A Phoenix panel wants a Houston-based company with Valley ties to build a solar-energy plant at Phoenix's only active landfill.
Tessera Solar, which has offices in Scottsdale, has proposed a privately funded project using its solar-thermal dish technology known as SunCatcher.
Its technology uses the sun's rays to heat up hydrogen, which in turn powers an engine and creates electricity.
Tessera has already partnered with the Salt River Project on Maricopa Solar LLC, a 1.5-megawatt project in Peoria that will have 60 dishes running by January.
The Phoenix project, to be located off Arizona 85 in Buckeye, calls for 7,000 SunCatcher dishes, each 38 feet wide by 40 feet tall.
The project would generate 175 megawatts, enough to power about 27,000 Valley homes.
"We want to take advantage of the high-solar density here. We certainly want to grow in the state and the region where we are located," company spokeswoman Janette Coates said. "We're excited at what this opportunity could represent in terms of building more solar plants in the state."
Seeking to boost the Valley's solar economy and cut its greenhouse-gas emissions, Phoenix said earlier this year that it planned to lease land it owns in Buckeye for a solar-power plant.
The plant would sit on a vacant 1,200-acre parcel reserved for future landfill use and could operate for up to 30 years.
City officials estimate about $1 billion in private investment would be required to build the plant.
A review panel, composed of Phoenix staffers, a Buckeye official, and business community representatives, evaluated proposals submitted by four firms.
A City Council subcommittee will decide this week whether to recommend full council approval to begin negotiating with Tessera, or to negotiate simultaneously with Tessera and second-ranked Johnson Controls Inc.
Johnson Controls, a Milwaukee-based energy-efficiency firm, proposed a plant powered by highly efficient photovoltaic or solar panels.
"Each one is a technology currently in use, but all are cutting edge and all are different," said Deputy City Manager Rick Naimark, who is overseeing the project for Phoenix.
Both firms said they planned to incorporate landfill gas into their project, taking advantage of the nearby city dump and the gas pipeline that passes through the property.
Oakland-based BrightSource Energy Inc. was ranked third by the panel. A bid by a fourth group, U.S. Energy Partners & MEPSOLAR America Inc., was not considered.
The full council is set to vote on the proposal in October, with contract negotiations with the winning bidder expected to run through early 2010.
While the bidder would own the plant, Phoenix is seeking an agreement to share revenue from energy production.
The partnership could allow the city to be a part owner of the plant or the renewable-energy credits that will be sold to a utility provider like SRP or APS.
