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Dedication ceremony for utility-scale solar plant in California

The 5MW CalRENEW-1 solar plant in the city of Mendota, California

Dedication ceremonies were held yesterday for the first utility-scale solar photovoltaic power plant to connect directly to the California Independent System Operator’s grid at transmission level.

The 5-megawatt CalRENEW-1 facility has been developed by Meridian Energy USA, and is providing power for utility PG&E.

With 50,000 solar modules spreading across 50 acres of formerly fallow farmland in California’s Central Valley, the facility started commercial operations on April 30.

California Public Utilities Commissioner John Bohn, who attended the festivities yesterday, said: “I’m delighted that CalRENEW-1 has achieved commercial operation. The grid-connected facility will help California meet our Renewables Portfolio Standards goals and reduce the amount of carbon we put into the atmosphere from energy generation.”

The new facility represents the first major deployment of amorphous thin-film photovoltaic modules made by Sharp Electronics Corporation’s Solar Energy Solutions Group.

Land for the plant was provided by the city of Mendota under a long-term lease, with engineering and installation provided by Quanta Renewable Energy Services.

Meridian

The facility is owned and operated by Meridian Energy USA, the company formerly known as Cleantech America, which is now part of New Zealand state-owned energy company Meridian Energy Ltd. The developer also financed the project itself.

Meridian now intends to apply lessons learned on CalRENEW-1 to much larger renewable projects in the U.S. and internationally.

Meridian Energy USA CEO Bill Overholt said: “It is noteworthy that CalRENEW-1 was developed and financed entirely by Meridian Energy USA. It further demonstrates Meridian’s commitment to renewables and to the US solar market.”

PG&E is already receiving solar power from two slightly larger solar PV farms – one in Nevada and one in California – but CalRENEW-1 is the first to deliver zero-emission power directly to the transmission-level grid.

We are proud that we were able to train Mendota and other area residents to be installers” - Bill Overholt, Meridian USA

The companies said the development was significant because it would mean the power can be moved over utility lines to meet electricity demand elsewhere.

Expectations are that the facility will cut emissions from conventional power of up to 6.3 million pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

“PG&E is committed to meeting our customers’ energy needs with sources of environmentally friendly power,” said Fong Wan, Senior Vice President of Energy Procurement for PG&E. “Commercial operation of this project serves to broaden our renewable portfolio and aid our state in reaching its clean energy goals.”

Jobs

As part of the festivities, Commissioner Bohn presented commemorative plaques to four local residents who had worked on the facility’s construction.

Mr Overholt said: “We are proud of the fact that we were able to recruit and train Mendota and other area residents to be installers, so that more than 70 percent of the labor involved in construction went to local residents. This demonstrates the potential for PV solar to create green jobs and stimulate economic development.”