Sempra Dedicates First Phase of Mesquite Solar Complex in Ariz.

Sempra U.S. Gas & Power dedicated the first 150-MW phase of the 4,000-acre Mesquite Solar facility in Maricopa County, Ariz., on Friday. Potential to build out up to 700 MW of nameplate capacity could make the photovoltaic (PV) complex one of the biggest in the U.S.

An optimized alternating current PV project, Mesquite Solar 1 is one of the nation’s first utility-scale PV power plants to use transformer-less and liquid-cooled inverter technology. The technology promises improvements in energy output, decreased operating costs, and reliability.

The Department of Energy in September 2011 finalized a $337 million loan guarantee for the first phase of the project. Construction of the first phase began in June 2011, and it involved more than 500 construction jobs at peak along with 10 long-term positions. Power from Mesquite Solar 1 will be sold to California’s Pacific Gas & Electric under a 20-year-contract.

Several more massive PV projects (by capacity) are under construction in the U.S., however. At least 250 MW of First Solar’s 290-MW Aqua Caliente Solar Project near Yuma, Ariz., has been connected to the grid. Sempra in December 2010 completed the 58-MW first phase of the Copper Mountain Solar project near Boulder City, Nev., and is expected to add another 92 MW this year. It also plans to begin construction of a 250-MW third phase at the site in 2014.

Sources: POWERnews, Sempra, DOE

NOTE: This story was originally published on May 13