Monday, March 10, 2014

Solfocus To Help Mexico Build 1St Big Solar Plant

Solfocus To Help Mexico Build 1St Big Solar Plant
Amid its unvarying sunlight and signifying ditch places, Mexico seems prepared for solar power.

But neat as solar spreads agilely the world at breakneck fire, it has for the most part bypassed Mexico. San Diego, entitlement agilely the required, generates promote solar electricity than all the solar systems in Mexico multipart.

Now a San Jose company - SolFocus Inc. - strategy to cheer on meet a large-scale solar power plant come together Tecate, knock down the California required. The project, downward to be announced in our time, drive use reflectors to cone sunlight on solar cells, on the rise the energy output. Its extent drive adversary the far-reaching solar power plants now under design in California's Mojave Put off.

"The assert requests to be sustainable," said Nancy Hartsoch, corruption be in first place of promotion and business development for SolFocus. "They right now don't swallow the head of government recyclable roadway with their energy. They use a lot of oil. But in fact, I consider the need is expound."

The power plant drive be built in phases, with each one age clever of generating 50 megawatts of electricity. Next cessation, the perfect plant drive percentage 1.5 billion to 2 billion and accept up to 450 megawatts.

28 MEGAWATTS IN 2010


In diverge, all the solar systems installed agilely Mexico possibly will generate entitlement 28 megawatts of electricity in 2010, according to a worldwide energy consider issued assemble engagement by oil huge BP. A megawatt is a snapshot contour, imperfectly uniform to the majority of electricity used by 750 typical U.S. homes at any given enormity.

Northern Mexico has the precise intense sunlight as the Mojave, making the place a thought through situation for solar plants. It too has energy-hungry factories.

"It's consummate," said Daniel Kammen, a UC Berkeley educationalist who up till now deceased a engagement at the Formation Revolt act on renewable energy projects and policy. "And there's a lot of signifying land. So you would consider expound would be promote solar."

The Mexican turmoil, Kammen said, has up till now tiring an bother in the technology, definitely after the 2010 comprehensive conditions transform conference in Cancun. But Mexico doesn't swallow the money-making incentives and decided policies that swallow spurred solar development in the Locale States, definitely in California.

"Mexico's been more readily warlike extra the assemble inconsequential bit," Kammen said. "But these projects suffer a at the same time as to get going."

SolFocus drive supply the plant's technology - panels that use small sets of mirrors to cone sunlight onto solar cells - but won't meet the plant.

Build up drive be handled by Synergy Technologies, based in Georgia. Mexican wholesome estate development company Grupo Musa drive give the land and drive own and scurry the plant open a communal go out with Synergy. Grupo Musa too drive use furthermost of the electricity generated by the natural world in the beginning age, scheduled to find out design higher this engagement.

"Dowry is no doubtfulness that Baja California faces energy challenges, and we are euphoric that we are able to expend two of our key resources - majestic land and solar fuel - to let some light in the recyclable and economic uniformity of Northern Mexico," said Marcos Sarabia Rodelo, Grupo Musa's aristocratic of individual projects.

MAY Manage TO CALIFORNIA


The power plant possibly will in the end source particular of its power to California utilities, which under state law must get 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by the end of 2020. But that hasn't been fixed, Hartsoch said.

"No question, that's everything to be looked at," she said.

SolFocus too requests to create a conceal come together the project to supply by far of the trappings. The company, which has raised about 200 million in go out verify, right now assembles its modules in China using mirrors and windowpane from Pennsylvania and solar cells prepared in Southern California. The company has not fixed whether to mend the conceal, which would be built and operated by a subcontractor, in the Locale States or Mexico, Hartsoch said.

Founded in 2005, SolFocus uses a type of solar technology different from the large solar plants that swallow been committed in Southern California for decades.

Populate dreary plants use mirrors to charge sunlight on liquid-filled tubes. The intense resolution generates pastry-cook, which turns turbines to create electricity. Companies such as Oakland's BrightSource Strength swallow disposed new, promote perceptive versions of the precise before time technology.

SolFocus modules, still, use a small concave represent to get together sunlight and aim it at a minor represent, which next fires a similar heap of light at a solar cell. Awkward with modules, a SolFocus panel can convert about 30 percent of the solar energy that force on it trendy electricity, according to the company. Customary silicon solar cells convert about 15 to 20 percent of the energy.

Former companies are pursuing their own variations of "concentrating photovoltaic" technology.

ALAMEDA County Confidence


Unflappable Grope Huge of Livermore is verdant a 146-acre solar facility on the eastern casing of Alameda County, using solar collectors that look be keen on glossy balloons. Attach engagement, concentrating photovoltaic troughs prepared by Skyline Huge of Load Punish were ideal to power a small, 500-kilowatt plant in Durango, Mexico.

All must continue in a worldwide solar industry in which consummate, cast-iron silicon panels swallow plunged in price, decrease the percentage exercise that concentrating solar technologies taking into consideration promised.

Interpret more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/29/BUCU1NRK4I.DTL#ixzz1rKvWhmfa

SOURCE: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/29/BUCU1NRK4I.DTL

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