31 July 2012

Agua Caliente CdTe PV project reaches 200MW milestone

NRG Energy Inc of Princeton, NJ, USA, MidAmerican Solar of Phoenix, AZ (a subsidiary of MidAmerican Renewables LLC) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic module maker First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ have announced that the 290MWAC Agua Caliente solar project, currently under construction in Yuma County, AZ., is more than two-thirds complete and now delivering more than 200MW to the electric grid. The project is the world’s largest operating photovoltaic power plant.

The facility, which is owned by NRG and MidAmerican Solar, employs a daily average of 400-450 workers during the construction period. Due to be completed in 2014, Agua Caliente uses solar plant controls and forecasting capabilities to integrate its output with the power grid.

First Solar designed and is constructing the project using its CdTe PV modules and will operate and maintain the facility for NRG and MidAmerican Solar. PG&E has a long-term power purchase agreement for the project’s electricity generation (enough to supply more than 225,000 homes), which is projected to offset about 5.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over 25 years (equivalent to taking more than 40,000 cars off the road annually). The project is being financed with the support of a loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office.

“The Agua Caliente project sets the highest standard for what we can accomplish with today's solar technology when combined with a strong public-private partnership at the national level,” comments NRG Solar’s CEO Tom Doyle. "First Solar's performance on this project, from their technology and execution to their outstanding safety record, has exceeded all our expectations,” he adds.

“Solar projects like this are helping PG&E provide its customers with some of the nation's cleanest electric power, more than half of which comes from sources that are renewable or emit no greenhouse gases,” says John Conway, PG&E’s senior VP for Energy Supply.

Tags: First Solar Thin-film photovoltaic CdTe

Visit: www.nrgenergy.com

Visit: www.midamerican.com

Visit: www.firstsolar.com