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California utility to buy 159MW solar and biomass power

SolarReserve's Rice Solar Energy Project is based on technology used in the 10MW Solar Two project near Barstow, California

California regulators have given the go-ahead to utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company to buy power from two renewable energy projects in the state.

The California Public Utilities Commission gave the go-ahead last week for the utility’s 25-year power purchase agreement to buy power from the 150MW Rice Solar Energy facility in Rice, California.

It also granted permission for PG&E to buy power from a coke-to-biomass conversion project in Stockton.

The Commission said the contracts would help with California’s efforts to meet its renewable energy goals.

Solar

The Rice Solar Energy facility is being developed by Solar Reserve LLC, with PG&E due to buy an average of 448 gigawatt-hours of power, with commercial operations expected in October 2013.

The concentrating solar power facility is to be located on a 1,500-acre privately-owned desert site in unincorporated eastern Riverside County, California.

It will use a series of mirrors to focus sunlight on a liquid salt energy transfer fluid, which will then be put through a heat exchanger to drive a steam turbine. The technology was demonstrated at the 10MW Solar Two project near Barstow, California.

If all permits are received by December 2010, the plant would be available for operation in 2013.

Biomass

The biomass contract is a two-year extension to an existing deal that will see PG&E buying power from the Stockton Cogeneration plant, which Air Products Manufacturing Corporation is partially converting to use biomass.

The 45MW plant, which currently uses petroleum coke and tire-derived fuel, is expected to dedicate 20-25% of its capacity to biomass fuel.

A long-term agreement could follow that would see up to 50% of the power coming from biomass.

PG&E is currently pushing to meet California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard target to source 20% of its retail sales from renewable energy sources by the end of this year.

The utility achieved a 14.4% rate in 2009, and is currently predicted by the latest California Public Utilities Commission report on the Standard to come close to achieving the 20% target this year.