SES and SDGE have agreed to a 20-year contract to purchase all the output from a 300MW solar power plant, consisting of 12,000 Stirling solar dishes, with options on two future phases to add up to 600MW of additional solar energy capacity, which would equate to 30 times more solar power than all the current capacity in the entire San Diego region when complete.
"This large-scale application of SES technology will provide clean, renewable solar energy to SDGE customers," said SES chief executive officer Bruce Osborn.
"We believe this is a truly historic moment for the solar energy industry, and we are pleased to be teaming with a progressive and innovative company like SDGE."
SDGE has pledged to supply 20% of its energy from renewable resources by 2010.
The SES Stirling solar technology uses a mirror array to focus the sun's rays on the receiver end of a 'Stirling engine', which heats hydrogen gas to expand and drive a piston, crank shaft and drive shaft assembly, which then turns an electricity generator.
The contract follows the announcement last month by SES of a deal with Southern California Edison for a 4500-acre, 500MW solar project in southern California, with an option to expand to 850MW, which would make it the largest solar project in the world when complete.
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