- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
California Public Utilities Commission has approved a plan to generate at least 500 megawatts of solar power, by utilizing commercial building rooftops. The power generated will be able to be be used by at least 320,000 households. With this approval, Southern California Edison Co. will be embarking on the world’s largest solar panel rooftop installation, which can help the company comply with state requirement for renewable energy and carbon emission reduction.
Southern California Edison unveiled their five year plan which involves installing solar panels on top of at least 150 buildings which it will be leasing. They are targeting locations with high-growth areas such as San Bernardino and riverside counties. These rooftop solar arrays will produce half of the utility’s solar energy.
Last summer, Southern California Edison got a head-start by installing a 2.4 megawatt solar power system on a warehouse owned by Prologis in Fontana. They are constructing another one on top of a warehouse in Chino. A third one is still under negotiation. The three solar projects were approved by the commission last year. The utility is set to install 50 additional megawatts on rooftops.
Southern California Edison will then buy 250 megawatts from independent solar companies, which will lease commercial roof space. Solar power systems on commercial roof space will be more feasible than on homes and small businesses, because of the larger area available for panel coverage. Solar energy generated by smaller systems will cost more, overall, than power generated from larger ones.
California PUC President Michael Peevey stated that power from a commercial rooftop solar power system is more expensive than power from large wind and solar plants, but that the state has to adopt the scheme because it can be executed faster and with less hassles.
Large-scale wind and solar projects usually meet opposition from environmental groups who are concerned about the impact on the plants and animals in the surrounding area. Plus, companies need to construct additional transmission lines to connect the plants to the power grid.
In contrast, rooftop solar systems can generate energy that can readily be fed into Southern California Edison’s power grid. This is the main reason why the PUC approved the plan. Even small-scale power companies can participate in the program, through competitive bidding.
With plenty of rooftops available throughout the US, this could be the model program for other states to follow. With both utility-owned and private companies participating, a healthy competition will be fostered which will be good for the market.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=cb6b8b8b-8ca7-463e-aeb3-5ab4608f5e08)
California homeowners can install solar power at 50% of the typical cost thanks for federal and state solar incentives. When you install solar panels, you may qualify for a 30% federal tax credit and an almost 20% state rebate against the cost of solar power. Also, many counties and local cities offer additional incentives for solar panels. Plus, you will increase your home value by about 70% of the value of the solar panel installation. For example, if the installed solar power system costs $20,000, then your home value will likely increase by $14,000. But don’t worry, many states, including California, also offer a property tax exemption for solar improvements.
Homeowners can learn about how all these solar incentives work, get information about solar panels, find solar installers and even solar financing programs.
@FreeCleanSolar – Thank you for your input! I am sure this data will be useful to California residents who are looking at investing in solar energy.