CLEVELAND & BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Solar Trust of America, LLC, an integrated industrial solar solutions company operating in the southwestern United States, today announced that its U.S. project development arm, Solar Millennium, LLC, will utilize advanced dry-cooling technology for its two proposed solar thermal power plants being developed by the company in the Amargosa Valley outside Las Vegas.
The company currently has a Memorandum of Understanding with NV Energy for development and construction of one or two, 242MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plants to be located 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
The decision to employ dry-cooling technology follows extensive due diligence that took into account unique environmental and ecological considerations including wetlands and wildlife habitats, water conservation and land usage, and state and federal government renewable energy initiatives and policies. Following a series of local public hearings and ongoing discussions with regulatory authorities and environmental groups, it was determined that dry-cooling was in the best interests of the Amargosa Valley community and its economic development plans.
According to Solar Trust of America Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Uwe T. Schmidt, dry-cooling technology requires significantly less water usage that conventional wet-cooling systems with no carbon emissions. “Our dry-cooled solar thermal power plants will use 90 percent less water than originally projected, thus conserving and protecting our limited natural resources while ensuring a carbon-free energy source for generations to come,” said Schmidt. “Combined with our financing, development and construction expertise in building utility-size power plants around the world, we will create much-needed job opportunities and contribute to the solar power industry’s growth potential in the Amargosa Valley.”
Josef Eichhammer, President of Solar Trust of America, LLC and Chief Executive Officer of Solar Millennium LLC, noted the extensive dialogue that has gone into the development of the Amargosa Valley project. “Solar Millennium has been an active and responsible corporate citizen in Nevada for many years and has worked closely with all stakeholders to address their concerns and arrive at a solution that works for all parties. We trust that this decision to employ dry-cooling will accelerate the approval process and enable us to begin construction and stimulate the local economy by December 2010.”
“Solar Millennium’s decision to use dry-cooling will enable Nevada to maximize the growth of the solar industry and accelerate the use of our enormous solar resource,” said Nevada State Senator Mike Schneider (D-Las Vegas), Chairman of the Senate Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation Committee. “This will create new jobs, clean energy and a new industry while saving water, our most precious resource. It will also go a long way in diversifying our economy at a time when our state needs it most,” he said.
Nevada State Senator Randolph Townsend (R-Reno), a longtime advocate for renewable energy, said “Solar Millennium has made the right choice for Nevada utilizing dry-cooling technology. Through their leadership they are being socially responsible along with their shareholders, rate payers and environmentalists. During this time of economic downturn, Solar Millennium will help put Nevada on the map as the renewable energy capital of our nation.”
The proposed power plants, valued at more than $1.5 billion each, are expected to directly employ at each plant up to 800 skilled workers during the initial construction phase and create approximately 100 permanent jobs for operations, maintenance and management employees. They are also expected to indirectly create thousands of additional jobs as Solar Trust of America procures materials, goods and services locally for each facility.
Together with its wholly owned U.S. project development subsidiary, Berkeley-based Solar Millennium, LLC, and global business partners Solar Millennium AG and MAN Ferrostaal AG, Solar Trust of America is actively pursuing the construction and development of multiple solar thermal power plants across the southwestern U.S. In addition to the Amargosa Valley project, the company currently has solar thermal energy power plants in advanced stages of development in Ridgecrest, Blythe and Palen, California. Last week those projects were placed on the Department of Interior’s “fast track” list to expedite the permitting process and meet eligibility requirements for economic stimulus funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
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