Mortenson Construction has been selected as the general contractor for Charlotte-based Cogentrix Energy's 30-megawatt Alamosa Solar Generating Project in southern Colorado.
Once completed, the project will be the world's largest solar field utilizing concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology. The CPV equipment for the project is designed and manufactured by Amonix, Inc., a leader in concentrating photovoltaic technology.
Mortenson recently built another Amonix CPV solar facility at the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) in Aurora, Colorado. The 30-MW CPV solar plant in Alamosa, which will begin construction soon, is 38 times larger than the SolarTAC installation.
The Alamosa Solar Generating Project, which requires no water in the production of solar power, will be located on 225 acres of land in the San Luis Valley, an alpine location with a 7,500 foot elevation, bordered by the Sangre de Cristo Range.
This high Rocky Mountain locale receives large amounts of sunshine each year, making it one of the most attractive locations for solar power plants in the United States.
"Building upon the increasing momentum that began with the construction of our first CPV facility using Amonix technology last year, Mortenson is excited to be selected to construct the world's largest CPV solar field for Cogentrix, a leading independent power Cogentrix Energy, LLC Awards Mortenson Construction the Alamosa Solar Generating Projectproducer," said Mark Donahue, a vice president and general manager of Mortenson's Renewable Energy Group.
"The utility-scale deployment of the world's most efficient solar technology is a significant step forward for the solar industry, and Mortenson is pleased to be at the forefront of this important advancement."
Mortenson will provide balance of plant services for the Alamosa Solar Generating Project including construction of the operations and maintenance facility.
The solar energy generated from the Alamosa Solar Generating Project will be provided to Xcel Energy for use by its customers and represents the normal needs of approximately 6,500 homes. Commercial operation of the project is targeted for the second quarter of 2012.
Since entering the renewable energy market in 1995, Mortenson Construction has emerged as a leading renewable energy contractor having constructed nearly 100 wind projects generating 10,000 megawatts of clean energy throughout the U.S. and Canada.
With 100 percent of Mortenson's business in the power sector coming from renewable energy, Engineering News-Record ranked Mortenson the 13th largest power contractor in the U.S. for 2010. In addition to wind power, Mortenson's Renewable Energy Group also constructs facilities that generate solar power, biofuels and hydro-electric power.
