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21 December 2007 -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said the California Public Utilities Commission has approved three utility-scale solar and one geothermal contract that will generate 585.5 MW of electricity.
Among the four new contracts, PG&E announced a solar thermal project with Solel-MSP-1. The Mojave Solar Park, to be constructed in California's Mojave Desert will deliver 553 MW. The plant uses solar thermal parabolic trough technology. When fully operational in 2011, the solar plant will cover up to 6,000 acres, or nine square miles in the Mojave Desert. The project will rely on 1.2 million mirrors and 317 miles of vacuum tubing.
PG&E also announced two utility-scale photovoltaic solar power projects with Cleantech America LLC and GreenVolts, Inc. The projects will deliver up to 7 MW and will be completed in 2009. The solar power plants will be located in close proximity to PG&E's infrastructure and customer base to reduce transmission costs.
The fourth approved contract is with Western GeoPower Inc. for 25.5 MW of geothermal energy from The Geysers Geothermal Field in Northern California. The Geysers Geothermal Field is the largest producer of geothermal electricity in the world. Commercial geothermal power has been generated there since 1960.
California's renewable portfolio standard requires each utility to increase its procurement of eligible renewable generating resources by 1 percent of load per year to achieve a 20 percent renewables goal by 2010.
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