California's PG&E Announces 500 MW Solar Initiative
February 24th, 2009 by Ariel Schwartz
California utility PG&E has been a reluctant investor in renewable energy — until now. The utility announced yesterday a five-year plan to produce 500 MW of solar energy from a collection of midsize projects located in Northern and Central California. That’s enough power for 150,000 homes and 1.3 percent of PG&E’s electrical demands.. The solar panels will be mounted on rooftops and utility poles.
PG&E’s last major direct investment in renewable energy was 10 years ago. Since then, it has only bought electricity from third party sources.
The utility’s new project should help California reach its goal of 33 percent renewable energy by 2020. The plan is expected to be approved by the state’s Public Utilities Commission later this year and will likely be implemented by 2015.
Photo Credit: NREL
About the Author
Ariel Schwartz was formerly the editor of CleanTechnica and is a senior editor at Co.Exist. She has contributed to SF Weekly, Popular Science, Inhabitat, Greenbiz, NBC Bay Area, GOOD Magazine, and more. A graduate of Vassar College, she has previously worked in publishing, organic farming, documentary film, and newspaper journalism. Her interests include permaculture, hiking, skiing, music, relocalization, and cob (the building material). She currently resides in San Francisco, CA.
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