Construction of the world's largest solar power plant is getting closer after the planned more than $ 6 billion power plant in Blythe, California, originally designed by Chevron Corp. was offered. and Solar Millennium AG, received planning permission from the California Energy Commission. Many energy experts believe that such an initiative will undoubtedly give the solar industry a huge boost in the US and open the door to many new solar energy projects. The plant is expected to have an output of 1000 megawatts - 1 GW. 1000 megawatts are a gigantic number when it comes to solar energy. The best evidence of this is data from the Solar Power Industry Association last year, which shows that the US installed around 481 megawatts of solar energy in 2009, according to Solar Energy Industry. Association. And to make the comparison even better, the largest solar power plants to date are four times smaller and range from 200 to 350 megawatts. We can also compare this to the average nuclear power plant capacity, which is 846 MW in the US.
The operating principle of this huge power plant is to use mirrors to heat a liquid that generates steam, which is expanded thanks to steam turbine generators. The technique is known as parabolic trough technology and is currently one of the most popular solar energy technologies. It's California's largest solar power project, but not the only one. In fact, it's one of nine proposed solar power plants in California that federal and state regulators are trying to evaluate by the end of the year. This, of course, is the most important.
It is very important to start construction on this solar power plant as soon as possible as solar power plants that start construction before December 31st may receive a grant from the Finance Department totaling 30% of the total project cost under the suggestion from last year. Not only would the construction of Blythe represent more energy from renewable sources, but it is also expected to create over 1,000 construction jobs, which is very much appreciated given the unemployment rates in the area.
In a perfect scenario, when the planned nine solar power plants are approved and built, they will produce an additional 4,300 megawatts of solar energy. The developers of these large solar power plants have not yet received final approval from the Bureau of Land Management for the use of public land, and if everything goes according to plan, this approval must be obtained by the end of October 2010. After approval, developers must also obtain a loan from the Department of Energy, and the DOE is already evaluating the proposal for the Blythe facility, particularly the technical and financial models.
If all goes according to plan, California will continue to recapture its position as the leader in renewable energy, and solar power could become a very popular choice for new investments in renewable energy. Given the tremendous growth in wind capacity in the US, which is expected to slow in the coming years, it's great to see solar power stepping in and leading the country into the future of renewable energy. The total price of $ 6 billion may seem like a huge sum to some people, but fossil fuel power plants aren't cheap either, and unlike fossil fuels, solar power is an acceptable source of energy in the marketplace. The environmental plan. This $ 6 billion investment is equivalent to $ 6,000 per kW of solar energy installed. For the construction of a nuclear power plant, these numbers range between $ 4,000 and $ 5,500 per kW of nuclear power installed.
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