By ED GARSTEN

2001.09.05
Source: Associated Press
http://www.chieftain.com/wednesday/business/index/article/3

TROY, Mich. - Texaco Inc. burns a barrel of oil for every three it brings out of the ground from its Bakersfield, Calif., oil field, the company’s technology chief
says. But a project to begin this fall will use technology developed by a Michigan company to reduce that ratio by harnessing the power of the sun. A 4- to 5-acre array of thin solar panels is being erected at Texaco’s Kern River oil field near Bakersfield.

The panels, developed by Troy-based Energy Conversion Devices Inc., convert sunlight into electricity. Their use will allow the oil company to use electricity instead
of fossil fuels to power steam generators necessary for drilling operations. Texaco owns a 20-percent interest in ECD.

By using the power generated by the photovoltaic panels, Texaco says it will save money and reduce emissions. ‘‘From a cost perspective, it’s a driver. Environmentally, the less of our own heavy hydrocarbons we burn the better,’’ said Jim Metzger, vice president and chief technology officer at Texaco.

‘‘Literally, over the life of the project it will save tons in terms of carbon dioxide and nitric oxide emissions,’’ said Tom Neslage, senior vice president of sales and
marketing at ECD. The array will use 9,000 panels, each 18 feet long and 14 inches wide. Together, they will generate 400 megawatts of power, about enough to power 500 homes, Neslage said.

The irony of an oil company moving toward solar power is not lost on one environmental advocacy group. ‘‘It shows solar power is finally coming of age when even Texaco is using it,’’ said Daniel Becker, director of global warming and energy programs at the Sierra Club. ‘‘We look forward to the day when we can cut out oil entirely and get more of our energy from the sun,’’ Becker said.