Solar Trust of America subsidiary, Solar Millennium, has received approval from California Energy Commission (CEC) for its Palen Solar Power Project in Riverside County of California, US.

The Palen project, consisting of two plants, will deliver 500MW of clean solar thermal power to Californians – enough electricity to power up to 150,000 homes per year.

It will also employ dry-cooling technology, which will use about 90% less water than comparable wet-cooled facilities.

Solar Millennium has also applied to the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a 21 million m² right-of-way (ROW) for the project.