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Solar 1 and Solar 2: Planned Facilities Using Sterling Energy Systems' SunCatcher
Solar 1 and Solar 2 are two giant planned solar facilities that will have a combined generating capacity of 1,740 megawatts. 1 The facilities are to be built by Arizona-based Stirling Energy Systems (SES), who will use their SunCatcher -- two-axis tracking dishes each equipped with a stirling engine.
The two projects are based on 20-year contracts with utilites signed in 2005. Solar One, to be sited on 1,821 hectares in the Mojave Desert, is planned to fulfil a contract with Southern California Edison. 2 Solar Two, to be sited on 777 hectares in the Imperial Valley, is planned to fulfil a contract with San Diego Gas and Electric Company that calls for the purchase of between 300 and 900 MW of power from the plant. 3 4 5 Stirling's plans call for the development of both plants in two phases.
| facility | location | number of dishes | footprint area | peak output power | peak efficiency | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| square miles | square kilometers | megawatts | watts per square meter | net efficiency | |||
| Solar 1 | Mojave desert ease of Barstow |
20,000 - 34,000 | 7 | 18.21 | 500 - 850 | 128.6 | 12.86% |
| Solar 2 | Imperial Valley near El Centro |
12,000 - 36,000 | 3 | 7.77 | 300 - 900 | 46.7 | 4.67% |
References
2. Stirling Energy systems signs second large solar deal in California, pennet.com, [cached]
3. Stirling Energy Systems Add Major Solar Project in California, EnergyOnline.com, 9/8/2005 [cached]
4. Stirling Stirs Up California Solar Scene, SiteSelection.com, [cached]
5. Huge Solar Plants Bloom in Desert, Wired.com, [cached]
6. Stirling Energy takes on the solar power challenge, USAToday.com, 3/26/2008 [cached]
7. Solar One, StorlingEnergy.com, [cached]
8. Solar Two, StorlingEnergy.com, [cached]