CleanTechnica is the #1 cleantech-focused
website in the world. Subscribe today!


Green Economy brightsource

Published on September 25th, 2009 | by Susan Kraemer

6

BrightSource Splits Utility-Scale Solar Site With Giant Housing Developer

Share on Google+Share on RedditShare on StumbleUponTweet about this on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookPin on PinterestDigg thisShare on TumblrBuffer this pageEmail this to someone

September 25th, 2009 by  

[social_buttons]It is easy enough for solar companies to sign contracts under new RPS laws requiring utilities to buy more and more renewable energy. But building any new power sites or transmission is fraught with difficulties, even when these are for a societal good like renewable energy.

But BrightSource has been creative in finding sites for its utility-scale solar thermal plants. Here’s a new example.

They have just made a deal with Nevada housing developer Coyote Springs Land Company to site a 960 MW solar thermal plant on 12 square miles of a 43,000 acre housing development planned before the economic real estate apocalypse. Some solar was part of Coyote’s original plan for its golfing community 50 miles north of Las Vegas, but not 12 square miles of it!

Now with housing in free-fall, the expertize of housing developers comes in handy to help us meet the need for more renewable energy. Solar power developers could piggyback on the experience of housing developers with the know-how to get through red tape.

This could be how renewable power overcomes siting hurdles – and how the construction industry digs its way out of a deep recession. A marriage made in heaven.

Indeed, Coyote says it has been in talks with additional solar companies and is considering sectioning off even more of its planned housing development for solar. Transmission line access at Coyote Springs has been secured.

While BrightSource’s solar thermal technology requires relatively little water, it does need some, and the development already has ensured enough water rights to handle additional solar. Combining both uses, for energy and recreation works well as reclaimed water can be recirculated from the golf course to the solar arrays.

It makes sense to develop more land for the necessity of renewable energy, and to reduce the land allocated to a luxury. Golf courses are expendable.

BrightSource has agreements with Southern California Edison totaling 1,300 megawatts, and a 1,310 megawatt series of agreements with PG&E to meet Renewable Portfolio Standards in California.

A previous site that has become problematic for BrightSource was its Broadwell Dry Lake area in California. The 500 MW solar thermal plant site is apparently being eyed for a national monument. Last week BrightSource gave up on that site. But the company has signed contracts with PG&E for power so the company is looking at less pristine spots – that are already marked by development.

The shared site with the developer is one way around the problem.

Another way is to look for already developed land. BrightSource is partnering with engineering, procurement and construction contractor giant Bechtel to build a 400 MW solar thermal site at Ivanpah. This is near a casino area in Nevada, and already has two major transmission lines, a natural gas pipeline; and is right next to a natural gas electric power plant.

Both off-road bikers and cattle farming have already thoroughly trampled the environment, so there is unlikely to be any conservationist uproar there.

However, it would be a shame if solar was relegated to desert areas where there is no ground cover to hold the dust down. The dust that desert cattle farming causes is a problem for solar efficiency, requiring more frequent rinses to keep panels clean. Water is already scarce, and never going to be freely available in the West and Southwest as our climate keeps warming.

Related stories:

California Adds 8,600 MW of New Renewable Energy; Meets RPS Goals

US Must Socialize Grid to Add More Renewable Energy

Image: BrightSource

Keep up to date with all the hottest cleantech news by subscribing to our (free) cleantech newsletter, or keep an eye on sector-specific news by getting our (also free) solar energy newsletter, electric vehicle newsletter, or wind energy newsletter.



Share on Google+Share on RedditShare on StumbleUponTweet about this on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookPin on PinterestDigg thisShare on TumblrBuffer this pageEmail this to someone

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


About the Author

writes at CleanTechnica, CSP-Today, PV-Insider , SmartGridUpdate, and GreenProphet. She has also been published at Ecoseed, NRDC OnEarth, MatterNetwork, Celsius, EnergyNow, and Scientific American. As a former serial entrepreneur in product design, Susan brings an innovator's perspective on inventing a carbon-constrained civilization: If necessity is the mother of invention, solving climate change is the mother of all necessities! As a lover of history and sci-fi, she enjoys chronicling the strange future we are creating in these interesting times.    Follow Susan on Twitter @dotcommodity.


