More solar power stations coming to California

More solar power stations coming to California

By MediaNews Group
Article Created: 11/13/2007 08:50:12 AM PST

California's push for energy from the sun could turn the Golden State into the Saudi Arabia of the solar power industry.

"California has a huge share of America's best sunshine," said John O'Donnell, vice president at Palo Alto-based Ausra. His company soon will announce the location of a 175-megawatt solar plant to be built in California, and recently received $40 million in venture funding.

He's not alone. The California Energy Commission identifies six plants that could produce 2,400 megawatts of power total on a list of "large solar energy projects" that have been proposed. Spokesman Bob Aldrich said staffers have talked with representatives of eight more proposed plants that could generate as much as 1,770 additional megawatts.

In all, Aldrich said, the backers of 34 projects that could produce as much as 24,000 megawatts of power have filed right-of-way requests for federal land in California. One megawatt is enough power for 750 to 1,000 California homes.

With 354 megawatts of power coming from nearly 20-year-old solar plants, California already is the largest solar producer in the world, Aldrich said. The proposed projects could provide more than 65 times as much power, although the commission doesn't expect all to be built.

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