SCE announces plan to use commercial rooftop solar installations to provide power to 162,000 homes.

Southern California Edison (SCE) has announced a new project that will place 250 megawatts of advanced photovoltaic generating technology (solar panels) on 65 million square feet of commercial rooftops in Southern California, which will generate enough power to serve approximately 162,000 homes.

This project, which will focus on commercial buildings in the Inland Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside County areas, will likely start its first installations in August of 2008. The goal is to provide energy during the peak hours during the day, when the sunlight is most abundant and energy usage is its highest, especially during the hot summer months. These solar installations will be connected to existing neighborhood circuits, thus eliminating the need for additional towers or power lines.

The total project cost is estimated to be $875 million. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has been asked to approve the installation of these solar units over the next five years. According to Mike Peevey, the CPUC president, this project "clearly illustrates once again Edison’s leadership position in the development of new renewable technology."

Press releases and other propaganda aside, this is a great way to create new solar energy sources without affecting the overall landscape of a neighborhood. Nothing will be seen of this project other than the solar panels on commercial rooftops, which weren’t a pretty sight to begin with. There will be no extra towers, no power lines to run through the residential neighborhoods, and the sunny Southern California weather will be put to good use in producing new, clean energy. This project also supports California’s renewable portfolio standard requiring that 20% of the state’s electricity be generated with renewable energy by 2010.

I have only one question regarding this project: Can something like this be used in the Santa Clarita area instead of the proposed wind power project that will require an abundance of new ultra-high towers that will have a negative effect on the landscape of many residential neighborhoods? Seems a solar project would make more sense, with plenty of available commercial rooftops in the Valencia Industrial Center.

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