The First Solar Farms projects in the California will generate totalling 550 megawatts of capacity that would provide enough power to supply 170,000 homes when completed in 2015. The first solar farm (250MW) will be built in in Riverside County, near the city of Desert Center, and will be called Desert Sunlight. The second one (300MW) will be built northeastern of San Bernardino County and will be called Stateline. As expected, both locations get plenty of sun. The photovoltaic panels will be based on cadmium-telluride and will be made by First Solar.
The projects are also a sign that financing for new solar installations might be starting to recover after a year when many major banks abandoned the industry because of the meltdown in the credit markets. Easy money or not, California’s utilities might not have much of a choice, because the state has a goal of 20% renewable energy by 2010, and the law might be extended to 33 percent by 2020.
.gif)
