Project Focus: SunEdison activates 945kW PV plant at San Diego’s Otay Mesa water treatment facility

Apr 7, 2010 - Emma Hughes - pv-tech.org

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and SunEdison have been celebrating the activation of the 945kW solar power plant at San Diego's Otay Mesa water treatment facility. The project was financed through a solar power service agreement (SPSA) between the two parties. The city will purchase the energy produced by the solar power system for 20 years to offset their demand from the utility grid.

The Otay Mesa solar power plant will generate over 1.5 million kWh of energy in the first year of operation and will produce over 27 million kWh over 20 years. This activation marks the second solar power deployment for the City of San Diego by SunEdison and is part of the city's plan to deploy 5MW of solar capacity. SunEdison has already installed and operates a 1.1MW solar facility at the city's Alvarado water treatment plant, which was activated in 2007.

"San Diego has more power generated by the sun than any other California city," said Mayor Jerry Sanders. "Large-scale municipal projects like this one show our continued commitment to renewable energy and its benefits both for our environment and the taxpayers."

"SunEdison makes solar energy a natural choice for cities and governments across this nation," said Jaime Smith, vice president of sales for SunEdison. "With a demonstrated track record, strong financing capabilities and solid supplier partnerships, SunEdison is able to offer solar energy solutions that require no upfront costs from the city while delivering long-term predictable energy pricing."

Tags: photovoltaics, sunedison