Nov 19 - Las Vegas Review - Journal

NV Energy, the electric utility formerly known as Nevada Power Co., and other energy companies are studying the feasibility of using solar energy systems to boost production at existing natural gas plants.

NV Energy and Dynegy Inc. will host the studies with support from the Salt River Project, Southern Co. and Progress Energy, the Electric Power Research Institute announced Monday.

The Nevada company is trying to determine the feasibility of attaching a solar thermal power plant to the Chuck Lenzie Generating Station near Las Vegas. Dynegy wants to adapt the technology for use at its Griffith Energy Facility, a gas-fired plant in Kingman, Ariz., that also supplies power to NV Energy.

"It's a simple matter of taking the solar Btu (British thermal units of heat) and replacing the gas Btu," said Tom Fair, executive for renewable energy at NV Energy.

By using solar energy to supplement gas fuel, the company believes it can reduce gas consumption, reduce emissions from burning gas and increase power, Fair said.

In addition, the solar facilities can use the same steam turbine, switchyard and transmission line connections as the gas-fired power plant, Fair said.

"By combining solar panel technology with the plant's steam turbine loop, solar energy would augment the work currently accomplished by a natural gas-fired boiler," David Byford, a Dynegy spokesman said in a statement.

This could help utility companies obtain more solar power and meet state requirements for use of renewable energy, he said.

NV Energy may be able to generate 100 megawatts of additional electricity at the Chuck Lenzie plant by using solar heat to complement the gas fuel.

Solar thermal plants typically focus the sun's heat on a fluid that is used to generate steam to spin turbines and generate electricity.

NV Energy and Dynegy will run computer simulations of the solar thermal facilities attached to the Chuck Lenzie plant and the Kingman plant before deciding whether to build a demonstration system for gas-fired plants.

The companies also want to determine whether the solar technology is financially feasible.

Project participants pooled several hundred thousand dollars for the research and development, Fair said.

Fair said he knows of a few other combination solar-gas power plants in the country and some overseas.

Contact reporter John G. Edwards at jedwards@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0420.

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