Imperial Solar Energy Center Using PV and CPV

Up to 450 megawatts of capacity are being installed by Tenaska Solar Ventures.

Shayle Kann October 05, 2011

Shayle Kann

Senior Vice President, Greentech Media & Head of GTM Research
Greentech Media

Shayle Kann leads GTM Research, the market analysis, advisory and consulting division of Greentech Media. GTM Research analyzes and forecasts the dynamics impacting the transformation of the global electricity sector. An expert on next-generation energy, he has presented at conferences around the world, been featured in publications such as The Economist, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Forbes, Bloomberg, Reuters, and Financial Times, spoken at Harvard, Yale, MIT and Columbia, and testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives.

GTM Research's Utility PV Market Tracker keeps tabs on all 500 plus utility scale solar projects in the United States, including Tenaska Solar Ventures Imperial Solar Energy Center.

Last week, Tenaska Solar Ventures selected First Solar as the technology provider and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the Imperial Solar Energy Center South.

The project has a proposed capacity of up to 200 megawatts, with 130 megawatts being sold under a 25-year power-purchase agreement to San Diego Gas & Electric. When at peak operation, the project will provide enough energy to power at least 44,000 California homes. Tenaska anticipates construction to begin by the end of 2011 on approximately 950 acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management land in Imperial County, CA.

Also being developed by Tenaska is the nearby Solar Energy Center West. With a capacity of up to 250 megawatts, the project will use Soitec’s Concentrix concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology. Upon completion in 2015, the two projects, owned by CSOLAR Development, could supply up to 450 megawatts of energy.