Recurrent to install 12 large solar arrays in Sacramento

July 8, 2010

San Francisco firm Recurrent Energy has signed power purchase agreements for 60 megawatts of solar projects to be installed in Sacramento County, California.

The company agreed to develop 12 individual 5MW solar projects for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

The facilities will be located in Galt and Elk Grove, in the southern portion of the County, and should be installed and completed by the fall of 2012.

The power purchase agreements come as part of the utility’s feed-in tariff program of solar incentives, introduced at the start of 2010.

SMUD Assistant General Manager Jim Shetler said: “Sixty additional megawatts of renewable power is a welcome addition to the Sacramento area.”

The utility, which describes itself as the sixth largest publicly-owned utility in the US, said it has received more than 100MW worth of applications for its feed-in tariff program from solar photovoltaic project developers.

The scheme provides standard rates and contract conditions for renewable energy projects connecting to the grid, making it easier to develop clean energy systems.

Commenting on the Sacramento PPAs, Recurrent Energy CEO Arno Harris said: “We have over 330 megawatts of distributed-scale projects in our contracted portfolio across North America and Europe, and these 12 solar power systems with SMUD are a clear validation of our approach to developing and marketing solar power in California.”