Scottsdale-based Stirling is one of several companies developing concentrated solar power systems. Their project is the SunCatcher, a parabolic dish that produces power by concentrating light into a stirling engine.
A partnership with Salt River Project has developed the first demonstration plant near 75th Avenue south of Grand Avenue in Peoria.
Tessera did pull out of a deal earlier this year to build a large plant on a former city of Phoenix landfill. The struggle, officials said at the time, was finding a utility to buy the power.
Arizona solar industry thrivesMichael Neary remembers when the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association was a tiny trade group made up primarily of businesses that installed and maintained solar water heaters and rooftop panels.
But all that changed two years ago, when its 40-member roster more than doubled as real estate firms, law offices, tool suppliers, staffing companies, electricians and plumbing distributors suddenly became eager to join the mix.
Neary, executive director of the association, said the change reflects a movement quietly taking shape within the state’s renewable energy industry: Supply-chain businesses and other support providers are cropping up to serve the growing number of solar companies and manufacturers operating in Arizona.
“The growth of the solar supply chain all depends on how the industry is going, and this year we’ve seen a turning point in the industry,” he said.
Neary is referring to the buzz created by tax incentives and recruitment efforts that have lured some big players to the Valley and have helped place the state front and center on the national, if not global, renewable energy stage.
Since January, the Valley has seen China-based solar giant Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., and Camarillo, Calif.-based inverter manufacturer Power-One open production plants in Goodyear and Phoenix, respectively.
Abengoa Solar Inc., a division of Spanish solar company Abengoa SA, is moving forward with plans to build a 280-megawatt power plant on about 31,000 acres in Gila Bend. Local firm Stirling Energy Systems teamed with Tessera Solar to formally flip the switch on their solar test power plant in Peoria.
These companies not only have invested millions of dollars in construction and wages, they’ve also brought their own supply chains to the Valley, creating additional jobs and synergy.
Stirling Energy Systems is looking for a new CEO after Steve Cowman has stepped down. Marcelo Figueira, a chief operations officer at Tessera Solar, has taken over as interim CEO while a replacement is sought, according to a company spokesperson.
Scottsdale-based Stirling is one of several companies developing concentrated solar power systems. Their project is the SunCatcher, a parabolic dish that produces power by concentrating light into a stirling engine.
The company also said it has restructured its business as it moves toward development of a large project in California. An official with Houston-based Tessera said the company does not discuss individual staff decision or whether there were layoffs, but that it is gearing up to begin development in California.
Tessera and Stirling are part of Dublin, Ireland-based NTR plc, a renewable energy development company that has pumped $100 million into the solar project¹s development when it bought the company more than two years ago.
Tessera, which is developing the Stirling projects, recently received approval for part of a 709-megawatt solar project on Bureau of Land Management lands in Imperial Valley.
Company officials said they are working toward lining up financing for the project. The project start will depend on when equity partners are located and other requirements, officials said.
Stirling and Tessera are a large part of the solar supply chain setting up shop in the Valley. Tower Automotive and Linamar Corp. are two companies that announced they would be building facilities in Goodyear and Glendale, respectively, to help develop the project. The two factories would account for several hundred jobs.
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