12/01/2008 GAAS:809:08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version |
Gov. Schwarzenegger Applauds Completion of Commercial Rooftop Solar Installation Project
Highlighting his
commitment to increasing the state's renewable energy and reducing our carbon
footprint, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined Southern California
Edison (SCE) officials in Fontana to announce the completion of its first of
150 planned commercial rooftop solar installations in Southern California, as
well as the location of its next site which will be atop a 458,000 square-foot
industrial building in Chino.
"Here in
California, we are taking action to protect the environment by passing laws and
setting standards and our companies and entrepreneurs are rising to the
challenge," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Edison's rooftop plan is the
nation's largest solar installation program by a utility and it is just one
example of how private companies are helping us reduce our emissions and meet
our renewable energy goals. Projects like this one show the world you can
protect the environment and also pump up the economy, and I am proud to say it
is happening right here in California."
Last March, the Governor
participated in an event launching SCE's plan to install photovoltaic
technology to eventually cover two square miles of existing commercial roofs
with 250 megawatts (MW) of peak generating capacity. This first
completed project on top of the ProLogis Warehouse consists of 33,700 advanced
thin-film solar panels that is generating enough power during peak output to
meet the needs of approximately 1,300 Inland Empire homes or 2 MW of clean
energy.
These types of renewable energy
projects will help California in meeting its short- and long-term goals while
also helping the state meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets under AB 32
because they produce no greenhouse gases and burn no fossil fuels.
Last month the Governor signed an
executive order to streamline California's renewable energy project approval
process and announced his plans to propose legislative language to expand the
state's Renewable Portfolio Standard to 33 percent renewable power by 2020.
As part of the state's efforts
to increase renewable energy, the Governor's Million Solar Roofs
Plan, signed into law in 2006, will provide 3,000 megawatts of additional
clean energy and reduce the output of greenhouse gases by three million tons,
equivalent to taking one million cars off the road. Now known as the California
Solar Initiative, the $3.3 billion incentive plan for homeowners and building
owners who install solar electric systems will lead to one million solar roofs
in California by 2017.
While the Governor's Million
Solar Roofs Plan is encouraging renewable energy production on residential and
small commercial buildings, many utility companies are taking on large scale
renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar farms. In October, for
example, the Governor participated in the launch of Ausra's Kimberlina Solar Energy Facility in Bakersfield, which
is a demonstration facility for utility-scale thermal solar energy plants,
including one Ausra is building in San Luis Obispo. The solar installation
project just completed by SCE in Fontana fills the gap between these small and
large scale projects by finding an innovative way to generate more renewable
energy on large commercial buildings in local communities.
The advanced photovoltaic
generating technology being installed by SCE underscores the numerous energy
efficient products and services being produced and used by California companies.
According to Next10's
"California Green Innovation Index" California patents account for 44 percent
of all U.S. patents in solar and 37 percent in all U.S. patents in wind
technologies.
Governor Schwarzenegger has led
the way in establishing laws and policies aimed at helping California achieve
energy independence and fight global warming, including:
- In September 2008, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed AB 1451 by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), AB 2466 by Assemblyman John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) and AB 2267 by Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes (D-Sylmar) to build on California's commitment to increase renewable energy use. AB 1451 will build on the state's solar power usage by continuing a property tax exclusion for projects that utilize solar panel energy and expanding the exclusion to builder-installed solar energy systems in new homes. AB 2267 builds on the state's green economy by requiring the CPUC to grant incentives to eligible California-technology manufacturers. This bill also requires the Energy Commission to give priority to California-based companies when granting awards and will not only create jobs for hardworking Californians but will attract more clean-tech and green-tech companies to the state. AB 2466 will increase energy efficiency and help protect the environment by authorizing local governments to receive a utility bill credit for surplus renewable electricity generated at one site against the electricity consumption at other sites.
- In January 2007, the Governor announced the world's first Low Carbon Fuel Standard for transportation fuels that requires fuel providers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels sold in California. This first-of-its kind standard firmly establishes sustainable demand for lower-carbon fuels without favoring one fuel over another. To start, the standard will reduce the carbon intensity of California's passenger vehicle fuels by at least 10 percent by 2020 and more thereafter.
- In September 2006, the Governor signed the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, California's landmark bill that established a first-in-the-world comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to achieve real, quantifiable, cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gases. The law will reduce carbon emissions in California to 1990 levels by the year 2020. Governor Schwarzenegger has also called for the state to reduce carbon emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050.
