ALAMOSA, Colo., Dec 17, 2007
-- BUSINESS WIRE
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.
SOURCE: SunEdison LLC
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