California to build 'world's largest' solar farm

[Bolt_Gundam510]

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- A San Francisco company said Friday it plans to build the world's largest solar power farm near Fresno, California.

The 80-megawatt farm is to occupy as much as 640 acres and upon completion in 2011 will be 17 times the size of the largest U.S. solar farm, said Cleantech America LLC, a privately held 2-year-old company.

The farm will also be about seven times the size of the world's biggest plant and double the largest planned farm, both in Germany.

Bill Barnes, CEO of Cleantech, said the scale of the Kings River Conservation District Community Choice Solar Farm will change renewable energy and make California the global leader for huge solar projects and replace Germany as the solar energy hub of the world.

"We're pretty confident that solar farms on this scale are going to have an industry-changing impact," Barnes said by telephone on Friday. "We think it's the wave of the future. This scale of project, I think, creates a tipping point for renewable energy."

Barnes declined to give the estimated construction cost of the Community Choice farm.

"We think the impact for it will be similar to the impact of the computer chip," which gained computing power once made on a large scale, Barnes said.

"So too will economies of scale like the Community Choice farm drive down the cost of solar," Barnes said.

Cleantech has announced two solar farms so far, and the future projects it will announce are, as of now, to be in California and also in the range of the 80-megawatt farm near Fresno, Barnes said.

Cleantech will partner with public agency California Construction Authority in building its projects.

Among the hurdles to be crossed before the new farm can be built, said Barnes, is buying the acreage somewhere in the San Joaquin Valley, hooking the farm to transmission lines, and contracting with a manufacturer of photovoltaic solar panels.

Cleantech plans to sell the solar-generated power -- enough for almost 21,000 homes -- to the Kings River Conservation District, which is a public agency that seeks to supply power generation for 12 cities and two counties in California's Central Valley.

Kings River is the water management arm of the San Joaquin Valley Power Authority. The Authority was formed in November to purchase and generate enough power for the 12 cities and two counties to replace power now bought from investor-owned utilities Pacific Gas and Electric, a unit of PG&E, and Southern California Edison, a unit of Edison International.

Last week, Cleantech announced plans to build a five-megawatt solar farm on 40 acres near Mendota, California, also in the Central Valley. Power will be delivered to PG&E.

The biggest solar farm now in operation is the 4.6-megawatt Springerville Generating Station near Tucson, Arizona, which delivers power to Tucson Electric Power, a subsidiary of UniSource Energy.

The Community Choice farm will not need state approval because Kings River is a self-generator and the farm is a renewable resource and does not emit pollution, Barnes said. But that designation must be approved by the California Energy Commission. Local permits must be given, he added.

Source: CNN TECHNOLOGY

[Infinite_Vision]

Well, it is a good start because it been super hot here lastly with no end in sight from the heat wave. Global Warming.

[myidisbb]

Well, it is a good start because it been super hot here lastly with no end in sight from the heat wave. Global Warming.

these farms use the mirrors to aim the light to one point to heat up a gas. then just like a generator. not the solar panels = straight power.

now for global warming. it is 100% crap. they dont ever share the data. why because when they do its proven crap. no double testing of data. just crap for more money. i remember green house gases = ice age. there is more real scienftic proven of a mini ice age.

junk science. now a bit of you all will say im full of it. but im telling the truth. use your head. not al gore the tv, movie, smoking, video game nazi. just the same crap that weed is deadly. (i not smoke) they all say the samething, and if you say they are bsing you get attack. its the same with global warming crap. they even started saying we should be killed for questioning their crap. remember always question anything in life. if we didnt question we all would believe downloading is evil and illegal.

[Bolt_Gundam510]

Well, it is a good start because it been super hot here lastly with no end in sight from the heat wave. Global Warming.

these farms use the mirrors to aim the light to one point to heat up a gas. then just like a generator. not the solar panels = straight power.

now for global warming. it is 100% crap. they dont ever share the data. why because when they do its proven crap. no double testing of data. just crap for more money. i remember green house gases = ice age. there is more real scienftic proven of a mini ice age.

if we didnt question we all would believe downloading is evil and illegal.

i know that it heats up a gas in the glass and conferts it to heat or something like that, watch the movie called the day after tommorow and see what happened, even with the use of fossial fules, the earth could all of a sudden for no reason have an ice age with out warnning. think of the human body like the earth we both produce gases we have a power core in side of our selfs. like the human body something could change in a heart beat.

[Zeus_Hunt]

I believe in Dooms Day senerios...

I believe in the next 50-70 years we will have humongous climatic change.. with polar ice totally melted during summer..

Thus effecting the global winds... this in effect changes the rainy seasons...

With most of Europe frozen up...

Many costal cities under water.

Huge Humanitarion crisis... huge loss of crops...

Unfortunatly I think this is inevetable.. in time... nothing we do can stop it... :rofl:

Sorry for putting such a gloomy overview.