LA UTILITY MIXES IN BIG SUN

LADWP Working With SolarWorld To Develop And Interconnect Solar Array
2 March 2011 (Renew Grid)

"The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has joined forces with SolarWorld to develop an 11.6 MW direct-current solar project.

"LADWP will install, own and operate the system, and SolarWorld will supply the complete system engineering and solar panels, as well as procure balance-of-system components, including SMA America inverters, to convert power from the system to 10 MW alternating-current power for transmission to Los Angeles...[Work began] in February at the LADWP's existing high-desert Adelanto Switching and Converter Station...Preliminary designs...have been delivered, soil testing has concluded and detailed engineering at Adelanto is now under way."

click to enlarge

"The project is expected to produce 22,400 MWh during its first year and 515,700 MWh over a 25-year period. The system will be interconnected into a critical bulk-grid substation, as well as a 1,000-volt solar power system...The Adelanto solar array [with SolarWorld Sunfix ground-mounted flexible aluminum structures] will be built on a 42-acre site about 65 miles north of Los Angeles. The station there serves as the southern terminus of LADWP’s Southern Transmission System, which links Southern California with wind farms and the existing Intermountain Power Project in Utah.

"This project is one of three LADWP renewable energy projects to be financed by federal Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds..."