Aug 30 2010
The California Energy Commission, an appellate authority for approving clean energy projects in the state, has approved the setting up of a 250 MW concentrated solar power plant by Genesis Solar Energy Project in Sonoran Desert.
The recommendations of the commission are displayed for a 30-day period to invite comments from the general public to arrive at a final decision. The commission has detailed the notable impacts the project can bring to the local environ and indicated that the benefits accrued from the project balance the mentioned impacts.
The Genesis Solar Energy Project, an initiative of Florida based NextEra Energy Resources will be constructed as two 1250 MW concentrated solar power plants. The project planned over a 1,800-acre site is located about four miles north of Interstate 10 and 25 miles west of Blythe over a vast land owned and supervised by the federal Bureau of Land Management. The company plans to install a number of parabolic mirrors in the field to collect the solar energy and focus it on two central towers built for providing heat to drive a steam turbine generator and produce electric power. On receiving its approval, the company plans to start its construction during the last quarter of 2010 and to commence its commercial production from the second quarter of the year 2013.
James Boyd, Presiding Member of the Committee, said the project will continue to carry a significant impact on the environs in spite of implementing the suggested corrective steps by the commission. He added that the commission proposed approval for the project after assessing the benefits over weighing the impacts.