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FeedA Million Solar Roofs
COURTESY Southern California Ediison
On July 27th 2010, Southern California Edison (SCE) awarded 36 contracts to independent power producers for a total of nearly 60 megawatts from photovoltaic solar panels that will produce emission-free energy for SCE customers.
The panels will be installed on 31 unused rooftops and five ground-mount sites in SCE’s service territory.
The solar rooftop project, approved by the California Public Utilities Commission in June 2009, calls for a total of 500 megawatts of solar generating capacity, most of it on otherwise unused large warehouse rooftops.
Half of the 500 megawatts will be from independent power producers who respond to SCE’s request for offers under competitive solicitations; the remaining 250 megawatts will be owned and operated by SCE. It is expected that this project will create about 1,200 jobs for Southern Californians.
“These contracts make significant strides toward distributed renewable generation for one of the most innovative solar programs in the country,” said Marc Ulrich, SCE vice president, Renewable and Alternative Power.
“We’re working to help California meet its Million Solar Roofs goal and supply even more renewable energy to our customers where and when it’s most needed, without the added time and expense to construct major new transmission facilities.”
The contracts awarded are the first executed under the competitive solicitations for independent power producers.
SCE believes that its solar rooftop project will be a boon for the solar industry and consumers alike, with the resulting cost per unit significantly more cost effective than more common residential photovoltaic installations in California. Eventually, this could help drive down installation costs of photovoltaic generation for everyone.
When complete, the solar panels will cover an area totaling 4 square miles on about 250 otherwise unused warehouse roofs. The total power production will rival a utility-scale power plant, enough electricity to serve 325,000 average homes at a point in time.
SCE has already installed panels on three rooftop warehouses in California’s Inland Empire that are delivering – or are in line to deliver – electricity to the grid.
Local Projects * Indicates Ground Installations
| Company Name | Company HQ | Project location | Project size MW/dc | Estimated Online Date |
| Solar Power, Inc.* | Roseville, Calif. | Palm Springs | 2.83 | 9/15/2011 |
| Solar Power, Inc.* | Roseville, Calif. | Palm Springs | 4.96 | 12/15/2011 |
| SEPV 2, LLC* | Woodland Hills, Calif. | Twentynine Palms | 2.32 | 3/31/2011 |
| Cascade Solar LLC* | San Juan Capistrano, Calif. | Joshua Tree | 10 | 12/15/2011 |
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California
Southern California Edison
2244 Walnut Grove Avenue
Rosemead, CA 91770
626-302-4971
www.sce.com
