Posts Tagged ‘El Paso Electric’

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News

By Steve Ramirez

LAS CRUCES – The lease approved Monday may be just the start of plans by SunEdison to build two solar power plants in Las Cruces and sell the power to El Paso Electric Co.

Along with the one-year option on a lease agreement approved Monday by the Las Cruces City Council, there’s also an agreement in place between the worldwide solar energy company and El Paso Electric for SunEdison to provide 24 megawatts annually, in renewable energy. A megawatt is equal to 1,000 kilowatts or 1 million watts. That means SunEdison’s option to build one – and very likely two – solar generating facilities in west Las Cruces appears more likely than conceptual.

“That’s our hope and plan,” said Ricardo Acosta, director of resource and delivery planning for El Paso Electric. “At this point we’re awaiting regulatory approval from the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. We have a hearing on Thursday to gather facts of the case, and hopefully, we could hear something from them in November or December.”

Jared Schoch, Southwest regional sales manager for SunEdison, said as many as 200 construction jobs could be created when work begins to build the two generating facilities and there would be jobs, although fewer in number, to maintain and operate the two facilities. “For the construction phase there could be anywhere from 20 to 30 different contractors working on the project,” Schoch said. “A lot of that labor is going to be local.” Schoch added that construction to build the two facilities could take 18 to 20 months to complete.

Clay Doyle, vice president of New Mexico Affairs for El Paso Electric, said SunEdison was selected earlier this year from the more than 20 companies after El Paso Electric issued a request for proposals.

The council voted 6-0, with Councilor Dolores Connor abstaining – because her husband works for El Paso Electric, to approve the lease agreement for land near the Las Cruces Airport. There was also quick consensus to bring forward a proposed land sale of as much as 200 acres at the West Mesa Industrial Park for a second generating facility. The land sale agreement will be formally considered by the council at its Nov. 1 meeting.

“It’s great to have private-sector partners,” Councilor Nathan Small said. Added Councilor Olga Pedroza, “It’s a good thing all around and I’m glad to be working in partnership.”

But Las Crucens Jim Hayhoe and Leon Billstone, who said they supported the development of solar energy, expressed concerns that the council could get a better financial return. “I cannot believe you’re getting fair market value,” said Hayhoe, of the $500 per acre lease agreement for land located just south and west of Las Cruces International Airport. “(And) One thousand dollars is a ridiculous option amount.”

Billstone said, “It looks awful cheap to me. But the project is good, as long as it’s not going to hurt the airport.” Billstone was also a bit concerned that the generating facility could hinder glide paths of aircraft approaching the airport’s Runway 4-22. However, city officials heeded a recommendation from the city’s Airport Advisory Board and stipulated in the lease agreement that the facility cannot interfere with aircraft or airport operations.

Christine Logan, economic development and revitalization administrator for the city, pointed out that the site for the generating facility is near El Paso Electric’s airport substation, just off of Interstate 10. El Paso Electric also has a power line that runs above the property SunEdison is interested in leasing. Power from the generating facility would either be transmitted to the nearby substation or to the power line above it.

Steve Ramirez can be reached at (575) 541-5452

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

By Todd G. Dickson

Efforts are progressing to build a solar power plant in Hatch, which could be ready to begin generating 5 megawatts by summer 2011.

So far, NextEra Energy Resources has negotiated a power purchase agreement with El Paso Electric Co. and secured a 35-acre site in the village’s industrial park. The agreement with El Paso Electric is part of the utility’s rate request for 2011 that still needs to be signed off by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission.

Should all the regulatory requirements be cleared over the next several months as expected, construction on the plant could start in December or January 2011 and be operational by June 2011.

The proposal may be a small plant by the company’s standards – NextEra Energy Resources is the largest U.S. company in the renewable energy market with a total generating capacity of more than 18,000 megawatts in its operations in 28 states and Canada – but the Hatch plant will be using new technology that gets its energy from the sun in a more concentrated fashion.

This would make the Hatch plant the largest plant in North America using concentrated solar photovoltaics, said Cory Ramsel, NextEra Energy Resources project manager.

“It’s a little project, but it’s a step in the right direction,” Ramsel said.

