California solar projects soar

A new 16-acre solar-generation station was dedicated near Vacaville recently, marking the completion of the first phase of Pacific Gas & Electric’s five-year plan to develop multiple solar projects in Northern California, according to a California Public Utilities Commission press release.

The two-megawatt Vaca-Dixon Solar Station is the first of multiple projects that the utility plans to build as part of its major solar-energy project. If the five-year plan is successfully implemented, the utility will develop up to 250 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power, which is enough to meet the energy needs of about 150,000 average California homes.

In addition, PG&E has requested that independent contractors around the state build their own solar-energy facilities in an effort to produce an additional 250 megawatts of solar power.