Failure of 663 MW Stirling solar power plant another blow for centralized solar

Date: 3 Jan 2011 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Southern California Edison recently canceled a 663 MW power purchase agreement for a Stirling dish powered concentrating solar power plant.  It’s the latest blow for centralized solar as the economics have continued to favor decentralized solar.  There were other issues, too:

Stirling and Tessera…also needed millions in equity investments and big honking loans from the government and others.

When modular, decentralized solar PV is easy to finance and less expensive than centralized solar thermal electricity, the decentralized power is going to win.

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John Farrell

John Farrell directs the Energy Democracy initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and he develops tools that allow communities to take charge of their energy future, and pursue the maximum economic benefits of the transition to 100% renewable power.