The plant would have 90 stations 55 feet tall with solar panels 40 feet wide that will automatically follow the sun’s path. The panels have specialized optics that greatly concentrate the sunlight onto silicon cells to generate electricity. It’s a method that was first developed by Sandia National Laboratories.

There are still issues such as the regulatory steps and getting the transmission system in place, but Ramsel is cautiously optimistic that the proposal will come to fruition, noting the cooperation he’s received from Hatch officials.

“We have a good partnership with the village,” he said.

Jim Hayhoe, a consultant to the Village of Hatch, began working on the project almost two years ago. Hayhoe, who is interested in helping Spaceport America bring economic development to the local communities, said the effort began with conversations with the spaceport’s former executive director Steve Landeene.

Landeene told Hayhoe he was interested in getting some kind of solar generation project going for the spaceport, which is located in the desert between Hatch and Truth or Consequences. At the 2008 International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight, Hayhoe met Paul Turner of Renergix Solar. By early 2009, Renergix formed a partnership with NextEra to get the project going.

The project work has intensified greatly the last few months, Hayhoe said.

While the mostly automated facility will only need two full-time employees, the construction could require as many 30 workers, Hayhoe said. Also, the plant will become the flagship for the industrial park to attract other green industries, he said, and the village is moving to set aside adjacent land to allow for future expansion of the plant.

NextEra Energy Resources, which has a wind plant in eastern New Mexico, sees the state as having promising renewable energy resources, Ramsel said.

NextEra Energy Resources is the largest U.S. producer of renewable energy from the wind and the sun. According to its website, the company is the No. 1 solar power generator in the United States and the No. 1 wind energy producer in North America.

The company co-owns and operates seven solar plants in California’s Mojave Desert, the world’s largest solar site. In all, NextEra Energy Resources operates 310 megawatts of solar power, which is capable of meeting the energy needs of about 230,000 homes.

In 2009, NextEra Energy Resources corporate parent, NextEra Energy Inc., reported revenues of more than $15 billion and employed more than 15,000 employees. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla., NextEra Energy’s principal subsidiaries are NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and the sun, and Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), which serves approximately 4.5 million accounts in Florida and is one of the largest rate-regulated electric utilities in the country. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy collectively operates the third largest U.S. nuclear power generation fleet, according to its website.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

By Marvin Tessneer

The NRG Energy Company is planning to use a different power generation system than originally proposed for its Santa Teresa facility. It now plans to use tracking mirrors and photovoltaic panels to convert New Mexico’s ample sunlight into electrical power, a company spokesman reported.

Previously, NRG had planned to use a solar-thermal system that reflected and directed sunlight with mirrors at a steep angle into towers that boiled water for steam-powered turbines to generate electric power.

The company now intends to use solar panel arrays to generate electric power with a photovoltaic system because using a solar-thermal array would take longer, said NRG spokesman David Knox.

“What we have in this system is transforming solar power directly into electrical power,” Knox said. “We’ve been working with El Paso Electric Co. to determine a schedule to bring solar power on line as soon as possible.”

NRG decided to make the change to comply with New Mexico Public Regulations Commission (PRC) time line requirements. NRG also has a purchase agreement with El Paso Electric (EPE) Co.

NRG and EPE had first agreed on a 92-megawatt generation facility, but because the photovoltaic system is a new technology, they agreed to reduce the generation to 20 megawatts, the power company reported.

Construction dates for the photovoltaic plant proposal are pending a review and approval by the PRC, Knox said.

The photovoltaic panels will be set up in arrays. The panels will absorb light photons to turn into electricity.

“When photons strike the solar cells contained in a solar panel, they can be reflected, absorbed or passed through the panel,” according to a First Solar information source. “When photons are absorbed, they have the energy to knock electrons loose, which flow in one direction in the panel and exit through connecting wires as solar electricity, ultimately providing power for residential and commercial users.”

First Solar is the leading photovoltaic panel manufacturer in the United States and has been providing panels for the NRG Blythe Solar Project in Riverside County in southeastern California.

“Power generated by the Blythe Solar Plant can provide enough energy to serve the needs of about 17,000 homes at peak capacity and will replace more than 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year from fossil fuel generation,” a First Solar information release states.

NRG is planning to install the photovoltaic arrays on 450 acres near Santa Teresa, 10 miles west of El Paso. But it has not named a solar panel manufacturer for the project, pending PRC approval, Knox said.

