- News
18 May 2011
SDG signs contracts for the additional supply of 125 megawatts of solar energy
San Diego Gas Electric (SDG) of San Diego, CA, USA has signed two additional 25-year contracts with subsidiaries of Soitec Solar Development LLC (part of Soitec, Bernin, France) for a total of 125 megawatts of solar energy to be generated in the utility’s service territory. The energy will be produced using Soitec’s Concentrix concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology, with solar modules manufactured in a new Soitec factory to be built in the San Diego area.
The new agreements are separate from the three San Diego contracts the two companies signed in April for 30 MW of CPV-generated solar power. Combined, the five contracts represent five separate projects capable of generating a combined total of 155 megawatts, or enough energy to supply more than 60,000 homes.
“Our projects with Soitec will bring local jobs to the community and will help us to meet our renewable energy goals,” said James P. Avery, SDG’s senior vice president of power supply. “We are very confident in our choice of technology and in Soitec’s plans for a solar panel manufacturing facility in the San Diego region.”
“These new contracts with SDG reinforce Soitec’s decision to build its new manufacturing site in the San Diego area, and confirms the importance of the U.S. market for our company,” said André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Soitec. “We are very pleased to have a direct role in bringing ‘home grown’ solar energy to the people of San Diego.”
Soitec’s new manufacturing facility will have an annual production capacity of 200 MW and will supply all of SDG’s projects with Soitec’s Concentrix CPV technology. At full capacity, Soitec’s San Diego facility will generate up to 450 direct jobs and more than 1,000 indirect jobs. The factory location is expected to be announced this summer, with completion within 18 months of construction start. The power contracts require approval from the California Public Utilities Commission.
Soitec Concentrix CPV Solar modules
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