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In the sunny state of Rajasthan, the Indian Government is about to complete a huge new power station using hybrid systems. This fossil fuel/solar hybrid power plant is poised to generate a huge 140 megawatts of electric power, out of which 40 megawatt will be produced from a large array of solar parabolic troughs.

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The idea of using vegetable oil as an alternate fuel source is as old as the diesel engine itself. Until recently, use of petroleum distillate to power diesel engines has been more economical than biodiesel.

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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—Nov. 5, 2007—Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced that it has entered into a 177 megawatt solar thermal power purchasing agreement with Ausra Inc. The project, to be located in central California, is being developed by Ausra.

"Today's agreement between PG&E and Ausra highlights how clean energy will create jobs in California while delivering a reliable source of renewable energy," said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "I'm pleased to see California companies rising to the challenge of AB 32, California's historic initiative to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. Clearly, California continues to lead the nation in clean energy research, development and generation."

The plant, to be located in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., is expected to begin generating power in 2010. Ausra has filed its Application for Certification for this plant with the California Energy Commission, which must grant approval before construction begins.

"Solar thermal technology provides our customers with a reliable source of clean renewable energy that is ideally suited to meet peak energy loads," said Fong Wan, vice president of energy procurement, PG&E. "By partnering with Ausra, we are taking another significant step in providing our customers with some of the cleanest energy in the nation."

Ausra projects that the power plant will create over 350 skilled jobs on-site during construction, and an additional 100 permanent jobs in the area. The plant will burn no fuel, use minimal water, and have no air or water emissions. At 177 megawatts of capacity, the project will use only one square mile (640 acres) of land due to the exceptional area efficiency of Ausra's collector technology.

"This 177-megawatt plant is the first manifestation of Ausra and PG&E's shared vision of competitively priced, large-scale solar electric power," said Glen Davis, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Ausra. "We're excited to be partnering with PG&E to deliver clean power at hours of peak demand."

Ausra's new Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar technology utilizes the heat from the sun's rays to create steam. Solar collectors boil water at high temperatures to power steam turbine generators, in much the same way as traditional fossil-fuel power plants, but without use of fuels or emissions.

At the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in September, PG&E and Ausra announced separate commitments to build and purchase 1,000 MW of solar thermal power over the next five years.

The agreement filed today with the California Public Utilities Commission is the latest example of PG&E's commitment to solar thermal technology. PG&E currently has 553 MW of solar thermal power under contract and is seeking regulatory approval of these purchasing agreements.

PG&E's solar thermal commitments are part of the company's broader renewable energy portfolio. PG&E currently supplies 12 percent of its energy from qualifying renewable sources under California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program. PG&E continues to aggressively add renewable electric power resources to its supply and is on target to exceed 20 percent under contract or delivered by 2010. On average, more than 50 percent of the energy PG&E delivers to its customers comes from generating sources that emit no carbon dioxide, providing among the cleanest energy in the nation.

California's RPS Program requires each utility to increase its procurement of eligible renewable generating resources by one percent of load per year to achieve a 20 percent renewables goal by 2010. The RPS Program was passed by the Legislature and is managed by California's Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission.

About Ausra Ausra Inc. develops and deploys utility-scale solar thermal power technology to serve global electricity needs in a dependable, market-competitive, environmentally responsible manner. Located in Palo Alto, Calif., Ausra is a privately held company funded by Khosla Ventures and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. To learn more about Ausra and solar thermal electric power, visit www.ausra.com.

For more information about Pacific Gas and Electric Company, please visit the company's website at www.pge.com.

Energy Tags: Solar thermal technology, alternative energy

High-capacity plant to double worldwide output, create green collar jobs

LAS VEGAS—Dec. 13, 2007—Ausra Inc., the developer of utility-scale solar thermal power, announced today it is building the first U.S. manufacturing plant for solar thermal power systems in Las Vegas. The 130,000-square-foot, highly automated manufacturing and distribution center will produce the reflectors, towers, absorber tubes, and other key components of the company's solar thermal power plants.

Solar thermal power plants use fields of mirrors to capture the sun's power to produce electricity without pollution. Ausra's innovations in mirror systems have brought the price of solar power down to the level of gas-fired power today, and will soon reach prices associated with coal-fired generation. Solar thermal power plants can store energy as heat to continue power generation at night and during cloudy periods.

