Tucson Electric Power (TEP) hopes to help bring clean solar energy to 6,000 homes via its partnership in two proposed solar power systems by 2012. These will be the Tucson’s largest renewable power plants and will include a new 25-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) array and a 5-MW concentrating solar power (CSP) plant. TEP wishes to buy power from these systems and will later relocate it to households along the Tucson area.
Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, one of the partners, will install 25 MW PV arrays capable of tracking the sun’s movement and hence, you can hope for an increased output. This increased productivity will offset 48,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. Moreover, these arrays are supposed to outclass Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base solar power system that is the U.S. largest one as of now.
The second project is a 5-MW CSP plant and it will utilize rows of parabolic troughs and a heat-transfer and storage system. Running turbines powered by the pressurized vapor, the plant will make up for more than 16,000 tons of CO2 a year. Bell IPC takes care of the BEST system that provides for the sun’s heat to linger on for long hours.
Paul Bonavia (Chairman, President and CEO of TEP and UniSource Energy) sees it as an opportunity to expand the existing solar energy resources and rightly so.
Via: Reuters