Sempra Generation, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra Energy, recently announced the completion of the company’s first solar energy project, a 10-megawatt photovoltaic power-generation facility in Boulder City’s Eldorado Valley. The company called it the largest operational thin-film, solar-power project in North America.

The El Dorado Energy Solar project, located adjacent to the company’s existing 480-megawatt, gas-fired El Dorado Energy power plant, involved the installation of more than 167,000 solar modules on 80 acres of leased desert property designated as part of Boulder City’s energy zone. Sempra Generation also announced it has entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric, the utility serving northern and central California, for the new project’s entire output.

Solar Market Primed To Flourish

This post was originally distributed by the Nevada Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology:

The solar energy industry has great potential in the United States.

Although oil and natural gas expansion has dominated the American energy market in recent years, solar developers think their field could be the next big thing.

Federal tax incentives meant to stimulate growth in the industry were recently extended by Congress for eight years; solar photovoltaic panels – the most expensive component in building rooftop arrays for homes and businesses – are expected to come down in price by 10 percent to 25 percent in the next year; and companies from around the globe are testing technology that allows utility-scale solar thermal power plants to store the heat of the sun in molten salts so they can produce electricity long after the sun goes down.

Venture capital investment in privately owned solar companies has grown by double digits for the past few years.

Nevada’s Geothermal Exploration Reaches Milestone

Sierra Geothermal Power Corp., said last week it spent $5.25 million on exploration of a geothermal project near Austin. The investment is enough, the company said, to acquire a 100 percent interest in leases on a 6,145-acre area known as the Reese River project. It’s about 27 miles north of Austin in Lander County. Western Geothermal Partners LLC previously held the leases. Preliminary studies indicate the property could support at least a 26-megawatt power plant for 20 years. Sierra Geothermal hopes to bring the plan on line by 2012