Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin
By Marvin Tessneer
The NRG Energy Company is planning to use a different power generation system than originally proposed for its Santa Teresa facility. It now plans to use tracking mirrors and photovoltaic panels to convert New Mexico’s ample sunlight into electrical power, a company spokesman reported.
Previously, NRG had planned to use a solar-thermal system that reflected and directed sunlight with mirrors at a steep angle into towers that boiled water for steam-powered turbines to generate electric power.
The company now intends to use solar panel arrays to generate electric power with a photovoltaic system because using a solar-thermal array would take longer, said NRG spokesman David Knox.
“What we have in this system is transforming solar power directly into electrical power,” Knox said. “We’ve been working with El Paso Electric Co. to determine a schedule to bring solar power on line as soon as possible.”
NRG decided to make the change to comply with New Mexico Public Regulations Commission (PRC) time line requirements. NRG also has a purchase agreement with El Paso Electric (EPE) Co.
NRG and EPE had first agreed on a 92-megawatt generation facility, but because the photovoltaic system is a new technology, they agreed to reduce the generation to 20 megawatts, the power company reported.
Construction dates for the photovoltaic plant proposal are pending a review and approval by the PRC, Knox said.
The photovoltaic panels will be set up in arrays. The panels will absorb light photons to turn into electricity.
“When photons strike the solar cells contained in a solar panel, they can be reflected, absorbed or passed through the panel,” according to a First Solar information source. “When photons are absorbed, they have the energy to knock electrons loose, which flow in one direction in the panel and exit through connecting wires as solar electricity, ultimately providing power for residential and commercial users.”
First Solar is the leading photovoltaic panel manufacturer in the United States and has been providing panels for the NRG Blythe Solar Project in Riverside County in southeastern California.
“Power generated by the Blythe Solar Plant can provide enough energy to serve the needs of about 17,000 homes at peak capacity and will replace more than 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year from fossil fuel generation,” a First Solar information release states.
NRG is planning to install the photovoltaic arrays on 450 acres near Santa Teresa, 10 miles west of El Paso. But it has not named a solar panel manufacturer for the project, pending PRC approval, Knox said.
When completed, the solar-power system will be connected with an EPE transmission line, avoiding additional construction, the utility company reported.
NRG has been conducting a 21-megawatt solar power research and development project at the commercial Blythe plant since 2009. The solar-generated power has been sold to Southern California Edison under a 20-year purchase agreement.
“This project demonstrates leadership for California in the utility-scale solar market, providing the lowest-cost solar energy available and helping the state meet its renewable portfolio standard,” the company reported.