"Ausra can fill four square miles with solar collectors every year from this one factory, enough to provide market-priced zero-pollution power to 500,000 homes. Americans want clean power, and are tired of the market fluctuations, price increases, and pollution from fossil power plants. With market-priced solar power, we are entering the Solar Decade, in which massive construction of solar plants will take place. We are investing now in the systems and capacity to serve that need," said Bob Fishman, president and CEO of Ausra.

In November 2007, Ausra and California utility PG&E announced a power purchase agreement for a one-square-mile, 177-megawatt power plant, enough to power over 120,000 homes, to be built in central California http://ausra.com/news/releases/071105.html. Ausra's new Las Vegas facility will manufacture the solar field equipment for the PG&E project and for other power projects throughout the American Southwest. The factory, the first of its kind in the U.S., will be capable of making over 700 megawatts (electric) of solar collectors per year. The facility is expected to employ up to 50 highly skilled manufacturing workers in the Las Vegas area.

"We are proud that Ausra has chosen southern Nevada to build its U.S. manufacturing plant, bringing economic growth and new jobs to our state," said Somer Hollingsworth, president and CEO of the Nevada Development Authority (NDA). "The business-friendly environment we enjoy here provides Ausra and other companies a wealth of benefits. Ausra's decision to locate here points to Nevada becoming a leader in building and delivering clean power to our state, to our region, and to our country. Clean energy is growing our economy and helping America secure our energy future."

The plant will begin regular operation in April 2008. "We chose to locate in Nevada because it is the center of America's solar energy future. Nevada has massive solar resources, available land and a growing demand for clean energy, with huge markets next door in California and neighboring states projected to demand many thousands of megawatts over the coming years. Nevada's business-friendly climate, excellent transportation and workforce resources, and large-scale need for clean power made it the obvious choice," said Rob Morgan, Ausra executive vice president and chief development officer.

Ausra's Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar technology utilizes the heat from the sun's rays to create steam. Solar collectors boil water at high temperature to power steam turbine generators, in much the same way as traditional fossil-fuel power plants, but without use of fuels or emissions.

About Ausra Ausra, Inc. develops and deploys utility-scale solar thermal power technology to serve global electricity needs in a dependable, market-competitive, environmentally responsible manner. Located in Palo Alto, Calif., Ausra is a privately held company funded by Khosla Ventures and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. To learn more about Ausra and solar thermal power in general, visit www.ausra.com.

Energy Tags: solar energy, alternative

In March 2005, the University of Minnesota-Morris became the first public American university to install a large-scale wind turbine to help meet the schools electrical needs. Since it was installed, the generator has supplied some 60 percent of the universitys power. The rest of the schools power needs are purchased from Otter Tail Power Companys Tailwinds Program.

Those figures mean that whether the electricity is generated on site or purchased off the grid, 100 percent of UMMs electrical power needs are supplied by wind power, but the schools commitment to energy independence doesnt stop there. The universitys students have helped the school reach toward its energy goals by reducing electricity, water, and waste needs. The faculty has also gotten into the spirit, as well, placing considerable emphasis on green power and conservation in their classrooms.

The UMM 1.65 megawatt Vestas generator is an impressive sight, with 135-foot blades and a 230-foot tower, making the massive machine stand some 365 feet tall, but its impact on the community and the state of Minnesota goes far greater than that. The generator has become a major tourist and field trip destination in central Minnesota, and has helped raise the awareness of thousands of people, especially school children, since its construction in 2005.

The generator is a model of efficiency, and only takes a breeze of 7-9 mph to begin generating electricity. It takes a 26 mph wind to generate the units full 1.65 megawatts. Theres a dedicated power line to the UMM campus, and if the University needs more power, the local utility lines provide it automatically, so no one on campus knows if the power is coming from the generator or the grid at any given time. On the other side of the coin, whenever UMMs power needs are less than what the generator is producing, the excess electric energy is directed back into the local utility grid.

All this is impressive, but the university has even more extensive plans for increasing its energy independence. There are plans for the construction of a biomass gasification plant at UMM in 2006, which will be capable of meeting 80 percent of the campus heating and cooling needs. The plant will use stover (stalk residue) from cornfields in the area, as well as waste wood, other crop residues and various organic stocks as its fuel base.

The United States as a whole is second only to Germany in total production of wind-generated electricity, with California, Texas, and Minnesota leading the way.

Copyright © Jeanette J. Fisher. Publish with live links only.

Jeanette Joy Fisher

Jeanette Fisher, author of interior design and real estate books helps home owners makeover their homes with 'green design.' For more home environmental issue articles, visit Environmental Psychology