South San Francisco, CA October 11, 2018 Submitted by TJ Carter, PCE
California’s largest solar installation built exclusively for a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) agency broke ground today in California’s Central Valley. Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE), the electricity provider for 290,000 San Mateo County customers, expects the 200-megawatt utility-scale Wright Solar project to come online in late 2019.
“This is a huge step for Peninsula Clean Energy and our customers,” said CEO Jan Pepper. “The Wright Solar project moves us toward our goal of providing all customers with 100% renewable power by 2025. This long-term contract locks in the price we pay for electricity, which helps ensure that our rates will remain low. The size of the project is unique for a CCA and positions PCE as a leader in the industry.”
Peninsula Clean Energy has an exclusive 25-year power purchase agreement with Wright Solar Park LLC to buy the solar facility’s electricity. The project is owned by Centaurus Renewable Energy and the construction and operations are managed by Clēnera, LLC. The solar facility is being constructed by Swinerton Renewable Energy with union labor hired from the surrounding areas. The facility will produce enough electricity to power more than 100,000 San Mateo County homes a year.
“One of our primary objectives for PCE is to grow the supply of new renewable energy sources,” said Dave Pine, founding PCE Board Chair and President of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. “With the Wright Solar project, we are helping to fight climate change by adding 200 megawatts of new solar power. We’re also proud that the construction of this project will create approximately 400 union jobs in Merced County.”
“This project will help the County achieve multiple goals,” stated Lloyd Pareira, Vice-Chairman of the Merced County Board of Supervisors. “From new construction jobs being created to millions of dollars in new tax revenues being realized, we are pleased this investment is being made in our county.”
“An investment in solar energy provides value to American consumers and their communities on a local, state, and national level,” said George Hershman, President of Swinerton Renewable Energy. “Our team is proud to partner with Peninsula Clean Energy and Clēnera to bring affordable, clean power and hundreds of local jobs to California’s Central Valley.”
Peninsula Clean Energy was the fifth Community Choice Aggregation entity formed in California. PCE launched its service in October 2016 and provides electricity to all of San Mateo County. PCE estimates its lower rates save San Mateo County customers approximately $17 million a year.
About Peninsula Clean Energy
Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) is San Mateo County’s official electricity provider. PCE (www.PeninsulaCleanEnergy.com) is a public local community choice energy program that provides all electric customers in San Mateo County with cleaner electricity at lower rates than those charged by the local incumbent utility. PCE is projected to save customers more than $17 million a year. PCE, formed in March 2016, is a joint powers authority made up of the County of San Mateo and all 20 cities and towns in the County. PCE serves approximately 290,000 accounts.
About Clenera, LLC
Clenera, LLC (“Clēnera”) based in Boise, Idaho, is an end-to-end utility-scale solar development and asset management service provider focused exclusively on utility-scale solar projects in the continental United States. Clēnera relies on its experienced executive team and professional staff to identify the best projects and manage each project from pre-construction development and design through construction and commercial operation. Clēnera utilizes an efficient finance, development, construction and operations platform to consistently deliver low cost and reliable clean energy from the projects it manages. By the end of 2018, Clēnera is on-target to have constructed over 900 MWDC of utility-scale solar. For more information on Clēnera, visit www.clenera.com.
About Swinerton Renewable Energy
Swinerton Renewable Energy (SRE) offers engineering, procurement, construction, and SOLV® services for solar photovoltaic plants throughout North America to a diverse range of clients. Over 130 years of building landmark projects, Swinerton has forged a reputation for unsurpassed safety, workmanship, on-time delivery, and customer satisfaction. Today, our team takes pride in building cost-effective solar systems that will generate reliable, clean power for many years to come. SRE has delivered over 3.5 GW of solar projects and our SOLV team manages over 4.5 GW of PV plants. Learn more about Swinerton Renewable Energy at swinertonrenewable.com.