August 19th, 2009
Southern California Edison's new mega contract for solar megawatts
You can add another 170,000 homes to the solar capacity that Southern California Edison hopes to support in Southern California.
The utility has signed a deal with First Solar to build out two projects in Riverside and San Bernardino counties with a generation capacity of 550 megawatts of photovoltaic solar electricity. The utility already is the nation’s biggest purchaser of renewable energy, delivering about 12.6 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy in 2008. That’s about 16 percent of its total portfolio.
Here’s a map of where the installations are planned. (Before things can start, the agreements first need the sign-off of the California Public Utilities Commission. The state has a goal of delivering 20 percent of its electricity via renewable sources by next year. Here’s hoping that goal isn’t in jeopardy considering the state’s sorry financial state.)
The two projects are the 250-megawatt Desert Sunlight project near Desert Center, Calif., and the 300-megawatt Stateline project in San Bernardino county. Construction could begin by 2012, with completion anticipated in 2015. The sites could produce up to 1.2 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually. First Solar will be responsible for engineering, procuring and constructing the silicon modules to be used at the facilities.
Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist in the New York area with more than 20 years experience covering the high-tech industry. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations.
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