Arizona to become 'Persian Gulf' of solar energy (AP/CNN)

[eppur_se_muova]

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- A Spanish company is planning to take 3 square miles of desert southwest of Phoenix and turn them into one of the largest solar power plants in the world.

Abengoa Solar, which has plants in Spain, northern Africa and other parts of the U.S., could begin construction as early as next year on the 280-megawatt plant in Gila Bend -- a small, dusty town 50 miles southeast of Phoenix.

The company said Thursday it could be producing solar energy by 2011.

Abengoa would build, own and operate the $1 billion plant, named the Solana Generating Station.

Solana will be enough to supply up to 70,000 homes at full capacity.
***
more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/22/solar.plant.ap/index.html

[lligrd]

1. Nice But Why Does It Take A Spanish Company

to invest in American energy?

[Bobbieo]

2. What difference does it really if they are a Spanish company

as long as it is a positive venture and one that I might well be able to benefit from?

[lligrd]

3. Just Wondering What Is Wrong With Us nt

[OKIsItJustMe]

12. A Spanish company using (at least some) US research

http://www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet/power_plant_systems.html

[lligrd]

14. Good Information

Thanks for thr link.

[OKIsItJustMe]

15. You're welcome

This sort of thing is happening a lot. We're supporting research which is being commercialized elsewhere and then we're re-importing it.

[ben_meyers]

4. Probably because the already have

the know-how and technology to build and operate thermoelevtric solar power plants. No learning curve.
It seems they already have facilities world wide.

[lligrd]

6. I Remember When We Used To Be In The Forefront

But I am glad to see someone is doing something.

[Bobbieo]

7. Has anyone noticed the current administration hot to trot on solar energy

They are too busy trying to reopen uranium mines in the west.

[lapfog_1]

5. They developed this technology and are currently running

one of the largest solar generating power stations in Spain and are planning more there too.

I don't care that they developed it, the question is "Why didn't WE develop it?" But the answer to that is actually quite long and involves a lot of politics.

[lligrd]

8. As I Said Above, I Am Happy Someone Is Doing Something

Good for the Spanish.

[midnight]

9. Very good question.

[tinrobot]

10. Persian Gulf? Does that mean other countries will invade Arizona...

...for it's solar power?

[OKIsItJustMe]

13. Probably not

But they might invade to disrupt US power supplies if they were all (ahem) "concentrated" in one area.

[OKIsItJustMe]

11. The first of many

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=134677&mesg_id=134692

...

Now comes the latest reminder that these big solar facilities may become more than a niche source of the nation’s electricity. On Feb. 21, Arizona Public Service announced plans for a 280 MW powerplant to be built 70 miles southwest of Phoenix. “This will be one of many solar plants,” predicts Don Brandt, president of Arizona Public Service. “We’ll look back on this as one of the turning points.”

...

[NNadir]

16. Saudi Arabia powers far more than 70,000 homes.

One billion bucks for a 280 MW facility that will at best, run at slightly more than 20% capacity utilization doesn't sound like much of a deal to me.

Last year the United States imported about 3.7 billion barrels of oil, according to the EIA.

This represents, at 7.2 barrels of oil to 1 metric ton oil equivalent (MTOE), 45 GJ per MTOE, about 23 exajoules of primary energy.

Let us assume for a second - to be overly optimistic, and traditionally what else should one be when discussing solar electricity? - that the Arizona solar plants operate at 30% of capacity utilization. Then the plant would be the equivalent of an 84 MW plant running continuously without interruption. It follows that the plant would produce about 0.0027 exajoules in a year.

Ignoring - and we should ignore any drawbacks because well, it's "solar" - transmission and the thermodynamics of energy storage - we don't need no stinking thermodynamics - we can assume that to be the equivalent of US oil deposits, one would need to invest 8.7 trillion dollars, or about 87% of the entire US GDP in solar thermal plants in Arizona.

Of course though, solar electricity is not the same as oil, since oil provides energy on demand and the availability of solar energy is random.

I cannot recall the number of times that I have heard about "renewable Saudi Arabias" - North Dakota (wind) and Arizona or New Mexico (sometimes combined) come to mind - over the last 30 years.

Thus far, the results of these conceptions about Saudi Arabia's, have all proved to be nothing more than talk.