About the Program
Southern California Edison has a century old commitment to renewable energy and began generating clean power over one hundred years ago when it built the Big Creek Hydro Electric plant in the Sierra Nevadas. That renewable energy heritage continues today. Since the 1980s, Southern California Edison (SCE) has been the nation’s leading purchaser of electricity generated with solar energy.
SCE’s Groundbreaking New Solar Program
SCE believes this is the time for a major commitment to photovoltaic power generation to produce significant benefits for its customers and California. In early 2008 SCE began planning for the nation’s largest installation of photovoltaic power generation modules to occupy unused rooftop space on industrial buildings. This program differs significantly from predecessor programs in that SCE incurs the installation costs and leases rooftop space from building owners. In June, 2009, the utility obtained approval to cover 65 million square feet of unused Southern California commercial rooftops with 250 megawatts of the latest photovoltaic technology – enough generating capacity to meet the needs of 160,000+ homes.
Solar Rooftop Program Timeline
SCE initially gained approval for a pilot program to build up to three rooftop systems totaling approximately 5 MW. After successful installations of pilot sites in Fontana, Calif., and Chino, Calif., the full program launched in January 2010.
SCE is now quickly ramping up to lease approximatley 100 to 150 roofs over the program’s lifetime, with the goal of adding 50 megawatts of generating capacity in each of the next five years. Negotiations continue for additional buildings.
To learn more please refer to the Solar Rooftop Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
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