The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #109087   Message #2282996
Posted By: JohnInKansas
08-Mar-08 - 01:10 PM
Thread Name: BS: A Solar Grand Plan in Scientific America
Subject: RE: BS: A Solar Grand Plan in Scientific America
Perhaps of interest here:

Solar farm to rise over 3 square miles

Spanish company to build, operate $1 billion plant based on mirrors, turbine

The Associated Press
updated 8:52 a.m. CT, Fri., March. 7, 2008

PHOENIX - A Spanish company is planning to take 3 square miles of desert southwest of Phoenix and turn them into one of the largest solar power plants in the world.

Abengoa Solar, which has plants in Spain, northern Africa and other parts of the U.S., could begin construction as early as next year on the 280-megawatt plant in Gila Bend — a small, dusty town 50 miles southeast of Phoenix. The company says it could be producing solar energy by 2011.

Abengoa would build, own and operate the $1 billion plant, named the Solana Generating Station.

Arizona Public Service, the state's largest utility, would pay Abengoa $4 billion over 30 years for the energy produced, estimated to be enough to supply up to 70,000 homes at full capacity.

APS filed for approval of the plant with Arizona's public utilities regulator last Thursday. The plant also hinges on an extension of the federal solar investment tax credit, which APS and Abengoa said they're confident will happen.

... ... ...

[More at the link]

There's a nice (but small) "artist's concept" picture of what the whole plant might look like, near the bottom of the page.

John