BrightSource Energy
BrightSource Energy has been in the solar power game for decades now and has a long history of building and operating successful solar thermal power stations in California. The same engineering team and company founder were formerly operating as Luz International, the company that constructed the enormous SEGS parabolic trough thermal plants in the Mojave Desert. The company has over 1.4 GW worth of operational solar energy in its US portfolio, as well as a small trial plant in Israel. The trial plant which goes by the name of Luz Power Tower (LPT) 550 has proven the commercial viability of the new low water use solar tower technology.Changing Technology FocusThey have recently decided to shift their focus onto solar power towers as these have lower heat loss factors and they are going for an air-cooled design to reduce water consumption. The company's CEO, Mr John Woolard, also pointed out in a recent interview, that the solar power towers the company is shifting to also involve less environmental damage as they do not need vast areas of land to be graded level. Earlier this month, Bright Source upgraded their clean energy contract with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to a whopping 1310 MW of solar power. This contract is for solar projects yet to be built. BrightSource also has a 1300 MW contract with Southern California Edison power utility, totaling a massive 2610 MW of future solar energy projects. The company now represents 40% of all large scale solar thermal power generation in the United States. The first of these solar power plants, sized at 110 MW and located in Ivanpah, California, is contracted to begin operation in 2012. If BrightSource is able to build and operate the power stations to meet these commitments and can do so while making a profit, they will be a serious contribution to the greening of electricity production in the region. With at least $3 billion worth of solar power stations to be operating in the southwestern deserts of California, Nevada and Arizona, BrightSource is in for the long haul. More InformationTo find out more about this company, visit the BrightSource website.
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