New Solar P.V. Plants Promise Clean Energy on Large Scale

Private companies plan to build two new solar power plants in central California that will produce more than 12 times as much electricity as the largest such plant existing today. On a sunny day, the facilities together will produce 800 megawatts — about the same as a large coal-fired plant — and the power will be sold to Pacific Gas & Electric, which is under a state mandate to obtain 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010. PG&E said the plants, which will use photovoltaic technology, should be competitive with other renewable sources, such as wind turbines and solar thermal plants. The current largest photovoltaic plant in the U.S. produces just 14 megawatts. Though solar power is still much more expensive than coal or nuclear power, the California utility hopes to lower costs by purchasing greater amounts. Plans for the new plants are the latest signal that solar energy is emerging rapidly and is beginning to achieve significant scale.