14 DAY TRIAL // Agua Caliente Solar, LLC has just received a conditional commitment from the US Department of Energy (DOE), for loan guarantees extending to a maximum sum of $967 million. The money are destined for a solar power facility that will become the largest of its kind in the world.
The planned, 290-megawatt photovoltaic solar generating facility will be located in Yuma County, Arizona, and, when completed, it will become the largest photovoltaic facility on Earth.
The company in charge of the project, Agua Caliente Solar, announced that it will use thin film solar panels developed by First Solar, Inc. for the new facility. These panels have very high conversion rates and accessible prices, which make them suitable this particular use.
The announcement about the DOE support was made by Steven Chu, the US Energy Secretary, and was published on the EERE site the Department operates.
“Solar projects like this are helping the US to compete globally for the clean energy jobs of today and the future. The Obama Administration is committed to bringing innovative renewable energy technologies to the market to support the country's transition to a clean energy economy,” Chu says.
In addition to the state and local tax revenues that the new project will generate, the construction site is bound to provide jobs for at least 400 people, according to estimates from the NRG Solar, the sponsor of the endeavor.
“The company anticipates the project will avoid approximately 237,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to taking over 40,000 cars off the road annually,” the EERE announcement says.
“In addition, at full capacity, NRG estimates the project will also provide clean, emissions-free electricity for approximately100,000 homes, the statement adds. One of the main advantages of the new facility will be that it will produce reliable and predictable electricity.
Generally, power produced via solar panel fluctuates due to natural variation in the Earth's atmosphere, and so it cannot be fed constantly into the power grid. The technologies that will be employed in Yuma County will allow for the production and transport of constant levels of electricity.
This will help increase the market share that renewable energy has, and could help change some people's minds about the potential role that solar power could play in the future.