Hecate Energy reports that its proposed 100 MW Santa Teresa solar project has been selected by El Paso Electric Company ("EPE") as part of a 350 MW solar and storage Request for Proposals ("RFP") process designed to add new clean resources to the EPE system.

Pending necessary regulatory approvals, the project-to be constructed in Santa Teresa, New Mexico - is anticipated to be in service by May 2022.

EPE and Hecate have entered into long-term purchase power agreement for the output from the project. The added generation resources will help EPE meet the 2022-2023 summer peak season and replace less efficient gas-fired generation as older units are retired.

"We are very pleased to be working with El Paso Electric to supply clean, emission-free electricity to power the increasingly electrified lives of EPE customers for decades to come," said Alex Pugh, Hecate's Manager of Development. "This project is notable both for its significant scale, and for how it is pressing the limits on how economically we can deliver solar power."

"Over the last year we have continued seeing growth in our customer base by approximately 7,000. Additionally, because of falling renewable energy prices, and changing customer expectations on how they receive their energy, we are able to offer more sustainable solutions.

"Today's announcement further underscores our responsibility to both increase and enhance our power generation capability while simultaneously meeting our regional customers changing needs in a safe, clean, reliable, and cost-effective manner," said EPE's Interim Chief Executive Officer Adrian J. Rodriguez.

Santa Teresa solar is projected to supply enough electricity to power approximately 40,000 homes with emission free electricity.

EPE was recently the first utility in Texas and New Mexico to go 100% coal-free. EPE's choice to divest from the coal-fired generating plant, Four Corners Generating Station, was the equivalent of eliminating two billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This was done along with a promise to increase its investment in utility-scale solar.

"Hecate is fortunate to work with many leading North American utilities deploying thousands of megawatts of next-generation, carbon-free solar power, and in our experience, EPE is a top tier utility. EPE made their customers a promise to deliver more clean, renewable energy and this project represents them keeping it," said Pugh.

Related Links
Hecate Energy
All About Solar Energy at SolarDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

A flaky option boosts organic solar cells
Thuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Dec 19, 2019
An inexpensive material, made from tungsten disulfide flakes just a few atoms thick, has helped to improve the performance of organic solar cells1. The discovery by KAUST researchers could be an important step toward bringing these photovoltaic cells into wider use for generating clean electricity. Most solar cells use silicon to absorb light and convert its energy into electricity. But carbon-based semiconductor molecules, used in organic photovoltaics (OPVs), offer some distinct advantages over ... read more