Concentrated Solar PV Plant Garners $90.6M Conditional Loan Guarantee

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Tuesday conditionally offered a $90.6 million loan guarantee to support the construction of Cogentrix of Alamosa’s Alamosa Solar Generating Project. The 30-MW (net capacity) High Concentration Solar Photovoltaic (HCPV) generation project in south-central Colorado near the city of Alamosa will source over 80% of its components from the U.S, the DOE said.

The proposed facility will use innovative HCPV systems consisting of concentrating optics and multi-junction solar cell panels that are controlled by a dual-axis tracking system. The tracking system rotates and tilts the cells throughout the day so the surface of the solar panel maintains an optimal angle with respect to the sun. According to the project sponsor, the multi-junction solar cells are nearly 40% efficient, or about double that of more traditional PV panels used in areas with high amounts of direct sunlight, such as Alamosa County.

In a February press release, Charlotte-based Cogentrix said the HCPV equipment for the project is designed and manufactured by Amonix. Mortenson Construction, which has been selected as the general contractor for the Alamosa plant, recently built another Amonix CPV solar facility at the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) in Aurora, Colo. The 30-MW CPV solar plant in Alamosa, which will begin construction soon, is 38 times larger than the SolarTAC installation.

The Alamosa project will sell all of its electricity output—about 75,000 MWh a year—to Public Service Company of Colorado.

"With this significant financial commitment, Cogentrix will have the tools to finish construction on one of the largest and most innovative photovoltaic solar power plants in the country—as well as create a significant number of jobs in the San Luis Valley,” U.S. Senator Mark Udall said in a press release.

Sources: POWERnews, DOE