Southern California Edison (SCE) said that its renewable energy project was prompted by recent advances in solar technology that reduce the cost of installed photovoltaic (PV) generation. When combined with the size of SCE’s investment, the resulting costs per unit are projected to be half that of common PV installations in California.
SCE requested the California Public Utilities Commission for approval to install the solar cell technology during the next five years. The request estimates that the total project cost will be $875 million.
The utility plans to begin installation work immediately on commercial roofs in southern California’s Inland Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, which is reportedly the US’s fastest growing urban region.
SCE noted that the clusters of solar modules it plans to install will be connected directly to the nearest neighborhood circuit, eliminating the need to build new transmission lines to bring the power to customers.
