Good news -- bad news sort of thing here. I'll start with the bad, the ACC is requiring HVS to only use a water supply of effluent for its water needs. This probably means the project will be put on hold at this point because there is no effluent resources or means of transport of effluent available in the area. The City of Kingman and HVS have been engaging in talks about allowing HVS to use the effluent resources in Kingman, but another problem... it is likely that there isn't enough effluent being produced because the population is not great enough.
Gee, the good news... well the ACC approved the application.
Just as a reminder, the Arizona Corporation Commission is a '4th' branch of government in the state of Arizona. Most folks out in the outer area, the area of Arizona that doesn't make up Maricopa County, watch the ACC put the brakes on economic development in those outer areas. I'm working on getting some information of solar projects similar to the HVS method of energy production in the Maricopa areas just to see if, once again, the ACC screwed the chances for more economic development opportunities in Mohave County.
For now I'll leave you with the press release from HVS.
Arizona Corporation Commission approves Certificate of Environmental Compatibility for Hualapai Valley Solar
Phoenix – The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted to approve the Hualapai Valley Solar’s Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) on Wednesday, October 20th. The CEC, the final State approval required to begin construction, approves the project's power plant, interconnection, and transmission plans. The ACC expressed that there is a shift towards dry cooling in the Southwest USA and that wet cooled power plants are unlikely to get any more approvals. In its decision, the Commission found that the “Project is in the public interest because it aids the state in meeting the need for an adequate, economical, and reliable supply of electric power.”
From the outset, the solar plant was designed to use an evaporative cooling system supplied with reclaimed wastewater. The CEC also allows the company to use hybrid (water and air) cooling technology if sufficient reclaimed wastewater is not available. Hualapai Valley Solar and the city of Kingman are evaluating all possible sources of reclaimed wastewater for use by the project. Since a binding Memorandum of Understanding was signed in December 2009, the city and HVS have been working on a reclaimed water purchase agreement that would supply more than half of the water needs of the project from the city's upgraded Hilltop Wastewater Treatment Plant. The current plant treats approximately 1.5 million gallons per day of wastewater, an amount that is expected to rise over time as residents switch from septic tanks to the city sewer system. The agreement for the output of the Hilltop facility is expected to go before the City Council as early as November.
The Hualapai Valley Solar Project is a proposed 340MW parabolic trough power plant. The plant’s design incorporates 7 to 8 hours of additional output once the sun is down through the storage of heat in molten salt tanks during the day. It is located approximately 28 miles north of Kingman, Arizona, is sited on private land, and has firm transmission located a few miles from the site.
More links
havasunews.com
1 comment:
nice article
Post a Comment