Related Posts



  • Larry Hogue

    Wait a minute here. The Coyote Springs sounds like it might be okay, because this is land that was slated to be developed anyway (due to the developer’s cozy relationship with Sen. Harry Reid). Better that it be renewable energy than houses for people who drive 50 miles one-way to work in Las Vegas.

    But I have to correct you on your characterization of the Ivanpah Valley, which seems to come from BrightSource’s own brochures. Ivanpah is not a thoroughly trampled site. It provides good quality habitat for the endangered desert tortoise and a host of rare plants. This mostly undisturbed land also can absorb as much carbon as some temperate forests.

    Truly abused land such as abandoned farm land around Daggett would be much better sites for this project, plus BrightSource would be able to build on that land much more quickly.

    As for the cooling, BrightSource will use dry cooling or air cooling (at least at its Ivanpah site), which is one reason its water use is low, but still a significant impact to the desert environment —

    32 million gallons of groundwater per year.

    [ed: 1,185 million gallons per year for gas plants – far more than 38 million gallons.

    That’s what the CPUC has approved 8 – 1 instead of solar – more gas plants – eg this typical one for 600 MW in Vacaville: http://www.energy.ca.gov/maps/01_RONLN_APRVD_CUR_PNP.PDF solar is a miniscule water user compared with gas, coal or nuclear]

    Solar Millenium just stated that their projects will be dry cooled.

    A much more accurate portrait of the Ivanpah project:

    http://bit.ly/2rBJUx

    And some photos and other info on the Ivanpah project site:

    http://www.basinandrangewatch.org/IvanpahValley.html

  • Larry Hogue

    Wait a minute here. The Coyote Springs sounds like it might be okay, because this is land that was slated to be developed anyway (due to the developer’s cozy relationship with Sen. Harry Reid). Better that it be renewable energy than houses for people who drive 50 miles one-way to work in Las Vegas.

    But I have to correct you on your characterization of the Ivanpah Valley, which seems to come from BrightSource’s own brochures. Ivanpah is not a thoroughly trampled site. It provides good quality habitat for the endangered desert tortoise and a host of rare plants. This mostly undisturbed land also can absorb as much carbon as some temperate forests.

    Truly abused land such as abandoned farm land around Daggett would be much better sites for this project, plus BrightSource would be able to build on that land much more quickly.

    As for the cooling, BrightSource will use dry cooling or air cooling (at least at its Ivanpah site), which is one reason its water use is low, but still a significant impact to the desert environment —

    32 million gallons of groundwater per year.

    [ed: 1,185 million gallons per year for gas plants – far more than 38 million gallons.

    That’s what the CPUC has approved 8 – 1 instead of solar – more gas plants – eg this typical one for 600 MW in Vacaville: http://www.energy.ca.gov/maps/01_RONLN_APRVD_CUR_PNP.PDF solar is a miniscule water user compared with gas, coal or nuclear]

    Solar Millenium just stated that their projects will be dry cooled.

    A much more accurate portrait of the Ivanpah project:

    http://bit.ly/2rBJUx

    And some photos and other info on the Ivanpah project site:

    http://www.basinandrangewatch.org/IvanpahValley.html

  • http://www.solartown.com Kristen

    I hope solar farms such as this one can be made to work in a sustainable fashion.

  • http://www.solartown.com Kristen

    I hope solar farms such as this one can be made to work in a sustainable fashion.

  • russ

    The water for rinsing the panels is nothing!

    I have yet to read where one of these proposals calls for using anything but standard cooling towers that require 2.5 to 3.0 liters of makeup water per kWh.

    Air cooling, modified air cooling and Heller cooling towers all are proven technology and greatly reduce water requirements but are more capital intensive which means the project builders are not very interested in them.

  • russ

    The water for rinsing the panels is nothing!

    I have yet to read where one of these proposals calls for using anything but standard cooling towers that require 2.5 to 3.0 liters of makeup water per kWh.

    Air cooling, modified air cooling and Heller cooling towers all are proven technology and greatly reduce water requirements but are more capital intensive which means the project builders are not very interested in them.

Back to Top ↑

© 2014   Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc.



Back to Top ↑