September 16,2014
8MW Solar Project In Kings County
ImModo plans a 60 acre 8MW solar project south of Lemoore on 19th Ave says county planner Chuck Kinney. The company already has a solar project near Hanford under construction.
Dominion Plans To Acquire Two Solar Energy Projects In Valley
RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Dominion (NYSE: D) announced an agreement to acquire two solar energy projects totaling 42 megawatts from EDF Renewable Energy, one of North America’s largest independent power producers and renewable energy project developers. The acquisitions of the California projects are expected to close in 2015. The Cottonwood project, with solar sites located in Kings, Kern and Marin Counties, has secured a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA), interconnection agreements and engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) contracts. The company anticipates that the 24-megawatt solar energy facility will come online in the first half of 2015.
The Catalina Solar 2 project, located in Kern County, has secured a 20-year PPA, an interconnection agreement and an EPC contract. The 18-megawatt solar energy facility is expected to enter service in the second quarter of 2015.
Earlier in 2014, Dominion announced agreements to purchase solar energy projects totaling 159 megawatts in California, including the 20-megawatt CID solar energy project from EDF Renewable Energy. All of these projects are under construction and are expected to be operational by late 2014.
With the anticipated addition of Cottonwood and Catalina Solar 2, Dominion’s total contracted solar generating portfolio would consist of 274 megawatts.
Giant King Grass Harvested at UC Research Center
Giant King Grass is a fast-growing, high-yield grass that grows under a variety of soil conditions, according to Viaspace Green Energy Inc. It is propagated vegetatively and, with sufficient rain or irrigation, can grow 15 to 18 feet high in six months.
At the UC Desert Rec, scientists compared two planting processes:
Planting single nodes that grow into individual plants with some space between them.
Planting whole stalks continuously end to end, which results in a dense row of plants about six inches apart.
Preliminary results showed the whole stalk planting germinated earlier and grew more quickly. The individual plants had a significant number of skips where the nodes failed to germinate.
Two harvesting regimens were tested:
Harvest when the plant is 6 to 8 feet tall every two months for animal feed and to produce biogas for anaerobic digestion.
Harvest when the plant is 15 to 18 feet tall for bioenergy applications, such as direct combustion in a power plant, energy pellets or cellulosic biofuels.
“It was 108 degrees when I arrived in Holtville last Monday evening (Sept. 8, 2014) at 6 p.m.,” said Carl Kukkonen, CEO of Viaspace. “Giant King Grass is planted in the worst soil at the University of California site, and still the results are good. I am pleased that Giant King Grass grows well in this extremely hot and dry environment.”