Spain

Spanish utility Iberdrola Renewables may soon be taking a large leap forward in terms of its U.S. wind power market share.

The global wind giant is seeking a half a billion dollar chunk of the $3 billion expected to flow from the clean energy portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The money would help the world's No. 1 wind developer bring 850 MW of new wind turbines online in the U.S. this year—a 40 percent jump from its current installed U.S. capacity of roughly 3,030 MW.

And that's only a start: Iberdrola is considering investing as much as $6 billion in the U.S. market over the next four years, and eyeing up to $2 billion in government support, Chairman Ignacio Galán told industry analysts in a conference call today.

The company's effort to snatch up stimulus funds highlights the growing influence of foreign companies in the resource-rich U.S. wind market. It also shows how outside developers are viewing the Obama administration's commitment to clean energy as a can't-miss economic opportunity.

"We couldn't be more pleased with the progression of the regulatory environment," said Ralph Currey, CEO of Iberdrola Renewables U.S. operations. "First thing was the stimulus package that was passed very quickly. The second thing was the grant program and the grant procedures.

"We already have bills in front of the House and bills in front of the Senate that are quite positive for our industry.

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You can't cast a stone without hitting a story on Spain’s influential solar sector, and this week is no exception.

Spain-based Abengoa announced it had started operations at the world's largest "solar power tower" – a 20 MW, concentrating solar plant (CSP) near Seville.

The massive installation is called PS20, and its technology is one to watch. In fact, that power tower you see here could be the future of utility-scale solar. Here's how it works:

Over 1,200 movable mirrors, or heliostats, spread over hundreds of acres of desert land, reflecting sunlight onto a receiver at the top of a central, liquid-filled, 531-foot tower. Concentrated rays heat the water, creating steam to drive a turbine that produces power for 10,000 households.

The PS20 is Abengoa's second go at bringing a solar tower online. The first – the 11-MW PS10 – was fired up to great fanfare in 2007. It sits some 15 miles west of Seville and powers 5,500 homes.

New projects to harness thermal power from America's sun-soaked deserts keep rolling in – thanks in part to Spain.

The latest was announced this week, when Madrid-based Albiasa Solar disclosed plans for a 200 MW, $1 billion concentrating solar plant (CSP) that will spread a sea of parabolic mirrors over a 1,400-acre stretch of Arizona desert near Kingman.

When completed in 2013, the billion-dollar plant will power 50,000 homes.

It's the first solar deal on U.S. soil for Albiasa – and the latest move by a Spanish firm to cash in on the country's concentrated sunlight.

America's prospects for a solar powered future just got much brighter.

The Spanish engineering firm Abengoa has announced that it's sealed a deal with the Arizona Public Service (APS) Company to build the largest concentrating solar plant in the whole world about 70 miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. It will be one of the first cases where a utility relies on solar power for its day-to-day operations.

And at a build cost of $1 billion, it will generate 280 MW of electricity and be capable of powering around 80,000 homes -- in just three years.

But. There's a catch.