Solar power to reach 350,000 Bay Area homes by 2010

By Pat Murphy

Copyright fogcityjournal.com 2006

August 11, 2006

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) will deliver solar power to 350,000 Bay Area homes by the Spring of 2010, the San Francisco based utility announced Thursday.

Company officials detailed the project to Mayor Newsom yesterday at City Hall, whose administration policy calls for "all municipal energy supply come from clean, renewable sources by 2010."

"Any attempts to engage in green strategies should be commended," Newsom said following the meeting.

Both City government and the utility prioritize carbon emissions free energy. (LINK - essential -

At present 50% of PG&E free is carbon free, a company vice president reported last week.

"...we are saying with a very firm voice that the science is there, the problem exists, the time for action is now, and we're saying it unequivocally," Nancy McFadden told the Sentinel. McFadden serves as PG&E vice president for governmental relations.
Under a signed agreement, PG&E will purchase 500 megawatts of solar energy from Luz II, LCC.

LUZ II produces solar energy through a hybrid solar-gas design which meets the California Renewables Portfolio Standard, according to PG&E.

With that technology, "...the dream of cost-effective solar power is finally going to become a reality," Arnold Goldman said. Goldman serves as chairman of LUZ II.

A PG&E spokesman described the utility as industry leader for clean energy delivery.

"This new project has the potential to be a tremendous additional resource and to help further solidify our leadership when it comes to providing customers with clean, climate friendly energy," predicted Fong Wan, PG&E vice president for energy procurement.

"PG&E already has one of the nation's most climate friendly supplies of electric power with carbon emissions that are among the lowest in the utility industries.

"Thirty percent of the power we deliver comes from hydroelectric and eligible renewables like wind, biomass, and geothermal facilities.

"More than 50% of the power we deliver comes from zero-carbon emission sources - we look forward to expanding that going forward," Wan added.

According to Wan, PG&E is "aggressively adding renewable electric power resources to its supply at a planned rate of more than 300 megawatts per year. This year the company has entered into new agreements to purchase 274 megawatts of wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy."

The company's solar power development has been underway for some time, Wan continued.

It is "the nation's leading distributed solar utility with over 12,000 solar customers who generate approximately 88 megawatts of solar electricity, which is more than 60% of the distributed solar energy generated in the entire state of California," Wan recalled.

"In 2004 alone, PG&E interconnected more than half of the new solar electric systems installed in the entire nation."

Visit PG&E renewable energy website.

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