The first Solar Thermal Electric Hybrid Power Plant is to be built in the Southern California Mojave Desert, near the town of Boron, in Kern County.
The proposed facility, designated “SME-1,” is a development project by Solar MW Energy Inc. and its affiliate, Ecosystem Solar Electric Corp. The solar thermal electric hybrid plant is designed to generate 109 megawatts (MWe) of power.
The company revealed that the facility is to be sited on green field near Boron, Kern County. The Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology plant consists of “twin parabolic collectors (mirrors) with twin parabolic tube receivers,” according to their press release. The developers designed the location of the SME-1 plant to be strategically sited near the Pacific Gas & Electric pipeline, and in very close proximity to the Southern California Edison electric transmission high voltage power line and the Kramer Substation.
The company says the permitting process has commenced, by sending official notices to the California Energy Commission and departments of Federal, State and Local Governments.
The permitting process for solar thermal electric hybrid power plants is known to take around one year, and the process includes public participation.
The State of California has a goal to increase the percentage of renewable energy supplies in the state. The company says the benefits of the proposed project and facility will outweigh the environmental and social costs.
The Application for Certification (AFC) proceedings includes the offer of public participation, sponsored by the California Energy Commission, and the developer.
Another solar-thermal-hybrid electric power plant is soon to be announced near Barstow.
