Thursday, April 7, 2011

Carlsbad to Get Solar Power Plant

Carlsbad, NM is all set to get a solar power plant as the first of 5 regional plants ready to be shaped at the south near Carlsbad Airport. One among the five plants have been planned to be built at Eddy and Lea counties and it is expected to generate a total of 10 mw of power each for a total of 50 mw after its completion. This power would be enough to power about 10,000 homes in their first year of operation.

The power will be generated with the help of photovoltaics which helps to generate the electrical power by changing the solar radiation into direct-current electricity with the help of semiconductors. John Waters, the executive director of Carlsbad Department of Development said this method has lot of challenges and Carlsbad area is perfect to avoid such difficulties and 2 things are very important like the present power grid must be able to handle the electricity as it is produced and secondly the location of users who will be using it said John Waters.

John Waters said the first plant will be charging into the grid during spring or by summer in this year and it will be set up, maintained and financed by the SunEdison. The plant will be managed by the Xcel Energy with the Southwestern Public Service Company, its regional operating company. All 5 facilities which have a capacity of 50 mw will become the largest solar generating project after its completion in North America.

John Waters said Xcel’s system and the present power grid can handle the power when it is fed directly into it and send to the users at southeast New Mexico and there are issues like storage and degradation involved in producing such kind of power. They is a good solar generation climate in the southeastern New Mexico, and Xcel can use it completely said John Waters.

SOURCE: http://www.biofuelswatch.com/carlsbad-gets-solar-power-plant/

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