Acme to set up 100MW solar thermal power plant

Published on Dec 8, 2008
Acme Energy Solutions plans to set up India's first 100MW solar
thermal power plant.

N. Venkataraman, executive vice president of the company's energy
solutions division, reportedly said that Acme plans to set up a 100MW
solar thermal project either in Rajasthan or Gujarat in about a year.
Venkataraman told IANS that the cost of power generated by his company
would be among the lowest for solar thermal plants. "The cost of
electricity would be around Rs. 8 per unit (US$1 = Rs. 50 approx.),
which is among the lowest in the world for such kinds of projects," he
reportedly said.

In August this year, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, too,
had indicated about Acme's plans.

The Ministry has also been suggesting to various Central Ministries
and Government departments to maximise the use of solar energy devices
and systems at their establishments.

To encourage participation of the private sector for development of
solar energy, the Ministry is providing various fiscal and financial
incentives which include soft loans to manufactures for technology
up-gradation, concessional or nil duty on import of various equipment,
exemption of excise duty, accelerated depreciation, generation based
incentive for setting up of grid power plants based on solar thermal
and photovoltaic technologies etc.

The quantum of subsidy / support being given to the private sector
includes: Soft loan at an interest rate of five percent to
manufactures through IREDA for technology up-gradation on solar water
heating systems; Up to Rs.10/- per KWh for electricity generated from
solar thermal and Rs.12/- per KWh from solar photovoltaic power plants
of capacities 1 MW and above.

Source:CSP Today

BrightSource Energy Signs Contract With Siemens for Largest Ever Fully Solar-Powered Steam Turbine Generator

Turbine Generator to Be Operated at BrightSource's Ivanpah Solar Power Complex

Last update: 6:00 a.m. EST Dec. 9, 2008

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec 09, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- BrightSource Energy,
Inc., developer of large-scale solar thermal energy plants, has signed
a contract with Siemens to purchase the steam turbine generator for
BrightSource's first 100MW plant at its Ivanpah Solar Power Complex in
California's Mojave Desert. The purchase marks another key step in
BrightSource Energy's path to construct the state's first large-scale
solar thermal power plant in nearly thirty years.
The contract with Siemens is for the supply of a 123 MW fully
solar-powered steam turbine generator. When completed, the turbine is
expected to be the largest fully solar-powered steam turbine generator
to date.
"This contract marks another significant milestone in building
California's first large scale-solar power plant in decades," said
John Woolard, CEO of BrightSource Energy. "The Siemens high quality
solar-powered turbine generator offers additional certainty that the
project will deliver cost effective, reliable, and clean solar power."
Due to a lengthy production process, turbine generators must be
ordered approximately three years in advance of the planned delivery
date. The Siemens turbine is slated to be delivered in early 2011, and
BrightSource expects this first phase of its Ivanpah Solar Power
Complex to be operational and supplying solar energy to utilities in
the fourth quarter of 2011.
"Our extensive experience in optimizing our steam turbines for solar
thermal applications puts us in a leading position to help customers
provide clean solar power," says Markus Tacke, CEO of the Siemens
Energy Oil & Gas Division's Industrial Applications, Steam Turbines
business unit. "Siemens is proud to be building the largest fully
solar-powered steam turbine generator to date for BrightSource's
Ivanpah solar power plant."
BrightSource's Ivanpah Solar Power Complex will be comprised of three
separate solar plants and will produce a combined total of 400 MW of
power. Upon completion, the Ivanpah Solar Power Complex will produce
enough clean energy to power the homes of 140,000 PG&E customers and
reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by over 500,000 tons per year.
BrightSource is scheduled to begin construction on the Ivanpah site in
2009.
BrightSource Energy's solar thermal energy plants are built on the
company's proven Luz Power Tower (LPT) technology. The system uses
thousands of small mirrors called heliostats to reflect sunlight onto
a boiler atop a tower to produce high temperature steam. The steam is
then piped to a conventional turbine inside a power block, which
generates electricity. The electricity is then connected to the
transmission grid for consumption. The steam is air-cooled and piped
back into the system in a closed-loop, environmentally friendly
process.
This fully integrated energy system offers the highest operating
efficiencies and lowest capital costs in the industry. The result is a
large-scale solar system that reliably delivers solar energy at a cost
competitive with fossil fuels.
BrightSource has achieved numerous milestones in the past nine months.
In March, BrightSource entered into a series of power purchase
agreements with PG&E for up to 900MW of electricity. In May,
BrightSource announced that it had secured $115 million in additional
corporate funding from its Series C round of financing, bringing the
total the company has raised to date to over $160 million. In June,
BrightSource dedicated their Solar Energy Development Center (SEDC),
an operational solar field that will provide the company with the
ability to test equipment, materials and procedures as well as
construction and operating methods.
For its technological leadership, the company was recently selected as
a 2009 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. The only solar
company to win this year's prestigious award, BrightSource Energy was
recognized for helping global utility and industrial customers reduce
their dependence on fossil fuels by providing clean, low-cost and
reliable solar energy.
About BrightSource Energy, Inc.
BrightSource Energy, Inc. provides clean, reliable and low cost solar
energy for utility and industrial companies worldwide. The
BrightSource Energy team has more than thirty years of experience
designing, developing, and operating solar energy plants. BrightSource
Energy helps its customers reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and
is a leader in environmental stewardship. Headquartered in Oakland,
Calif., BrightSource Energy is a privately held company with
operations in the United States and Israel. To learn more about
BrightSource Energy and solar thermal energy, visit
www.brightsourceenergy.com.
(C) BrightSource Energy, Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are
the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE: BrightSource Energy, Inc.
Hill & Knowlton for BrightSource Energy
Kristin Hunter, 415-281-7161
kristin.hunter@hillandknowlton.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008