North America’s Largest PV Farm

The Ontario government has approved a plan to build a huge solar farm near Sarnia, according to an article on CBC.ca. The 40 megawatt installation is expected to be online by 2010.

Thanks to the provincial “Standard Offer Program” the government now pays 42 cents/kwh for approved solar energy projects, thus making this a sound business venture for the company in charge of the installation (Optisolar).

Here is a blurb:

The project would be the largest in North America using photovoltaic solar cells, which collect energy from the sun’s rays and convert it into electricity.

It’s also larger than any other existing solar-cell plant in the world, although a number of projects underway would surpass or equal its size. Construction of a 40-megawatt project in Germany is already underway, and last fall, the Australian government announced funding for a proposed 154-megawatt solar power plant to be built in Victoria state and expected to be fully operational by 2013.

Power plants using solar energy and operated in the Mojave Desert generate more than 300 megawatts of power, but those plants are powered through solar thermal energy, a different form of power generation that collects the sun’s rays and uses them to heat a liquid that then acts to produce electricity.

The Sarnia solar farm was one of 14 new alternative energy initiatives announced by the government to add more than 107 megawatts of power to the grid. Two new water-power projects with Ontario First Nations were also announced.

Be sure to check out the full article: Ontario approves massive solar farm

Technorati Tags: solar energy, solar power, solar panels, optisolar, sarnia, solar farm, photovoltaic, standard offer program, green energy

Written by Bentley on April 29th, 2007 with no comments.
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