Largest Solar Power Plant Completed in Texas

Power company Duke Energy and renewable energy developer Juwi Solar have celebrated completion of a 14-megawatt solar facility in San Antonio, Texas.

The largest solar facility in the state, the Blue Wing Solar Project is located in southeast San Antonio, with 214,500 solar modules installed on a 113-acre site.

The facility is using thin-film solar photovoltaic modules provided by Arizona manufacturer First Solar, although part of the site is devoted to testing out eight different PV technologies, including a 50-foot tall concentrating PV unit.

A loan for $45 million to support the development was provided by Prudential Capital Group (see this BrighterEnergy.org story), while power generated at the site is being sold to local municipal utility CPS Energy under a 30-year agreement.

The Blue Wing Solar Project is expected to produce more than 26,570 megawatt-hours (MWH) of electricity per year, enough to power 1,800 average households.

CPS is aiming to supply1,500MW of renewable energy to its 707,000 customers in and around San Antonio by 2020, about 20% of its supplies. The company believes it will reach a 13% renewable energy level by the end of 2010.

“Blue Wing further solidifies our commitment to acquire affordable, renewable energy resources, while contributing to our community’s economic development,” said Doyle Beneby president and CEO for CPS Energy. “We are currently number one nationally in wind energy capacity among public utilities, and this project launches our venture into solar power, which will be pursued with equal effort.”

Duke Energy Generation Services, part of North Carolina-based Duke Energy, acquired the Blue Wing project earlier this year from Colorado-based developer Juwi.

Construction began in April and was completed in just seven months, two months ahead of schedule.

Keith Trent, group executive and president of the Commercial Businesses organization for Duke Energy Generation Services, said: “With the Blue Wing solar farm now on line, customers of CPS Energy can lay claim to using clean, renewable electricity generated at what is today the largest photovoltaic solar farm in Texas.”

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