Dive Brief:
- Abengoa's yieldco investment vehicle has begun commercial operations at its 250 MW Mojave Solar Project in California, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
- The facility will supply clean electricity to Pacific Gas & Electric Co. under a 25-year power purchase agreement. The concentrated solar power facility will provide clean energy, jobs, and economic growth, the company said.
- Abengoa is growing its solar portfolio, and also noted that its Solana solar plant in Arizona has just successfully completed its first year of commercial operation.
Dive Insight:
Abengoa's Mojave project will generate clean electricity to power approximately 90,000 households in California, preventing the emission of 350,000 tons of CO2 annually. "The project has generated thousands of jobs, peaking at over 2,200 positions during the construction phase," the company said.
The Mojave project was backed by a $1.2 billion federal loan guarantee, which facilitated the financial closing and start of the plant´s construction. But the company has said it expected to generating approximately $169 million in tax revenues over 25 years.
The Mojave Solar field covers nearly 2 square miles with 2,200 mirrored parabolic trough collectors and 1.5 million square meters of reflective area. Collectors concentrate the sun´s energy onto receiver tubes which deliver the heat to the central power plant via a heat transfer fluid.
The facility is one of several large concentrated solar facilities to come online recently in the region, PV Magazine noted.
In Arizona, Abengoa's Solana plant utilizes a six-hour thermal energy storage capacity and supplies clean energy to Arizona Public Service, the largest utility in the state, under a 30-year power purchase agreement.
