Situated atop the Sunset Reservoir, the solar power system consists of 24,000 panels, reportedly making it Californias largest municipal solar array. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission will purchase the generated energy under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement, which will be used by the city and county of San Francisco for such municipal services and facilities as the airport, lightrail and city buildings.
The project, which was awarded through a competitive bid process, leveraged a 30 percent federal tax credit available to the private sector.
With this one project, we are tripling the amount of solar power used by San Franciscos local government and powering up Californias largest municipal solar array, said Mayor Newsom. Strong public policy and government leadership played critical roles in bringing this project online, added Arno Harris, CEO of Recurrent Energy.
Expansion
In other news, the company has opened up an international office in Toronto, which will serve as the center for its development activities in both Canada and the U.S. east region. Around a dozen employees will be based there, who will focus on development, permitting and construction management.
According to the company, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) awarded contracts to Recurrent Energy for the most distributed solar power projects under the OPAs feed-in tariff (FIT) program, in April. As such, the local team will provide ground support for the 149.5 MW ac of FIT projects, in addition to development of additional solar power assets.
For the OPA FIT projects, the company has said that it expects to invest over CAD$650 million in solar modules, electrical equipment, steel and metal fabrication, and related services such as installation and project management.
The opening of our Toronto office signals the next phase in Recurrent Energys long-term commitment to helping the province of Ontario meet its green energy and economy goals, said David Brochu, vice president, East Region Development and managing director, Canada, Recurrent Energy. We have been active in the province for several years and are now investing heavily in the region to bring many solar power plants online by 2013, which is a direct result of the strong provincial policy leadership.
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