California is steadfast in its drive to be the first state in the nation to draw 20% of its energy from solar and other renewable power sources. To that end, Sempra Energy companies solar installers have completed their Copper Mountain power plant and it is operational. The 775,000-panel plant is producing around 48 megawatts of electricity across a 380 acre field in the desert. That is enough solar energy to power 30,000 homes. Coupled with their existing 167,000 photovoltaic panels at the adjacent 10-MW facility utilizing a total of nearly 1 million solar photovoltaic panels. Now that is some serious solar power!
Utilizing large expanses of desert to produce clean solar electricity is a smart use of our resources in this country. The mega solar power plant will not only generate electricity moving us one step closer to energy independence, it creates local jobs.
Sempra Generation, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, is behind the green energy solar power plant.
The Copper Mountain solar plant is an expansion of its existing photovoltaic power-generation facility near Boulder City, Nevada. The combined 58-MW solar installation is the largest operational photovoltaic solar-power facility in America. Together with the existing 167,000 photovoltaic panels at the adjacent 10-MW facility, which was completed late last year, the facilities is utilizing nearly 1 million solar photovoltaic panels. The solar project expansion is creating new green jobs in construction, engineering, operations, maintenance and indirect services. All that money is pouring into local economies.
Sempra Energy is using First Solar for the engineering, fulfillment and construction contractor. The project, called Copper Mountain Solar, will be capable of generating 48 MW of power, or enough electricity to supply more than 30,000 homes.”We look forward to continuing our efforts to help western utilities meet their goals for renewable energy,” said Michael W. Allman, president and chief executive officer of Sempra Generation. “This is our largest renewable energy project thus far and moves us closer to our stated goal of becoming the first U.S. company to own 500 MW of solar power.”
Unlike some solar projects, Sempra Generation’s companies solar power plants do not use heated water or other liquids in the power-generation process. Solar facilities generate electricity during the day when customer demand typically peaks.
Sempra Generation operates and maintains a fleet of natural gas fueled and solar power plants serving the U.S. market and is in the process of developing renewable power projects in the Pacific Southwest. Sempra Energy, based in San Diego California, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2008 revenues of nearly $11 billion. The Sempra Energy company’s 13,600 employees serve more than 29 million consumers worldwide.