PG&E Corporation announced it signed a contract to purchase a 106.8 megawatts (MW) of solar thermal-biofuel hybrid energy from two plants near Coalinga, California.
The contract is with Martifer, a Portuguese conglomerate, renewable energy division. The plants are expected to begin operations in 2011. It will provide energy for about 75,000 homes in northern and central California.
"This hybrid technology combines two renewable resources abundant in California — solar energy and biofuel," Fong Wan, PG&E vice president of energy procurement.
Solar thermal steam turbines will be powered by gas produced by local agricultural waste and livestock manure. The biodiesel component will keep the plants running even when the sun doesn’t shine.
"When the sun is shining during peak hours, it will just be the solar facility," says Andrew Byrnes, a project developer. "As the sun sets, biomass will be available to support the solar generation, and then at night the biomass will run purely on its own."
Ricardo Abecassis, president of Martifer Renewables Solar, said the energy from the plants would compete on price with conventional energy from natural gas or coal.
Loading...