Tessera Solar and Optiflex Team Up to Develop Solar Thermal Energy in California

SunTracker

Tessera Solar has been selected by Riverside County (California) to develop solar energy projects on county‐owned land at closed landfills and on undeveloped land adjacent to County airports. Optiflex Properties & Development LLC (Optiflex), a real estate and technology development company, is partnering with Tessera Solar to co‐develop and co‐finance the projects. Optiflex specializes in developing viable solutions which are economically feasible, environmentally safe and financially sustainable.

The solar projects will utilize the SunCatcherTM power system manufactured by Tessera Solar’s sister company, Stirling Energy Systems, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. The selection results from the County’s request for proposal (RFP) issued earlier this spring. Tessera Solar will develop as much as 500 MW of solar power on County of Riverside land. The company is currently analyzing the parcels of available land to determine the best location for the projects. Power produced from the projects will be sold to utilities and communities across the state of California to help achieve renewable portfolio standard requirements and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Post a Job! $19 for 30 days

 

“Tessera Solar is happy to partner with the County of Riverside for solar project development,” said Tessera Solar North America CEO Bob Lukefahr. “We commend the County for adopting our competitive solar solution on underutilized land which will also provide opportunities to area residents for construction and permanent jobs.”

Riverside County has excellent solar resources. On June 29, 2009 it was announced by Ken Salazar, the Secretary of the Interior of the United States, that the U.S. Department of the Interior has targeted 202,295 acres of public lands in the eastern half of Riverside County as the largest of 24 solar energy study zones singled out for fast‐track development.

“Alternative energy is the policy of the U.S. government, the state of California and this county,” said Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley.

The SunCatcher™ system uses precision mirrors attached to a parabolic dish to concentrate the sun’s energy onto a high‐efficiency Stirling Engine. Each dish can generate up to 25,000 watts of power and has been certified by Sandia National Laboratories as having the highest sun‐to‐grid energy conversion in the world.

In addition to its efficiency and cost advantages, the SunCatcherâ„¢ uses less than 1% of the water required by competing solar thermal technologies.

The Riverside County announcement expands Tessera Solar’s portfolio of Southern California projects already in development. Imperial Valley ‐ Solar Two, near El Centro, and Calico – Solar One, near Barstow, are currently undergoing the joint permitting process by the California Energy Commission and Bureau of Land Management, and scheduled to begin construction by the end of next year.

About The County of Riverside, California

Riverside County is the fourth largest county in the State of California, stretching nearly 200 miles across. The County is comprised of over 7,200 square miles of fertile river valleys, low deserts, mountains, foothills and rolling plains. Riverside County shares borders with densely populated Los Angeles, Imperial, Orange, San Diego and San Bernardino Counties. The County extends from within 14 miles of the Pacific Ocean to the Colorado River.

About Optiflex Properties & Development LLC

Optiflex Properties & Development LLC is developing advanced alternative energy projects and medical plaza facilities in the County of Riverside, California. The name Optiflex, derived from “Optimum Flexibility”, is currently devoting its resources and financial expertise to meeting our nation’s energy and healthcare needs for the future.

About Tessera Solar

Tessera Solar North America, headquartered in Houston, Texas, with offices in Scottsdale, Arizona and Berkeley, California, and Tessera Solar International, based in London, England, are exclusively responsible for the global deployment of the SunCatcherâ„¢ solar dish Stirling system, the solar electricity generation technology manufactured by our sister company SES Inc., headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.

About Stirling Energy Systems (SES Inc.)

SES Inc. was formed in 1996 to develop and commercialize advanced solar technology. The company maintains corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, an office in Tustin, California, and engineering and test site operations at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The SES SunCatcherTM is a concentrating solar power (CSP) technology that uses mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy and convert it to electricity. CSP technologies include dish systems, parabolic troughs, power towers and concentrating photovoltaic. The dish concentrator tracks, collects and focuses the sun’s energy and the Stirling engine converts the thermal energy to grid quality electricity. The SunCatcherTM technology has significant advantages over other CSP technology including power conversion efficiency, cost competitiveness and low water usage. The SunCatcherTM is a zero emission renewable energy technology. NTR owns a controlling stake in SES Inc.

About NTR plc

NTR plc is a leading international developer and operator in renewable energy and sustainable waste management. Founded in 1978, NTR has evolved from being a developer and operator of infrastructure in Ireland to an international developer and operator of renewable energy (wind, solar and bio‐ethanol), and sustainable waste management businesses in the USA, UK and Ireland. The company employs over 4,100 people and has a market capitalization approximating €657m.

Short URL: http://www.solarthermalmagazine.com/?p=170

Posted by Tracey A. Smith on Aug 16 2009. Filed under Solar Thermal Dish, U.S.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry