The construction jobs will, like most construction jobs, Smith acknowledged, be local and will fluctuate. The supply chain will be more dispersed and more fixed. But, Smith said, “it is not only the jobs related to this project but the follow-on jobs. The 150-megawatt Rice project in California is under contract with PG&E. We are going into equity raise and we hope to start construction on that in the second half of 2013. And we have proposed projects in Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Europe, China, Australia, Chile and other markets.”
SolarReserve is planning a combined CSP-photovoltaic (PV) facility as part of Saudi Arabia’s announced $100 billion solar program, Smith said. “We have been active there since early 2011. We have a joint venture executed and in place with a large Saudi infrastructure company.” He declined to provide further details.
“We also have joint ventures in South Africa on the PV and CSP sides,” Smith said. “We have a 150-megawatt PV project under award there and hope to start construction in the next 30 days.”
Though SolarReserve has yet to install PV, the company is also negotiating three PPAs for 100 megawatts of PV projects in California, he added. “It is a relatively simple construction technology and the company has that expertise.”
The firm will use polysilicon panels in South Africa, Smith said, but they are monitoring the markets and considering all PV technologies, including concentrated PV (CPV), for the other projects.
