TWeeD (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} densaer) wrote,@ 2008-08-19 08:27:00 |
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PG&E goes big on solar.
Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility for most of us here in Northern California, has inked a deal to buy a combined 800 MW of solar power from two utilities, OptiSolar and SunPower, both of which plan to use photovolatics, rather than solar-thermal. This is huge: the largest existing plant in Germany is 40 MW, and the largest US Solar plant is at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, and it generates 14 MW.
There's a mandate that says PG&E must get 20% of its electricity from renewables by 2010. These new plants won't be up till 2012 or so, so it looks like PG&E will still have to get some sort of waiver from the state, but a huge PV purchase can't help but be good for the industry.
more info here (with solar plant pic goodness)
Southern California Edison, which is the other "big" utility in the state, is purchasing 909 MW of wind energy in order to meet the same 2010 mandate.
How's your utility doing? Here're the top solar power purchasers:
(source)
(For comparison's sake, Reactor #2 at Diablo Canyon which was shut due to a fire on Monday produces 1,118 MW)
Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility for most of us here in Northern California, has inked a deal to buy a combined 800 MW of solar power from two utilities, OptiSolar and SunPower, both of which plan to use photovolatics, rather than solar-thermal. This is huge: the largest existing plant in Germany is 40 MW, and the largest US Solar plant is at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, and it generates 14 MW.
There's a mandate that says PG&E must get 20% of its electricity from renewables by 2010. These new plants won't be up till 2012 or so, so it looks like PG&E will still have to get some sort of waiver from the state, but a huge PV purchase can't help but be good for the industry.
more info here (with solar plant pic goodness)
Southern California Edison, which is the other "big" utility in the state, is purchasing 909 MW of wind energy in order to meet the same 2010 mandate.
How's your utility doing? Here're the top solar power purchasers:
(source)
(For comparison's sake, Reactor #2 at Diablo Canyon which was shut due to a fire on Monday produces 1,118 MW)
