California solar energy facilities to power up to 170,000 homes

From Coolerplanet.com

Southern California Edison and First Solar have announced agreements that will result in two new large-scale solar energy projects in the southern part of the state.

An announcement from the California utility says that the planned facilities will be among the largest of their kind, with a combined output of 550 megawatts of solar energy generated by photovoltaic panels. The electricity by these two facilities will be sufficient to power about 170,000 homes, according to SCE.

“Supplying solar power to Southern California Edison and its customers advances our mission of providing clean, affordable and sustainable solar electricity. These projects will help California reach its renewable energy goals, and are powerful examples of large-scale photovoltaic solar generation becoming a reality in the United States,” said John Carrington of First Solar.

Specifically, there will be a 250 megawatt facility near the city of Desert Center, along with a 300 megawatt project in San Bernadino County.

Construction on the facilities is set to begin in 2012 for the Desert Center project and in 2013 for the one in San Bernadino County. The utility noted that during this time, several hundred construction jobs will also be created.