A new Dos Palos solar power project will generate three megawatts of solar power that will benefit electricity customers in Los Banos, according to Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE).
Peninsula Clean Energy, a Community Choice Aggregation agency, is the official electricity provider for San Mateo County and for the City of Los Banos.
In a recent press release PCE announced that it has partnered with a company called Renewable America to make this happen. Within a competitive bid process, Renewable America proposed to PCE that it would create a solar power generation project within the city of Dos Palos.
Renewable America was selected by Peninsula Clean Energy after PCE had analyzed all submitted bids, according to a PCE spokesperson, based on “the cost of the solar, bidder qualifications, team experience and details about each solar project.” The exact site of the project in Dos Palos has not been made public.
The Dos Palos Clean Power Project, according to a PCE press release, will generate three megawatts (MWac) of solar power as part of the Peninsula Clean Energy’s Green Access Program. This program is providing more than 1,000 income-qualified customers in San Mateo County and the city of Los Banos with 20 percent savings on their electric bills.
“This project checks several important boxes for us, including helping us get closer to our central goal of providing all-renewable power to all of our customers at nearly all hours of the day and evening,” Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Jan Pepper said.
Pepper further stated, “Sourcing this carbon-free power for our Los Banos customers from their home county also further shows how we are helping produce and deliver clean and affordable power beyond the coastline and into the heart of our state.”
“Our team is thrilled to partner with Peninsula Clean Energy to provide locally sourced solar electricity to their members,” Renewable America CEO Ardi Arian said. “This project is unique because it will directly benefit the residents of the surrounding community in Los Banos through local investment and job creation. Peninsula Clean Energy is again showing leadership on how community choice aggregation agencies can make clean energy affordable and accessible for more Californians.”
Renewable America is developing, financing, constructing and maintaining operation of the Dos Palos project in Merced County which is expected to be online in August 2023.
Peninsula Clean Energy’s Green Access program is part of a statewide effort from the California Public Utilities Commission to help low-income residents with their energy bills in communities that experience higher levels of environmental pollution.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, the Dos Palos Clean Power project will offset more than 6,100 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. This is equivalent to taking more than 1,317 vehicles off the road per year.
