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Antelope Valley’s proposed solar plant still thirsty

Posted by: Maven on July 7, 2009 at 7:07 am

From the Antelope Valley Press:

Water remains the central issue at the heart of the state licensing process for a 250-megawatt solar power plant proposed on former agricultural land northwest of California City near the community of Cantil.

Beacon Solar LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC, has applied to the state to construct and operate the solar plant on some 2,000 acres of land off State Route 14 that was once used for alfalfa farming. The plant would use a series of curved mirrors to capture and reflect sunlight on a series of tubes. Liquids in the tubes would be heated by the sunlight and in turn used to power a steam turbine, which actually produces the electricity.

The California Energy Commission, which is tasked with licensing the plant, held a public workshop on the proposed plant July 1 in Cal City, the second meeting to cover issues raised in the initial state staff assessment of the project.

The power plant application falls under the commission’s “in lieu” permitting process, which combines the various permits required from local, state and federal agencies into one process.

The biggest obstacle to the plant’s licensing appears to be the company’s intent to use 1,400 acre-feet of groundwater from the site each year to cool the solar power system. The California Energy Commission and the state Water Resources Control Board have policies against using potable water to cool power plants unless there is no other feasible alternative, said Eric Solorio, project manager for the energy commission.

At issue appears to be what is considered “feasible.”

Read more from the Antelope Valley Press by clicking here.

July 7, 2009 · Filed Under Southern California

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