SunEdison, North America's largest solar energy services provider, announced that the 8.22-megawatt Alamosa, Colo., photovoltaic (PV) solar plant was activated today, ahead of its scheduled completion date. It is the largest solar PV plant in the United States supporting substation loads for a major public utility. The solar plant was financed and built and will be maintained by SunEdison, under a Solar Power Services Agreement (SPSA). Under the SPSA, Xcel Energy will buy renewable energy credits and the solar power generated by the Alamosa plant for 20 years.
In March, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. signed into law legislation that requires utilities such as Xcel Energy to derive 20 percent of its power from renewable energy sources by 2020.
The groundbreaking for the new solar power system was held in April and was attended by Gov. Ritter, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, and executives from SunEdison and Xcel Energy.
"Colorado is advancing to a New Energy Economy through projects such as this in the San Luis Valley. It provides clean power to the state, protects our environment, and brings jobs and revenue to rural communities. The SunEdison solar power plant is a great example of how our state is taking advantage of renewable energy," said Gov. Ritter.
"With help from Governor Ritter and leading organizations including Xcel Energy and SunEdison, Colorado is emerging as the renewable energy capital of the nation with the deployment of the Alamosa photovoltaic solar plant and many other initiatives using solar, wind and bio-fuels," said United States Sen. Ken Salazar. "The development of renewable energy resources will help to secure our energy independence, strengthen our national and economic security and conserve our natural resources while revitalizing our long-ignored rural communities. It is a win-win for everyone."
Building the solar power plant to support the substation created approximately 50 new jobs in Alamosa and the San Luis Valley. Now completed, the plant provides ongoing employment for a small, locally based maintenance crew.
The solar power plant near the substation is unique in that it consists of three distinct types of solar technologies:
-- Single axis tracking array
-- Fixed-mount array
-- Dual axis tracking array with photovoltaic concentrator technology
According to Karen Hyde, vice president of resource planning and acquisition at Xcel Energy, "This is a unique facility - three types of solar technologies have been deployed in parallel. Performance monitoring will allow us to study the system's performance and evaluate the relative benefits of each technology over the system's expected 20-year lifespan."
"Xcel Energy is an excellent partner, and is clearly committed to providing clean energy for its customers," said Tom Rainwater, CEO of SunEdison. "We are also thankful for the environmental leadership of Governor Ritter and Senator Salazar. That leadership helped us to commission this project two weeks ahead of schedule. Xcel Energy and the state of Colorado have become leaders in creating policies and solutions to meet energy needs to the benefit of residents and the environment."
The Alamosa solar plant is on roughly 80 acres of land near the substation in Alamosa and San Luis Valley in Colorado. The facility will generate approximately 17,000 Megawatt hours annually, delivering enough clean energy to power 1,500 homes. The Alamosa photovoltaic solar plant will generate enough clean energy to remove the carbon emissions produced by cars driving 765 million miles over 20 years.
About Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (NYSE:XEL) is a major U.S. electricity and natural gas company with regulated operations in eight Western and Midwestern states. Xcel Energy provides a comprehensive portfolio of energy-related products and services to 3.3 million electricity customers and 1.8 million natural gas customers through its regulated operating companies. Company headquarters are located in Minneapolis.
More information is available at www.xcelenergy.com.
About SunEdison
SunEdison LLC is North America's largest solar energy services provider. SunEdison provides solar-generated energy at or below current retail utility rates to a broad and diverse client base of commercial, municipal and utility customers. For more information about SunEdison, please visit www.sunedison.com. The company headquarters is located in Beltsville, Md.