PG&E to Buy 500 Megawatts of Clean Solar Power From NextEra and Abengoa Solar

NextEra’s proposed Genesis Solar Energy Project consists of two 125 MW units to be located on a site managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Riverside County, Calif. The project is scheduled to come online in two phases, the first 125 MW in 2013 and the second 125 MW in 2014. It is expected to deliver about 560 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy per year, as much as the annual consumption of more than 80,000 average homes.

Abengoa Solar’s proposed 250 MW Mojave Solar project is to be located at Harper Lake in San Bernardino County. The project will deliver more than 600 gigawatt-hours of energy per year, enough to serve the needs of about 90,000 average homes. The project is scheduled to become fully operational by late 2013.

Both projects will use proven solar thermal technology to generate renewable energy for PG&E’s electric customers. Curved mirrors in the shape of troughs will focus solar energy onto fluid-filled tubes extending the length of each trough. The heated fluid will then be used to create steam for generating electricity.

"These projects will serve the critical energy needs of our customers without creating heat-trapping gases that harm our environment," said Fong Wan, senior vice president for energy procurement at PG&E. "Projects like these are reinforcing the demonstrated leadership of PG&E and California in clean solar technology."

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/about/.