Access to Renewable Energy  

California is a world-leader when it comes to clean, emission-free renewable power. New state laws require utilities to generate 20 percent of energy supplies using renewable resources by the year 2010. And the landmark greenhouse gas emission reduction legislation recently signed into law could push SDG&E to beyond 20 percent renewables to meet this tough new mandate.

SDG&E is committed to helping California “go green” but needs new transmission lines like the Sunrise Powerlink to meet these aggressive clean power goals.

Currently, there are few power lines in California that connect the green energy supplies found in the state’s rural areas to population centers like San Diego. In fact, the California Energy Commission in a recent report said the lack of transmission lines is a key barrier to meeting the state’s renewable energy goals. That’s one reason why the California Energy Commission strongly supports the Sunrise Powerlink.

The future looks bright for renewable power. Vast supplies of solar, wind and geothermal energy are sitting untapped in eastern San Diego County and the sunny deserts of Imperial Valley. Together, these regions could become a leading producer of renewable power and help reduce polluting greenhouse gas emissions in California.

Solar

Yellow sun means green energy. And Southern California’s deserts have lots of sun and a massive solar energy potential if new power lines like the Sunrise Powerlink are built to these areas. The line will connect to large solar farms planned for the Imperial Valley and help turn that yellow sun into clean, green power.

Stirling Energy Systems

A solar farm up to 900 megawatts will be constructed in the Imperial Valley using proven solar dish technology to track the sun and maximize electricity production. At full build out, the project’s 36,000 solar dishes could cover nearly 10 square miles of land and become one of the largest solar farms in the world. To learn more, visit Stirling Energy System’s website www.stirlingenergy.com.

MMR Power Solutions

SDG&E has also contracted with MMR Power Solutions, LLC, to purchase power from two 50 megawatt solar farms using solar trough technology planned for the Imperial Valley.

Geothermal

How is geothermal energy produced?

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the most common way of capturing the energy from geothermal sources is to tap into naturally occurring "hydrothermal convection" systems where cooler water seeps into Earth’s crust, is heated up, and then rises to the surface. When the superheated heated water is forced to the surface, the steam is captured and used to drive electric generators.

Geothermal has a long history in the Imperial Valley and could begin to play an even bigger role in California if new transmission lines are constructed. The California Energy Commission estimates that there is approximately 2000 megawatts of additional geothermal potential in the Imperial Valley near the Salton Sea.

SDG&E has signed contracts for 60 megawatts of geothermal electricity that would be imported from the Imperial Valley via the Sunrise Powerlink.

Wind

Wind power already plays a small role in San Diego and more is on the way. The first wind energy project in San Diego County was built along the I-8 freeway on the Campo Indian Reservation in 2006. The 25 wind turbines generate 50 megawatts or enough electricity to power nearly 33,000 homes.

Several wind developers are planning to build several hundred megawatts of wind power in the region but need transmission lines like the Sunrise Powerlink to make them a reality.