DOE Commits $1.4 Billion for Three Solar Power Plants
Posted in Solar Power on February 24th, 2010 by News Desk –Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy has conditionally committed $1.4 billion in federal stimulation funds to support the construction of three utility-scale concentrated solar power plants by BrightSource Energy.
The new plants will generate approximately 400 megawatts (MW) of electricity, nearly doubling the existing generation capacity of this type of energy in the U.S., according to DOE.
BrightSource’s concentrating solar power systems convert the sun`s energy into high-temperature heat using various mirror configurations, then make steam to drive electrical generating turbines.
The company estimates that the construction of the three-plant complex will employ approximately 1,000 people, and its operation will create 86 permanent jobs.
The complex will be located on federally-owned land in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California, near the Nevada border, and will be the world’s largest operational concentrated solar power complex. Once operational, it will supply electric power to about 140,000 California homes.
