Denver-based Xcel Energy Co., an electricity and natural gas company, announced it has selected Baltimore-based SunEdison to build, own and operate an eight-megawatt central solar power plant in south central Colorado.
The power plant will house two solar technologies, concentrating photovoltaic and advanced flat-plate solar-panel units, the company said. The solar plant will be one of the largest in the country.
The plant is expected to be online by the end of 2007. The Public Service Co. of Colorado, which is an Xcel Energy subsidiary, will purchase the power and have access to renewable energy credits associated with the plant.
“Being able to meet the power needs of our customers and meet the voter-approved, Amendment 37 standards this quickly demonstrates our commitment to the environment,” said Pat Vincent, president and CEO of the Public Service Co. of Colorado.
“We will move forward with the project as soon as we receive regulatory approval to purchasing the output from this solar power plant.”
Jigar Shah, CEO of SunEdison stated: “SunEdison is honored to be selected as the winning vendor for this ground-breaking project.”
“All parties will enjoy the benefits of clean, reliable and competitively priced solar power delivered seamlessly via the power grid to Colorado consumers,” Shah said.
The plant will produce solar power by concentrating sunlight into a beam of light 500 times greater than normal light. That beam is then focused on a photovoltaic cell that converts the highly concentrated light into electricity at an efficiency greater than nonconcentrated cells. The solar electricity is converted from direct current to alternating current, then sent to a power substation and fed into the power grid.
The federal National Renewable Energy Laboratory rates the San Luis Valley as having the best solar conditions in Colorado. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, by using just 2 kilowatts of solar power, a person reduce carbon dioxide emissions equal to driving 6,200 miles in a car.
