As One Solar Thermal Project Dies, Another is Born

Solar Millennium cancels its 250 MW Ridgecrest trough project, while SolarReserve receives approval for its 150 MW Crossroads tower project.

As shown in the updated GTM Research U.S. CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) project tracker, there have been some changes afoot in the utility-scale solar thermal pipeline.

On a sour note, on January 25th, Solar Millennium withdrew its application for the 250 MW Ridgecrest project.  For the full details, see page 2 of the filing with the California Energy Commission. The letter states that "a review of the record strongly suggests the California agency's staff is unlikely to be open to a recommendation of approval." It continues: "The DRECP (Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan) has identified Ridgecrest as a site to protect from development." Effectively, they don't think it will be approved because the DRECP opposed it. 

What is the DRECP? Glad you asked. The Governator himself ordered the development of the DRECP "for the Mojave and Colorado deserts that would, when complete, provide binding, long-term endangered species permit assurances and facilitate renewable energy project review and approval processes."  Basically if the DRECP doesn't like your project site, it's time to find a new project site.

But on the bright side, this Monday, SolarReserve announced that its Crossroads project had received its final Certificates of Environmental Compatibility (CEC)  from the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC).

To get a more complete picture of the state of the U.S. and global CSP markets, readers should plan to tune in to the upcoming GTM Research CSP webinar on Tuesday, February 15 at 1 pm EST.  The webinar will cover the major findings from the recently published CSP 2011 report -- including current LCOE by technology, project pipelines by country, and market share data for all of the major developers, suppliers, and electricity purchasers. It will also cover the latest developments in the U.S, CSP market, including the pipeline for Solar Millennium, and SolarReserve.

While the progress on the Crossroads project is promising, SolarReserve is still waiting on its PPA and Maricopa County Special Use Permit, which they hope to receive by the end of 2011 (so they can break ground in 2012 for completion in 2014).

Full details for the Crossroads project follow below. 

Project Name

Crossroads

Developer

SolarReserve

Status

Development, no PPA/FIT

Technology

Power Tower

Gross Capacity (MW)

150

Country

US

City

Gila Bend

State

AZ

County

Maricopa

Total Capital Cost ($M)

500

Capital Cost ($/W)

$3.33/w

Capacity Factor

34%

Solar Resource (kWh/m^2/yr)

2,601

Electricity generation (GWh/yr)

450

Acres

2,560

Acres/MW

17

Cooling Method

Wet

Water (acre ft/yr)

1,500

EPC

UTC Pratt & Whitney

Receiver Manufacturer

Pratt & Whitney

Heliostat Manufacturer

UTC Pratt & Whitney

Construction job-years

900

O&M jobs

45

Tower Height (m)

200

HCE Type (Length)

External - cylindrical

HTF

Molten salt

Inlet Temperature (°C)

288

Outlet Temperature (°C)

566

Temp Difference (°C)

278

Output Type

Rankine

Storage (hrs)

10

Break ground

2012

On line

2014

On line Yr

2014

PPA Date

No PPA

Land Type

Private

Fast-tracked

No