CPS Energy, juwi solar sign 30-year PPA to develop 14MW solar power plant near San Antonio

CPS Energy and juwi solar have signed a 30-year power purchase agreement that will lead to the development of the Blue Wing Solar project, a 14MW photovoltaic power plant to be built southeast of San Antonio, TX. Juwi expects to break ground on the project in the first quarter of 2010 and for electricity to be produced at the site before 2011.

The 214,500 PV modules to be deployed by juwi will generate some 25,345MW-hr of power each year, enough for about 1800 households. The type of panels to be installed has not been announced, although a wattage calculation suggests the use of CdTe thin-film modules from First Solar, a brand chosen by juwi on many of its European projects.

The announcement of the latest PPA signed by CPS comes two months after the utility agreed to a 20-year deal to acquire 27MW from Tessera Solar’s new concentrating solar thermal project to be constructed in West Texas.

“Now with 41 MW, CPS Energy has the most solar-generated electricity under contract in the state of Texas,” said Cris Eugster, executive VP amd chief sustainability officer of the municipal energy company. “The Blue Wing Solar Farm further solidifies our state and national leadership in renewable energy. We are already number-one nationally in wind-energy capacity among municipally owned utilities."

The Blue Wing PPA is another step forward on CPS' commitment announced last summer to acquire up to 100MW of solar electricity by 2020, said Aurora Geis, chair of its board of trustees.  It’s also part of the company’s goal to achieve renewable-energy capacity equal to 20% of customers’ peak electrical demand by 2020.

Blue Wing is expected to create approximately 100 full-time-equivalent jobs during construction and several permanent full-time-equivalent jobs during the project operation and maintenance phase, according to the companies.