Solar power plant expanding
| Wednesday, Jun 23 2010 05:25 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Jun 23 2010 05:25 PM
AREVA Inc. is expanding its Bakersfield solar power plant by adding a fourth line of solar panels, increasing capacity at the plant by 43 percent.
The plant belongs to Paris-based AREVA, an energy giant mostly owned by the French government that took over the facility as part of its acquisition of alternative energy company Ausra in March. The AREVA Solar business unit is based in Mountain View and sells electricity to the wholesale energy market, including utilities such as Pacific Gas & Electric.
"We still consider ourselves a small company, but now we have this immense experience and capability behind us," said senior vice president of engineering William Conlon. "It's just tremendous to have this big machine backing us."
Construction of the first of three existing lines of solar panels at the 11.3-acre Kimberlina solar thermal power plant in Bakersfield began in spring 2008. Initially, the facility was only used for testing, but last May the company began selling electricity.
The plant has a permanent operating staff of six employees, but the expansion has brought in five construction managers and about 50 construction workers.
The new line might create one more permanent position, but because most of the functions of the system are automated, it doesn't take many people to operate it, said AREVA Solar chief executive officer Robert Fishman.
Each of the Kimberlina plant's lines of panels is about 1,200 feet, and rotates incrementally throughout the day to track the sun. Mirrors reflect solar heat onto boiler tubes to raise steam.
The new line will be larger than the previous three with 13 rows of mirrors instead of 10.
Globally there is a great deal of interest in clean, alternative energy sources as a hedge against volatile fossil fuel prices.
The market for solar power plants is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 20 percent over the next decade, Fishman said.
California's three major utilities -- PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric -- have a state mandate to produce at least 20 percent of their electricity using renewable sources by this year, and at least 33 percent by 2020.
PG&E says it will meet the first goal and is working "aggressively" to make the next target.
"We're mandated by the state, but also as a company PG&E believes that it's the right thing to do," said spokesman Denny Boyles. "Carbon-free sources are better for the environment and better for our customers."
AREVA hopes to have the fourth line complete by Labor Day.
