Rice Solar Energy Project
The Rice Solar Energy Project is a solar power project proposed in a remote region of Eastern Riverside County, CA. The project will utilize SolarReserve’s innovate concentrating solar power technology with storage and will have the capability to produce a nominal 150 megawatts (MW) of energy, both day and night. The California Energy Commission approved the project in December 2010, just 14 months after the proposal was submitted.
When completed, the facility will supply approximately 450,000 MW hours annually, enough to power up to 68,000 homes during peak electricity periods. SolarReserve secured a 25-year power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for the project and will release the construction timetable in the second quarter of 2012. By bringing clean, renewable energy to the grid, this project will play pivotal role in meeting the increasing demand for clean, renewable energy in the US, while also reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
The proposed facility will use concentrating solar power (CSP) technology that features an integrated storage system. The technology generates power from sunlight by focusing energy from a field of sun-tracking mirrors called heliostats onto a central receiver. Liquid molten salt, is circulated through the receiver, which sits atop the central tower, collecting the concentrated solar energy gathered from the sun. The heated salt is then routed to an insulated storage tank, where it is stored until electricity is needed, with minimal energy losses. When electricity is to be generated, the hot salt is routed to a heat exchanger to produce steam that is used to generate electricity in a conventional steam turbine cycle. The "cold" salt is then sent to the cold salt storage tank, ready to be reheated by the sun and reused the following day. [More on SolarReserve’s innovative storage technology]
Key Project Benefits:
- Help meet growing demand for clean, renewable energy sources.
- Incorporate energy storage which provides operating stability for the electricity grid and a cost-effective way to meet California’s peak electricity demand profile.
- Boost the local economy by creating up to 450 construction jobs and up to 50 permanent operating jobs, and also significant property tax revenues that will benefit the local community and region.