NTR’s Tessera Solar North America Announces 1.5 MW Maricopa Solar Plant
August 19 2009
NTR’s Tessera Solar North America and Salt River Project (SRP) today unveiled plans to partner on a 1.5 megawatt (MW) solar project, Maricopa Solar LLC, in Peoria, Arizona, located in the West Valley of the greater Phoenix area. Maricopa Solar will be the first commercial-scale solar facility built using the innovative SunCatcher concentrating solar thermal technology, which is manufactured by Tessera Solar’s sister company, Stirling Energy Systems (SES). The power plant will use 60 SunCatchers and serve as a reference plant for the company’s larger commercial projects in California and Texas, which together total more than 1,600 MW.
The project will be located next to the Agua Fria Generating Station, a power plant owned and operated by SRP in Peoria. The solar plant, which will break ground in September and be completed by January 2010, will be operated by Tessera Solar under a 10-year agreement.
“Today’s announcement is of high significance as it represents another major step by Tessera Solar North America towards developing and operating utility-scale solar power plants using Stirling Energy System’s SunCatcher technology,” said Ian Simington, Chief Executive of NTR’s solar division.
Tessera Solar will lease the land from SRP, which will purchase the solar energy generated at the site. The plant will help fulfill SRP’s sustainable portfolio goal set by its publicly elected Board of Directors, which calls for the utility to meet 15 percent of its retail energy needs with sustainable energy by 2025.
“Partnering with Tessera Solar and Stirling Energy Systems on this project will allow SRP to have first hand experience with this low-water-use solar dish technology,” said SRP Associate General Manager Richard Hayslip. “It’s our belief that supporting emerging renewable-energy technologies will help further the advancement of solar energy while creating green jobs, economic development opportunities and clean energy for SRP and our customers.”
About the SunCatcher
The SES SunCatcher uses parabolic mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy on to a Stirling engine that converts the thermal energy to grid-quality electricity. Each dish can generate up to 25,000 watts of power. The SunCatcher technology has significant benefits including high power conversion efficiency, cost competitiveness and minimal water usage.
Designed, engineered and proven in the United States, the SunCatcher utilises automotive suppliers and manufacturing processes for high-volume production. More than 90 percent of the SunCatcher components will be manufactured in North America, creating thousands of new jobs.
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Notes to Editors:
About NTR plc
NTR plc is a leading international developer and operator in renewable energy and sustainable waste management. Founded in 1978, NTR has evolved from being a developer and operator of infrastructure in Ireland to an international developer and operator of renewable energy (wind, solar and ethanol), and sustainable waste management businesses in the USA, UK, and Ireland. The company employs over 4,100 people.
About Tessera Solar
Tessera Solar North America is headquartered in Houston, Texas, with offices in Scottsdale, Arizona and Berkeley, California. Tessera Solar International is headquartered in London, England. Tessera Solar is the exclusive developer/owner/operator of utility-scale solar power facilities using the SunCatcher solar power system, manufactured by our sister company Stirling Energy Systems Inc. (SES), headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. NTR plc is the parent company of Tessera Solar and SES.
About Stirling Energy Systems (SES Inc.)
SES Inc. was formed in 1996 to develop and commercialize advanced solar technology. The company maintains corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, an office in Tustin, California, and engineering and test site operations at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The SES SunCatcher is a concentrating solar power (CSP) technology that uses mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy and convert it to electricity. CSP technologies include dish systems, parabolic troughs, power towers and concentrating photovoltaic. The dish concentrator tracks, collects and focuses the sun’s energy and the Stirling engine converts the thermal energy to grid-quality electricity. The SunCatcher technology has significant advantages over other CSP technology including power conversion efficiency, cost competitiveness and low water usage. The SunCatcher is a zero emission renewable energy technology. NTR owns a controlling stake in SES Inc.
About Salt River Project (SRP)
Salt River Project is the third-largest public power utility in the country and serves more than 930,000 electric customers through a variety of resources including solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and hydroelectricity. In 2004, SRP’s Board of Directors voted to require that 15% of the energy generated comes from sustainable resources by 2025. Today, SRP’s sustainable portfolio is 6.5% of the total power provided to its customers.