Soon to be added to PG&E’s existing Solar Thermal plant in the Mojave is 1.3 additional GW of Solar Thermal capacity, the largest solar energy deal ever. With the capacity about equivalent to a large nuclear fission facility, this installment will encompass 7 new individual collecting stations spread out over 2 sites. The first of these projects, with a 100 MW capacity, is expected to be completed by 2013. Southern California Edison (SCE) is planning to install 250 MW of distributed photovoltaic generation in the coming years on consumer’s roofs in addition to these solar thermal installations. BrightSource, a solar thermal company based in Oakland, is looking at land across California, Arizona, and Nevada, and hopes to install 4.3 GW of solar projects in the near future. Considering the earth consumes about 16TW, and solar capacity is still around 1 GW, this is a huge step for solar.

 

Full Article: Greentech Media | BrightSource Inks 1.3 GW SoCal Edison Deal