... Colorado Wants a Solar-Thermal Plant

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/in-brief-kleiner-perkins-eyes-india-and-colorado-wants-a-solar-thermal-plant-309.html

... Colorado Wants a Solar-Thermal Plant

...

Sun-Heated Power

Utility company Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) proposed Thursday to add 1,050 renewable-energy megawatts in Colorado by 2016.

The company said it would tap the usual renewable resources like wind power. But the plan also called for the building of a 200-megawatt solar-thermal plant.

Solar-thermal technology makes electricity using the sun's heat, unlike traditional solar-photovoltaic technology that converts sunlight into electricity.

While solar-thermal power has long been hailed as a potentially far cheaper form of solar power for utilities, it previously had been limited to small demonstration plants - and went nowhere.

But that appears to be changing. Companies like Khosla-backed Ausra have been scoring deals as of late.

Earlier this month Pacific Gas and Electric Co. signed an agreement to buy 177 megawatts of solar-thermal power from Ausra (see Ausra to Build 177-Megawatt Solar-Thermal Plant).

And it now appears Xcel might be looking for such a company. But before folks start pitching Xcel hard for the deal, the project still has to get the green light from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. According to the company there is no set date as to when that might be.

[Eric J in MN]

1. Xcel Energy is the main energy company around the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.

If this works out in Colorado, hopefully they will build something similar here.