UTILITIES BUILDING NEW ENERGY

California Approves Edison-Millenium Solar Power Contract
Cassandra Sweet, July 8, 2010 (Wall Street Journal)

"California regulators…approved a solar-power contract between units of Edison International and Solar Millenium AG.

"The California Public Utilities Commission approved a 20-year contract that Southern California Edison signed with Solar Millenium development units to buy the output from two 242-megawatt solar-thermal power facilities in California."

A parabolic trough solar power plant in California's Mojave Desert. (click to enlarge)

"The plants, proposed for different locations in the arid southeastern part of the state, will use parabolic mirrors to collect heat energy from the sun and beam it to a tube filled with fluid that will generate steam to drive power turbines…Both plants are expected to be completed by mid-2014 and generate about 550 gigawatt-hours each a year."

click to enlarge

"The CPUC also approved a 5-year contract between Sempra Energy unit San Diego Gas & Electric Co. and Calpine Corp. for 25 megawatts of geothermal power from existing facilities in northern California…Terms of the deals have not been disclosed.

"Edison, SDG&E and PG&E Corp.'s (PCG) utility are required to use renewable sources for a fifth of the power they sell by the end of this year. Pending legislation would expand that mandate to one-third renewables by 2020."