Projects
California Central Valley
Solargen is developing the world’s largest thin film solar farm (“Central Valley”) to supply Northern California with clean, renewable energy. The Farm is under development with a planned capacity of 250 MW. Central Valley plans to use Applied Materials-based silicon thin film modules and will take advantage of the advancements in photovoltaic technology and government incentives to provide a solution to the growing demand for renewable energy in the State of California.
The Central Valley project is attractive: high solar energy under seven high-capacity PG&E power lines, complies with the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and fulfills is the need by the State of California to meet Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS).
Location: The Central Valley project is located in Central Valley between major electricity load centers. The physical location is in a micro-climate area which the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) confirms to have high solar radiation and optimal conditions for photovoltaics.
Transmission: The California backbone connecting Southern California and the Northwest runs directly over the property. Both the old and the new NP-15 (500-kV) lines are directly accessible from the property.
Incentives: The extension of the 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and expansion of the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program will both facilitate and improve the project’s profitability. In addition utility and direct federal and state funding is available.
Demand: The State of California has increased its Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), the allotment of energy required to be produced from renewable sources, from 20% to 33% by 2020. The dramatic increase in allotment of renewable energy sources has created a large demand for projects that are scalable to meet significantly higher mandated demand. To speed up the process, Governor Schwarzenegger has signed an Executive Order to create a Renewable Energy Action Team (REAT) to reduce the time of project permitting.
Off-take: Proposed long term, 20+ years, off-take agreements for the generated energy will be negotiated through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the local investor-owned utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, or multiple local municipal and co-operative authorities that have goals for renewable energy usage. These off-take agreements will be structured around the Market Price Referent (MPR) defined by the California Public Utility Council (CPUC).