When completed, the solar-power system will be connected with an EPE transmission line, avoiding additional construction, the utility company reported.

NRG has been conducting a 21-megawatt solar power research and development project at the commercial Blythe plant since 2009. The solar-generated power has been sold to Southern California Edison under a 20-year purchase agreement.

“This project demonstrates leadership for California in the utility-scale solar market, providing the lowest-cost solar energy available and helping the state meet its renewable portfolio standard,” the company reported.

The May meeting of the MVEDA Business on the Border Forum will be held on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM at the Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces, 705 S. Telshor. The meeting will begin with a hot entree buffet, followed by a brief update by MVEDA staff.

Clay Doyle

Clay Doyle, Vice President of New Mexico Affairs for El Paso Electric (EPE), will be the featured presenter for the luncheon.He will discuss El Paso Electric’s new seasonal rate structure.  Also accompanying Mr. Doyle will be Mr. Paul Royalty, Manager of Energy Efficiency Programs for El Paso Electric, who will be presenting information on EPE’s energy efficiency programs and incentives.

Luncheon cost is $20.00 per person, payable by cash, check or major credit card. Due to space limitations, reservations are required. Please confirm your attendance no later than Thursday, April 29^th to ensure proper space will be available.  You may register by clicking the button below or by calling the office at (575) 525-2852. The meeting is open to the public.

Article courtesy of The Las Cruces Bulletin

By Kristine Sandrick

Capturing the sun’s energy using mirrors to fuel southern New Mexico and west Texas homes was the hot topic of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance annual appreciation luncheon Friday, March 12, at Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces.

Luncheon keynote speaker Jim Shandalov, eSolar‘s vice president of business development, talked about his company’s new power plant under construction in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The company plans to break ground this spring and have the power center operating by summer 2011.

Shandalov said the 92-megawatt plant is being constructed in unincorporated Dona Ana County, 1 mile north of the Mexican border off the Pete Domenici Highway.

The Santa Teresa plant will use 390,000 mirrors to collect energy, and the turbines will be connected to El Paso Electric power lines. Shandalov said the electricity will be enough to power 74,000 homes in peak production.

The company’s concentrating solar power (CSP) technology uses a field of small, flat mirrors – called heliostats – to concentrate sunlight onto a thermal receiver mounted on solar power towers approximately 180 feet high. The captured sunlight heats water in a thermal receiver to produce steam that powers a traditional turbine generator and produces electricity. The eSolar technology leverages a highly accurate system to track the sun over the course of the day.

Due to its modular design and preassembled components, the eSolar solution allows plants to be sited on private land parcels near existing transmission lines and points of consumption.

“It’s a 500-acre site, which is a lot less land and uses less steel than a typical plant, but will create more processing power,” he said. “There will be more (boiler) towers and more mirrors than at our 5-megawatt Sun Tower plant in Lancaster (Calif.)” In addition to the Lancaster plant, which opened in August 2009, eSolar has solar energy partnerships in India, China and South Africa.

Idealab – an Internet search engine company that was bought by Yahoo! – created eSolar just three years ago in Pasadena, California.

“New Mexico in general has done such a tremendous job to bring us here,” Shandalov said. “That’s what brought us here. The site is directly adjacent to El Paso Electric lines and Dona Ana County is supplying the water for the coolers.”

He added that there is a good workforce available to fill the 400 jobs created during the 14- to 16-month construction period.

Shandalov said the plant is built to last 30 years and the only major maintenance required is keeping the mirrors clean and replacing them as necessary.

Also during Friday’s luncheon, MVEDA’s chief executive officer Davin Lopez presented the nonprofit agency’s new marketing look, which he said will help southern New Mexico better attract national site selectors.

“Our goal is to make this area competitive across the country. When people think of New Mexico, they think of how rural it is so we want to broaden what they think of us as a region,” Lopez said.

MVEDA’s new logo emphasizes the “MV,” which stands for Mesilla Valley, and clearly identifies the area’s location with the state. Lopez also presented a new MVEDA website that emphasizes the availability of “the right space” for both commercial land and aerospace development. The website also has a language translator so it can be read by anyone anywhere in the world.

For more information, visit www. nmborderplex.com.