By Yael Borofsky, CleanTechnica.com
On Tuesday, the announcement that U.S.-based First Solar and the Chinese government will partner to build a 2GW photovoltaic (PV) power plant Ordos New Energy Demonstration Zone in China, sent shockwaves of excitement through the solar and clean energy communities.
The memorandum of understanding, which both companies signed on Tuesday, sets the stage for the construction of the world’s largest PV power plant to be completed by 2019.
According to the New York Times the plant is part of a planned 11,950-megawatt renewable-energy park slated for this region of Mongolia, that “would generate enough electricity to power about three million Chinese homes.”
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Southern California Edison and First Solar have announced agreements that will result in two new large-scale solar energy projects in the southern part of the state.
An announcement from the California utility says that the planned facilities will be among the largest of their kind, with a combined output of 550 megawatts of solar energy generated by photovoltaic panels. The electricity by these two facilities will be sufficient to power about 170,000 homes, according to SCE.
“Supplying solar power to Southern California Edison and its customers advances our mission of providing clean, affordable and sustainable solar electricity. These projects will help California reach its renewable energy goals, and are powerful examples of large-scale photovoltaic solar generation becoming a reality in the United States,” said John Carrington of First Solar.
Specifically, there will be a 250 megawatt facility near the city of Desert Center, along with a 300 megawatt project in San Bernadino County.
Construction on the facilities is set to begin in 2012 for the Desert Center project and in 2013 for the one in San Bernadino County. The utility noted that during this time, several hundred construction jobs will also be created.