Catching Rays in Cali
California is generally thought of as a land of sunshine, celebrities and perhaps the most energy conscious destination in the United States. However, over the past 2 decades the California Energy Commission (CEC) has elected to decline proposals to build a major solar power plant on the Gold Coast. After years of repeated efforts, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel as energy developer NextEra Energy Resources finally got approval from the CEC to construct a 1 billion, 250 MW concentrating power plant in the state of California.Ground should be broken sooner than later as NextEra now finds itself in a race against the expiring federal grant program, set to give out its final financial aid at year’s end. The project will be officially recognized as the “Beacon Solar Energy Project,” operated by NextEra’s subsidiary, Beacon Power. (more…)