The hurdles to building large-scale wind and solar farms are substantial.
Communities sometimes object to projects for aesthetic and environmental reasons. Water for cooling can be hard to find, and technology is often new and unproven.
On top of that, major transmissions lines frequently don’t run nearby, financing and Department of Energy loan guarantees aren’t easy to come by.
The company is looking for projects with the goal of investing between $1 billion and $1.5 billion, says PG&E's Fong Wan
To grease the skids, PG&E intends to set aside between $1 billion to $1.5 billion to take equity stakes in projects, says Fong Wan, senior vice president of energy procurement at the company.
Wan said the company doesn’t know yet whether it will invest in large-scale projects or smaller ones that are easier to put together. But the company is evaluating proposals.
Nevertheless, working with a utility can require patience. BrightSource, with its thermal solar technology, is proof. The company approached PG&E about three years ago and the utility reviewed its technology.
“At the end of the day, no one really knew” whether it would work, Wan said at the Dow Jones Alternative Energy Innovations conference. Most thermal solar technologies use temperatures of 350 degree Celsius. BrightSource uses temperatures of 550 degrees Celsius.
PG&E demanded a demonstration site, which the BrightSource built in Israel, says Wan. It worked. Now “whether they can scale it…remains to be seen.”
Despite the long review period, when it comes to investments, “we’re looking,” says Wan.
[...] mega utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is keen on using solar and wind energy to provide electric power for America’s most populous [...]
I own 60 acres of bare land in Tehachpi, Kern County if proximity is right as far as transmission lines does PG&E have any programs for construction loans for a solar farm and then the purchase of the power produced ?
Can you please advise and direct.
Thank you for your time
Yes, there are programs in place, though I don’t know all the details. In addition, investment companies exist that work independently of PG&E, financing small projects and selling the power to the utility. My first suggestion is to contact PG&E. Here is a Web page that should give you some information.
http://www.pge.com/csi/