced that it has signed a 25-year power-purchase agreement with a subsidiary of CSolar Development, LLC, a renewable energy company managed by Tenaska Solar Ventures, to procure up to 130 megawatts (MW) of renewable power. The solar photovoltaic energy will come from a proposed facility in Imperial County.

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The agreement between SDG&E and CSolar Development is for up to 130 MW of solar photovoltaic capacity to be constructed on a 900-acre site in the southern part of Imperial County called the "Imperial Solar Energy Center South." The project is expected to be completed in 2014.

"We look forward to working with SDG&E to bring additional clean energy development to the homes and businesses of California, which is emerging as the renewable energy capital of the nation," said Dave Fiorelli, president of Tenaska's Development Group. "This project also will bring up to 250 new construction jobs to Southern California, which is good news in these hard economic times."

The ground-mounted photovoltaic solar power generating system will have a combined capacity of up to 130 MW of electricity. When operating at peak times, the Imperial Solar Energy Center South will produce enough electricity to meet the needs of approximately 44,000 California homes. Photovoltaic technology converts sunlight directly into electricity with panels that do not produce noise or emit any greenhouse gases. The technology has limited water supply requirements, an important consideration for the Imperial Valley. In addition to producing clean electricity, the facility represents a significant economic investment in Imperial County and will create hundreds of area construction jobs.

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