A joint solar power project between Panasonic and Coronal has successfully installed nine solar power arrays in central California. They are located in Tulare and Kings counties. Total electricity capacity is a little over 16 MW, or enough for about 14,500 homes. The electricity generated by the solar power systems will be sent to Southern California Edison’s grid. ImMODO Energy Services Corporation and Panasonic Eco Solutions built the systems.
The completed installations resulted from a first time collaboration between Panasonic and Coronal. Coronal is an energy company located in southern California and one that has an exclusive relationship with Panasonic Eco Solutions.
“Significant solar projects are beneficial to the economy and how we produce and consume energy, but their financial and structural complexities are a big challenge for companies interested in adopting clean, sustainable energy,” explained Panasonic Eco Solutions Managing Director Jamie Evans.
A fifty million dollar funding committment came from Ullico Inc., an insurance and investment company.
Panasonic is very well known for being a global consumer electronics company, but Panasonic USA is also involved in energy generation solutions, energy storage, energy efficiency, and solar power.
On the Panasonic website there is a concise description of the partners relationship, “Our integrated platform offers an efficient and reliable solution to those companies, communities and institutions looking for alternatives to lower their energy costs, while also reducing their carbon footprint.”
14,500 homes might not sound like a lot, especially considering that the LA area has about 10 million people. At the same time, it isn’t possible to switch everyone from fossil fuels to clean energy at once. The solar power infrastructure simply has not been built yet. If only about one percent of US electricity is currently coming from solar power, it will some time to even get to ten percent. California is far ahead of the national average. At one point recently, it met about 18% of electricity demand from solar power.
I’m sure many, if not most Californians are looking forward to more solar projects there. The cost of solar projects undoubtedly will drop, especially considering how much greater hold solar power is experiencing within the energy market. One example is the fact that SunPower has now made one billion solar cells.
Image: Geographer, Wiki Commons
