First Solar Sells California Solar Power Project to NRG
Source/Type: Reported News

Author: CompoundSemi News Staff

November 23, 2009... First Solar reports that it has sold a 21 MW solar energy project in Blythe, California to NRG Energy, Inc. The facility is just a small part of the 1300 MW of PV solar project contracts that the company has with utilities in California and the Southwest. According to the company, the facility in Blythe in Riverside County, about 200 miles east of Los Angeles, is California's largest utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar generation facility, and among the largest in North America. Construction began on the project in September and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Electricity from the plant will be sold to Southern California Edison under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The facility will reportedly employ 175 people.

First solar says that the power plant will generate about 45,000 MW/hrs of electricity per year. The company estimates that the reduction in pollution from generating electricity with solar power instead of fossil fuels would be equavalent to taking 2,200 cars permanently off the road. "First Solar is very pleased that the first of our utility-scale solar projects in California will be coming on line with a leading power producer like NRG," said Bruce Sohn, president of First Solar. "This clean, affordable, and sustainable energy will help California meet the goals of its Renewable Portfolio Standard."

First Solar will operate and maintain the facility at Blythe under a long-term contract with NRG. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. First Solar News Release

See the Current Industry News Summary
See this article in its orginal context, with the other current news from the same week