Desert Green CPV plant begins operation

Renewable energy developer, owner, and operator Invenergy Clean Power has closed financing and begun the commercial operation of its 6.3 MW AC Desert Green Solar Farm in Borrego Springs, in San Diego County, California.

Financing for the CPV facility was provided by PNC Energy Capital, LLC, a subsidiary of PNC Bank, National Association, and output will be sold to San Diego Gas & Electric under a long-term power purchase agreement.

“Invenergy is pleased to have concluded this financing with PNC,” said Jim Murphy, Invenergy’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. “We’re also delighted to complete construction of our first power generation facility in California, and to have expanded our solar portfolio to include Soitec’s high-efficiency CPV technology.”

Desert Green was originally acquired by Invenergy from Soitec Solar Development, and features more than 3,500 Soitec CPV modules. Construction on the power plant began in April of this year, with Blattner Energy serving as the general contractor and Westwood Professional Services providing engineering support.

Invenergy and its affiliated companies have developed more than 8,700 MW of projects that are in operation, in construction, or under contract, including 72 wind, solar, and natural gas-fuelled power generation projects and energy storage facilities.

Alectris names Ken Kostok as U.S. & Latin American lead

San Francisco-based PV energy-asset management firm Alectris, has promoted Ken Kostok to country manager for the U.S. and Latin America territories. Kostok managed the company’s U.S. solar operations and maintenance program, including 24 MW on the Georgia Power grid.

"Ken's extensive solar industry experience, particularly as it relates to asset management care, has contributed heavily to our U.S. and Latin American expansion," said Vassilis Papaeconomou, founder and managing director of Alectris.

Prior to Alectris, Kostok was the vice president of field operations for Amonix, where he guided the development of the 30 MW CPV utility-scale Alamosa Solar plant on 225 acres in Colorado, and 5 MW of CPV in Hatch, New Mexico – two of the largest CPV sites in the world.

Kostok also has experience as a CPV plant designer for Tessera Solar, where he was responsible for the design of 1,500 MWs in California and construction of the largest dish-Stirling solar power plant.