Victorville picked to host solar station

Southern California Edison and Phoenix-based Stirling Energy Systems announced an agreement August 9 to create the 4,500-acre solar-generating station with construction likely to begin in 2008 and be completed by 2011 on land leased from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Stirling is expected to choose a site within six months to a year, said the firm's CEO Bruce Osborn.

"This plant will begin producing power when the first dish goes in,' Osborn said.

Each 37-foot-diameter dish powers a generator which produces electricity. Ultimately, there will be a 20,000-dish array at the site.

"We are especially pleased about the financial benefits of this agreement for our customers and the state,' said Alan Fohrer, Southern California Edison chief executive officer.

"Tests have shown the Stirling dish technology can produce electricity at significantly lower costs than other solar technologies,' said Fohrer, in a prepared statement.

The Stirling dish complex will add vital peak energy capacity to Southern California during the summer months, said Gil Alexander, an SCE spokesman.

Solar panels power Stirling engines which have no exhaust valves that vent high-pressure gases.

The 850-megawatt Stirling project will join several other High Desert solar power facilities near Barstow that collectively generate more than 300 megawatts.

With plentiful sunshine and dry air, the High Desert is one of the most favorable regions in the country for solar power, Osborn said.

Another factor propelling it as a popular choice for solar power is its proximity to the Los Angeles metro area, Alexander said.

Construction will require 1,200 to 1,400 workers. The project will provide permanent jobs for 150 to 250 people, Osborn said.