TEXAS TURNS TO SUN

CPS Energy ratchets up investment in solar; Utility notifies its bidders that project will be eight times larger.
Tracy Idell Hamilton, July 7, 2011 (San Antonio News Express)

"CPS Energy will be making a far larger investment in solar energy than the already substantial 50-megawatt project it sought proposals for earlier this year…[Bidders for that project have until July 16 to resubmit their proposals…for up to 400 megawatts, in large part because the price of solar continues to drop…

"Today, the largest solar installation in the world is 97 megawatts in southern Ontario, followed by several between 84 and 53 megawatts in Italy, Germany and Spain…Four hundred megawatts can power about 80,000 homes…That's almost half the amount CPS needs to replace the two coal-burning units it plans to retire in 2018."

Might as well get something besides drought from all that sun (click to enlarge)

"For the other half, CPS plans to buy 200 megawatts of “clean coal” from a first-of-its-kind plant to be built near Odessa, and will save 250 megawatts through home energy management systems offered to customers for free.

"The increase in the solar proposal comes as something of a surprise…Prices for solar photovoltaic components continue to drop, leading to falling prices for the power itself…CPS reportedly will pay 15 cents per kilowatt hour for the power it's contracted to buy from the three 10-megawatt solar projects to be built and owned by SunEdison…Sources say the most recent proposals are as much as 30 percent less than that…"